Back in the day, Rat Catcher used to be a job you could apply for. Honestly, it still should be. The cities are rampant with these furry monsters, and it’s a real problem unless you’re a fan of them. Just a few years ago, the city of Chicago “hired” a bunch of cats to act as official rat catchers.

But before cats were stealing our jobs, rat catching was a human gig. There are tons of photos of old Englishmen showing off their prized rat hides, alongside their trusty dogs tasked with snuffing them out. During WW2, there were elite squads of women who took on the mantle of rat catchers.

The photos look a lot like those people who pay to go to Africa to kill endangered animals, standing above a dead giraffe or whatever with a big grin. These people from yesteryear had a much better reason to be killing animals. Although it is arguably grosser to look at.