When watching a typical Tom and Jerry episode, some people root for Jerry. In real life, however, mice aren’t exactly held in high esteem. Take this Winnipeg woman’s mouse problem, for example. In 2012, CBC News reported that the million-dollar home she’d bought recently was also home to a massive colony of mice. Getting rid of the mice was costly—every drywall and all insulation in the house had to be taken apart for a major cleanup.

A colony of mice shows a clear picture of how much damage these pests can do to a home. Typical remedies to an infestation may cost more than $750 in professional fees, but it was reported that the woman would have to pay tens of thousands for a mass extermination procedure. As it turned out, the colony of mice didn’t swell in just a few days or weeks. The exterminator who dealt with the problem said it was “years in the making.”

The team found mouse feces and urine inside almost every drywall and insulation; such that the crew had to strip the interior walls bare to address the problem. It was estimated that the rodents had infested the house for at least five years, with the colony growing so large that it would have been difficult to miss. However, before the house was sold, initial inspections made by engineers and contractors did not find a single thing wrong with it. In fact, the previous owner and his family reportedly lived in peace without any hint of mouse problems.

The woman planned to sue the previous owner for selling her a mouse-infested home, but the owner claimed he was unaware of the problem. While the inspections failed to notice the festering problem, home inspectors continue to stress the importance of a proper home inspection before buying. Ari Marantz, a local home inspector, told CBC News that inspectors should have seen the red flags that signal something is amisd. However, the pest control team pointed out that it may have been difficult to spot the problem.

Mice droppings are dangerous, if not deadly. Remember that rodents were a deadly scourge in Europe during the Middle Ages, claiming the lives of millions by tainting towns’ water and sewage systems. Among the most common diseases related to rodent droppings are salmonellosis and leptospirosis. The animals’ fecal matter and urine can find their way to food and water supplies, transmitting the deadly bacteria with them.

This report highlights the importance of measures for mice removal from every home. When looking over a house prior to a sale, it’s important to include a pest control service such as Skedaddle in the inspection team for an in-depth look at every nook and cranny. You can be alerted to signs of problems with a thorough look at the place, and save yourself the misfortune of buying a problematic piece of property. You might root for the cartoon version, but in real life Jerry and his kin are bad for your home.