Wendy Culbert, 69, and Nicole Culbert, 38, say they feel unsettled in their property in Leven, Fife.
They have had pest workers out twice – but are still finding rats.
Nicole, an entomologist, said: “It’s awful. We have to keep all the doors shut to try and stop them moving round the house.
“We’re like prisoners in our own home.”
Nicole and Wendy, a retired admin worker, first noticed rat problems on October 8.
They decided to take action after coming downstairs one morning to find a rat in their 13-year-old whippet Millie’s bed.
She said: “The dog is stressed out because she can smell them – she just wants a peaceful life.
“We are trying to keep them out of our house.”
Nicole and Wendy paid £84 for the first pest control callout, but say the council is trying to sort the problem now.
She said: “I’m a scientist, I know what they sound like, the damage they do, how quickly they breed, and the diseases they carry.
“We’re finding this all very unsettling.
“At first I kept trying to play this down and tell myself I was imagining it, but then I saw them.
“We shut the rat in the sitting room we were so scared.
“It ate the carpet and pooed and weed everywhere before falling asleep in the dog bed.”
Graeme Anderson, technical officer at Fife Council, said: “Fife Council’s pest control team has been dealing with a vermin issue at a residential property in Leven.
“We’ll continue to provide assistance if needed.”
