But Paris is not threatened by plague.
The "coup de poing" (punch) campaign involves setting new rat traps - said to be environment-friendly - and urging the public not to feed pigeons or rats.
Rat traps are being set in some Paris squares - including Cambronne and Garibaldi in the 15th district - and the Saint-Jacques Tower, a famous monument on the upmarket Rue de Rivoli, has also been closed.
A blog called Vivre le Marais, for residents of the Fourth district where the tower stands, complains about the rat problem.
"Yesterday evening at around 18:00 we counted roughly 200 of them, just by the railings on the Rue de Rivoli, and massing in the garden of the Saint-Jacques Tower," the blog said.
Litter bins are also being redesigned to prevent rats from crawling in.
The Fourth district council says the anti-rat operation is a joint effort by the authorities responsible for road-cleaning, parks and sewers.
In 2014, startling video and photos showing rats at a picnic spot by the Louvre Museum in Paris got wide media coverage.
It is thought there are about six million rodents in Paris - 2.5 per person.
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