https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/like-rats-fleeing-a-sinking-ship-history
The original setting for the fleeing rats was a decrepit house, one that was on the verge of falling down. Both rats and mice, in the 16th century, were said to have the ability to know when a structure was on the verge of collapse, and would accordingly decamp some time before this happened. By the early 17th century the behavior of the rats begins to see use as a simile.
Like rats fleeing a rotten house may have had a certain ring to it, but other competing forms came about as the 17th century progressed. The first of these to appear was the image of the rodent fleeing a burning house.
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While there is considerable variation of verb employed to describe what the rats are doing, there is less in terms of the situations that these idioms were applied to; almost all of these early uses are in reference to political scandals.
Folks,
There is little historical information on what happens after the rats leave the burning house.
Any thoughts? what does history tell us?