Catherine Méthot

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  Catherine commented on the article | over 2 years ago

  Man Charged for Strangling Rat

  Hi all, please excuse my french, I just would like to say that I've been taking care of rats for 10 years now and they still surprise me. Another thing that surprises me is how uneducated you are, Cow Girl, about rats... I'm not saying this in a mean way. Like I said, I'm very surprised! After all, you're studying veterinary medicine, and I'm not, although I want to... but you said that rats have no individual distinction from one to another, and it's not true. But you can't know that unless you had them. They all have a different personality.

  
  

  You said that rats don't come to you when you call their name. Actually, they do. At least mine do. I've had one that was litter trained (YES, rats can be litter trained) so I was letting him out of his cage often, and whenever I would call his name, he'd come to me running and wait at my feet. I could start scratching him on the belly and he would like it, he would roll onto his back and just relax while I'm scratching and petting him. He would eventually fall asleep like this. He was adorable. Yes, I'm talking a bout a rat here! Like I said, they're very surprising.

  
  

  You said that they don't have an ''industry that is catering to their owners every desire''. The reason they don't have a big industry right now like cats and dog is because they are a relatively new kind of companion animal. Before, they were just used in scientific research. Now, there are tons of website on rat care, rat products in pet stores and some veterinarians are specialized in exotic animal care (you should know that), but before, none of this was needed and there was no money to make out of it... but since rats are becoming popular companion animals, especially with teenagers, I believe new products and services will keep coming.

  
  

  There ARE also reputable rat breeders now. A friend of mine, who was also a veterinary student, bred rats for years. ''Bald rats'' (I don't know what they're called in english) were a particularly rare breed at that time. She knew a lot about them and she was taking her ''job'' very seriously, she wouldn't sell one of the baby rats to anyone, like some breeders do (those who breed and sell animals only for profit). For my part, I only have rats that were taken from bad situations (ex.: hoarders) where they were neglected. It's a passion for us, but some people would never understand WHY should we be so passionate about rats. That's because they don't know about these animals.

  
  

  Sure, rats are different than dogs. Dogs are also different than cats, still they're both enjoyed as companion animals by many people. Cats are different than pigs and yet, some people have pigs as companion animals. Rats are different but they can be just as loving and intelligent.

  
  

  YES, rats can learn tricks, YES they can be litter trained, YES they will fall asleep in your neck, YES they like to be petted, YES they will live up to 4 or 5 years if you treat them well, YES they're extremely adaptable and strong animals... I could go on and on about them... even if I didn't study veterinary medicine!

  
  

  That's pretty much all I wanted to say.

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  Catherine commented on the article | over 2 years ago

  Rats Make the Front Page of the Wall Street Journal

  Yeah, I think we should do a petition... or something! Anything! I'm a rat lover, well, an all-animal lover. I have a particular affection to rats, because they're just AMAZING and you can't understand until you've made best friends with one. They're affectionate, funny and super intelligent.