# WHY Can't We Be Friends?



## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ikm3o5hDks


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## Rooster2312 (Mar 8, 2006)

OMG! That has to one of the best and most amazing videos I've ever seen!!

I love rats (owned 7 in the past), and am thinking of getting another soon. Wonderful creatures and WOW! I can't get over how much that cat was so friendly to these two! Lovely relationship!

Thanks so much for sharing!

Lindi


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## Pegasus (Feb 6, 2007)

I thought we are friends? 

Yah those are cute, imagine the cat plays with 2 (what kind of rat) white rat? I don't really know what you call those ...


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Rooster2312 said:


> OMG! That has to one of the best and most amazing videos I've ever seen!!
> 
> I love rats (owned 7 in the past), and am thinking of getting another soon. Wonderful creatures and WOW! I can't get over how much that cat was so friendly to these two! Lovely relationship!
> 
> ...


My older sister is very fond of rats. Her admiration began when her daughter brought one home from school. Of course they felt sorry for it all alone and so they got a companion of the same gender.
Well, the pet store gal didn't know her genders and before long the rat family grew...and grew...and grew...and grew some more. Within the span of half a year, my sister had over 50 rats.
She had 2 large cages...one for boys...and one for girls.
Sometimes...a boy would escape and find his way into the girl cage and then in a few short weeks, there would be a population explosion!
My sister is the artistic director of a children's theater and she was giving a starter kit complete with rat to every child she thought would be a good companion to a rat.
It took some years but at last she is rat-less. She was the first one I sent the video to because I knew she would love it.
She really loved those rats.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Too funny!!! Thanks for sharing!


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Very touching .. what can I say?

Terry


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

My bf showed me this earlier. One of the last rats I had was named Mommy Meece (very original, eh?) and lived in our room, and I would walk in to her curled up in the bf's lap--though he is "not a big fan of rats". One of those ratties in the video looked just like her. I have a few cats who were raised with rats and Chester especially loves rats. Once I was fostering a feral kitten who was around four months old, and he fell in love with one of my pet rats. They slept together, washed each other, hung out together and all. He was completely wild around people but he loved that little rattie.

Charis, I can imagine exactly what your sister's house was like! At one point when I rescued other animals as well, we had over 50 rats, though we didn't let them breed more than one or two accidents over the years lol. We were extremely careful!! I think more out of fear of the population explosion than anything else.  You would be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) how many rats are at shelters. I was always getting calls from feed stores and shelters. . ."Can you take another rat--or six??" Many of them weren't friendly but I was lucky to have many cages donated and each had their own little comfy "retirement environment", good treats, all that. I remember when I had to move back home and was overwhelmed trying to find homes for some of them. I really miss having them but the heartbreak of all the cancer they get is so hard. They are such special little creatures. 

Another funny story comes to mind. . .when we first had rats, we had a few males and two females, obviously in separate cages. A family member of my ex's was over visiting, a kind fellow with a big heart who was somewhat developmentally disabled. He stopped by the next day while we were out, let himself in to get his hat he'd left behind, and when we came home all the rats were running around. He'd left a note, "I let the rats out to play." We had two adorable litters born soon after that!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Cute video and wonderful stories.........although, I can't imagine 50 rats........OMG.........


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

those ratties love that cat....how funny and cute...


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

maryjane said:


> My bf showed me this earlier. One of the last rats I had was named Mommy Meece (very original, eh?) and lived in our room, and I would walk in to her curled up in the bf's lap--though he is "not a big fan of rats". One of those ratties in the video looked just like her. I have a few cats who were raised with rats and Chester especially loves rats. Once I was fostering a feral kitten who was around four months old, and he fell in love with one of my pet rats. They slept together, washed each other, hung out together and all. He was completely wild around people but he loved that little rattie.
> 
> Charis, I can imagine exactly what your sister's house was like! At one point when I rescued other animals as well, we had over 50 rats, though we didn't let them breed more than one or two accidents over the years lol. We were extremely careful!! I think more out of fear of the population explosion than anything else.  You would be surprised (or maybe you wouldn't) how many rats are at shelters. I was always getting calls from feed stores and shelters. . ."Can you take another rat--or six??" Many of them weren't friendly but I was lucky to have many cages donated and each had their own little comfy "retirement environment", good treats, all that. I remember when I had to move back home and was overwhelmed trying to find homes for some of them. I really miss having them but the heartbreak of all the cancer they get is so hard. They are such special little creatures.
> 
> Another funny story comes to mind. . .when we first had rats, we had a few males and two females, obviously in separate cages. A family member of my ex's was over visiting, a kind fellow with a big heart who was somewhat developmentally disabled. He stopped by the next day while we were out, let himself in to get his hat he'd left behind, and when we came home all the rats were running around. He'd left a note, "I let the rats out to play." We had two adorable litters born soon after that!


MJ...I love the story of how two adorable litters came to be. 
The cancer issue with rats broke my sister's heart over and over. Most of the rats only lived 2 years. She had one that she would take everywhere with her. Davorkac [sp] would ride along in my sister's coat pocket. Sometimes she would crawl out of her pocket and sit on her shoulder. The tellers at the bank were especially amused. The children at the theater loved the rat and it was very sad when the rat passed on.
To be honest, i think her rat numbers actually climbed higher than 50 at one time. Yes, that is a lot of rats.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Precious video and Charis and MJ, I loved your stories. I have never had a pet rat but can see how people can become attached to them. It is terribly sad they don't live too long. Wonder why they are so prone to get cancer?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

I had the pleasure of looking after these two lovely ratties for a couple of weeks until they made their way into the local rat rescue network:










They were absolutely gentle, cute, funny, and precious creatures. My grandfather always had pet white rats when I was a tiny child of about 5 years of age. They would sit on his shoulder or go down the front of his shirt .. quite amazing that I can remember them and his love for them 55 years later ..

Terry


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Charis, how do you find these things? LOL.


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