{"id":3029,"date":"2022-01-24T16:27:14","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T22:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/?p=3029"},"modified":"2023-03-17T13:05:04","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T18:05:04","slug":"a-valentine-to-my-rats-the-greatest-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/a-valentine-to-my-rats-the-greatest-species\/","title":{"rendered":"A Valentine To My Rats: The Greatest Species"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"rat
It’s true. Rats are worthy of Valentine’s. Brandi Saxton<\/a> of It’s A Rat’s World<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dearest Ratones (as you are known in our home),<\/p>\n

I write this letter to all 56 of you that have been a part of my life since 1994 when I discovered that rats are my animal soulmates.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve loved animals all my life. From the moment of my birth there have been many different types of pets by my side. We had the obligatory cats and dogs, as we still do. To me a house is not a home without a dog in it. But I\u2019ve also had parakeets, fish, turtles, ferrets, and several types of rodents. During my high school years, I even had three very sweet rats.<\/p>\n

Yet, it wasn\u2019t until a year and a half after high school when I brought home Rory \u2014 a tiny, beige, hooded male \u2014 that my life as a rat lover truly began.<\/p>\n

Dog Or Cat Person? Um, I\u2019m A Rat Person!<\/h3>\n
\"rat
I’m a rat person, but I also need dogs in my life. I’m always careful to supervise whenever the two species mix. Brandi Saxton<\/a> of It’s A Rat’s World<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve been asked many times since then, \u201cWhy rats?\u201d I\u2019ve always been drawn to the misfits, underdogs, and outliers. These characterizations have certainly been applied to rats. And I have to admit that I do feel a strange sense of pride every time a look of disgust is followed by someone\u2019s skepticism at my having rats as a pet. But that\u2019s clearly not enough to keep my identity firmly placed as a rat person.<\/p>\n

So, what is it exactly about you wonderful rats that I have fallen in love with over the years?<\/p>\n

You Craved My Attention<\/h3>\n

In the beginning, I marvelled over how different and affectionate rats are from other rodents. You seem more like tiny dogs. Your intelligence and desire for human attention took me by surprise and instantly won my favor. So much so, that I regularly carried some of you around with me in my purse (set up with food, water, and a potty area). No matter where I went, you were with me, my constant purse companions. This even allowed for opportunities to show you off and educate people on what amazing pets you can be.<\/p>\n

Over the years, however, I found that my time had to be divided once I became a mom. As my free-time, obligations, and priorities changed, my love for you did do not.<\/p>\n

You Never Judged Me<\/h3>\n
\"rat
Rory nuzzled my face every day. Brandi Saxton<\/a> of It’s A Rat’s World<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You also ask so little from me. Of course, you\u2019ve got the guilt-inducing, sad-eyed look down to a T, but I know that only comes from a place of a genuine desire to hang out with me. But there\u2019s no back talk from you and no unkindness. There is only total acceptance of who I am.<\/p>\n

You never care about how I dress. This is especially nice, because most of our time together is now spent with me in my \u201ccomfy\u201d clothes (and that\u2019s even pre-COVID).<\/p>\n

You also lack discrimination when it comes to looks or age. I sincerely appreciate how none of you bring up the wrinkles that have been creeping in on me over the last 27-plus years.<\/p>\n

You Showed You Cared<\/h3>\n

If you ever thought I needed some improvement, you were at least thoughtful in your approach. For instance, without any critical words when it comes to my hygiene, almost all of you have taken it upon yourself to perform daily grooming sessions on my hands or face. Two of you have even been considerate enough to offer\/force upon me your Rodentist (rodent dentist) services.<\/p>\n

You Offered Endless Encouragement<\/h3>\n

Grooming isn\u2019t the only way you looked after me. So many of you have been true-blue companions during tough times. What non-rat people are missing out on is this shockingly deep way you are capable of bonding with people. If more people were aware of this, I think your species could give dogs a real run for their money!<\/p>\n

So maybe it\u2019s the way you give love back that I can\u2019t be without? To have rats that offer cuddles and even lick away tears from your face when you\u2019re feeling low, is like having fuzzy little therapists!<\/p>\n

The Special Ones (You Know Who You Are)<\/h3>\n

Not all of you have been as affectionate, of course. A handful of you made me work extra hard to earn your trust. Whether it was just your personality or your life experiences from before we met, I had to be creative in getting you past your fear of humans.<\/p>\n

We may not have bonded in the same way as I did with other rats, but we always developed our own special and memorable relationships. This is especially true when your health was in decline, and you were forced to rely on my care. Those experiences have become extra special to me, because I know your love was not given out freely, yet I eventually received it.<\/p>\n

You Have Unique Personalities<\/h3>\n
\"rat
Each rat has it’s own adorable personality to share. Brandi Saxton<\/a> of It’s A Rat’s World<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I think one of the things I love the most about rats is how absolutely unique each and every one of you are. Until someone has had a rat, I don\u2019t think people can fully comprehend how individual and utterly intricate your personalities are.<\/p>\n

Just to give a few examples among you all, I\u2019ve had:
\n\u2022 The comedians that continually bring me laughter.
\n\u2022 The lovebugs that want nightly cuddles on the couch.
\n\u2022 The skittish or elderly ones that reluctantly need extra time and care but give me a sense of purpose.
\n\u2022 The independent, fearless ones that never need me, yet choose me anyway.
\n\u2022 The naughty ones that somehow manage to make misbehavior rather endearing.
\n\u2022 The heart rats \u2014 the soulmates \u2014 that form a kind of connection with you that can\u2019t be explained in mere words.<\/p>\n

A Million Reasons To Love A Rat<\/h3>\n

It could be all the larger-than-life personalities, your incredible intelligence, your adaptability, or the strong bonds<\/a> we have formed that give me the connection I feel toward you. But at the heart of it all, I don\u2019t think there is just ONE reason I\u2019m a diehard, never-ending, loyal-to-the-end, lover of rats. Instead, I\u2019m this way because, well, there\u2019s absolutely no reasonable conclusion not to be! There\u2019s just a kinship that exists between us that cannot be broken.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, I think what makes you all so unbelievably amazing, is that so much grandness is somehow encased into such tiny packages. It almost seems impossible that something so small, and with such little time here on earth, could leave such an enormous impact. Yet, that\u2019s exactly what a rat does!<\/p>\n

To all my loves, my boos, my baby ratones, thank you for all that you\u2019ve given me over the years. You will forever be my favorite!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Your mom<\/p>\n

Since 1995 I have loved and been loved by:
\n(Listed in order as they came into my life. Some were adopted in pairs or groups and the ones in bold are my current living rats)
\nRory (Borealis)
\nDover Cliffs
\nWallacen Gromit
\nDublin Grove
\nOpus Falls
\nTrespassers William
\nCastor & Pollux
\nDelphiniums Blue, Sorren, & Cecil (aka the Dumbo Brothers)
\nAri & Finn
\nThaddeus & Gilmore (aka The Thaddemores)
\nPiper, Phoebe & Paige (Aka the Power of Three)
\nGranger & Potter
\nJules & Alabama
\nBrockton, Omni, & Coronado
\nDakota
\nGoose & Maverick
\nJing Jang, Lurm Nurm, Archer, & Wolfgang
\nKorben Dallas & Leeloo
\nTru & Echo
\nSirius Black
\nSterling & Draper
\nTopher
\nPi & Cinder
\nWinchester, Castiel, & Crowley
\nTulip, Preacher, Cassidy, & Custer
\nPaddington, Camden<\/strong>, Regent<\/strong>, & Gatwick<\/strong>
\nBrinley<\/strong>, Moffett<\/strong>, & Kelton<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rat owner Brandi Saxton writes a Valentine to all the rats who shared her life, expressing wonder and awe at how much each rat has brought to her life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":3032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rat","category-rat-fun"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}