2020 Year of the Rats...Fancy Rats
This weekend we made two additions to the household: Cola (black and white) and Milky (brown and white).
We had a family cat when the kids were babies. Georgette (named for Georgette Heyer) was my sister's cat but she let me borrow George on and off to handle our mouse problems. Joey had George while she was pregnant with her two children, I had George through both of my pregnancies. George then came to spend her twilight years with us. She was used to visiting both households and decided to stay with us. I think my sister's new puppy contributed to this decision.
When George died it wasn't practical for us to get a cat. The only time I wasn't allergic was when I was pregnant and I wasn't about to get pregnant again so my kids could have a cat. Instead, we tried a hamster.
Hamsters are not very social. Worse, Ronny was a biter. Still, we took care of him until he passed.
Next time we went pet shopping, we got talked into a rat. Tiffany was a darling. When the kids were at school, she hung out with me at my desk. Puck, Pook, Peaches and Nicki followed. We tried to keep two at a time. Rats, unlike hamsters, are very social. The last two were males and that was a mistake. Male rats really triggered my allergies.
It's sad, but I can't even remember the names of the male rats. I couldn't go near them.
Pet owning went on hiatus after that. Then Kit and I started watching National Geographic shows about vets. Given the choice, I'd love a macaw or green parrot (one of the smaller breeds) but aside from the expense, I'm also allergic to feathers. A poodle would have been great, but also very expensive and my kids weren't enamoured with the idea. So, it was rats again.
I'm all for adopting older dogs and cats, but if you get rats, get them as babies. If they socialize with you, they are loving pets. If not, they'll only really appreciate the company of other rats. My oldest has a leg up there. Kit was born in the year of the rat.
I guess I've always loved rats.