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March 25, 2010

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Rat owners say the critters make for ideal companions

March 25, 2010, Thursday | Print Edition

HISTORY and Hollywood cast them as vermin responsible for plagues, famine and famous movie lines like "You dirty rat!" But to a small group of fans, the rat is a charming pocket companion as loyal as a dog and cleaner than a cat.

Nearly 60 percent of American households have pets, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll. About 74 percent of pet owners polled in October said they had dogs, 47 percent said they had cats and 3 percent said they had a gerbil, hamster, mouse or rat.

"To own a rat is to know that forever your heart will walk outside your body on four little feet," said Dale Burkhart, 66, of Claremont. She is the vice president for the Riverside-based American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association.

Burkhart's nickname is Hattie McRattie and she runs the House Mouse Cafe at club events. Because of her arthritis, she no longer keeps rats but remains devoted, recalling how her fiance used to come over to visit her and her rats.

"They would groom his hair, groom his eyebrows and eyelashes. They are always grooming each other. That's how they show respect and affection," Burkhart said. "We become the alpha rat and they groom us."

The average life span of a rat is two to three years, said Debbie Ducommun. She is an author and international rat expert known as "The Rat Lady" and was a consultant for makers of the movie "Ratatouille."

Short lives is the "down side of dear little ratties," said Cathleen Schneider-Russell, a member of the association. "You have to enjoy every precious moment."

Most fans will keep a small colony of rats, said Stephen Zawistowski, executive vice president and science adviser for ASPCA national programs based in New York. That does not mean one rat cannot be very special, said Jenna R. Lillibridge, director of Any Rat Rescue in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Her rat Aries is blind and the most affectionate rat she has ever had. "She loves people. She sleeps with me. She will drape herself over my ankle or side or snuggle up to my neck," said Lillibridge.


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