I've got a pet rat who's prob about 12 weeks old, my mate has just got a cat. Why is it that people go all gooey over the cat, yet seem to squirm at the mention of the rat! He's funny, v affectionate and has a great personnality!
2007-03-14 11:15:14 · 41 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
i love them, raw too.
2007-03-14 11:18:09 · answer #1 · answered by BUNGLE!! 5 · 1⤊ 6⤋
Rats in my opinion are MORE affectionate then a cat. I have both rats and cats...let me tell you my rats are smarter too. They are like dogs, you can teach them tricks, litter train them and they dont dig holes in your yard, they dont leave hairballs in the walk ways for you to step in barefoot. Rats are not diseased...heck you have more bugs in your mouth then your rat has over its ENTIRE little body. They are cleaner then cats, smarter by far...and actually like human companionship most cats if you pick them up and cuddle them they protest with a whipping tail, a low meow, or they try to get away. Heck a well socialized rat will just sit there and love it...and will probably brux too.. which is a grinding of the teeth the same way a cat purr. Shaz
2007-03-15 15:59:25 · answer #2 · answered by Shaz 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Time to set the record straight, especially for those with psychology degrees, YES it is possible for a rat to bond with it's owner like a cat, and as a matter of fact alot of cats can be quite aloof and only want to bond and be affectionate when it's on their terms, (mine included). I have owned rats and they are one of the most intelligent domestic pets next to a dog AND ALSO one of the CLEANEST domestic pets next to a cat, as like a cat they are constantly washing and grooming themselves.
Right now that's out of my system the answer to the question is what most people have said, when you mention the word rat it automatically conjures up images of sewer rats, horror movies and plagues, basically everything nasty. I have found that the biggest reason why people don't like rats is because of the tail, I don't know what it is, but everyone who I try to convince to buy a rat from the pet store where I work always say it's the tail that puts them off.
Not to worry though there are plenty of people out there, including myself, who are rat fans and that's what counts.
2007-03-15 02:09:48 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
I own two rats and love them very much I just think it is a shame that rats get a lot of bad things said about them because if people actually held or met a pet rat I bet they would think differently because rats make amazing pets as they are sweet,affectionate and they want to be with you!
2007-03-14 11:27:22 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
When you mention a pet Rat most people squirm as they instantly imagine dirty, disease spreading vermin.
Actually pet Rats are very clean, intelligent and loving pets.
l had a wonderful Rat called Max for 3 years and dispite my Mom and Dad innitially hating him, they soon grew to love him as much as me and were just as upset when he passed away.
l always recommend Rats as pets for children rather than a Hamster as they are more fun to have and less inclined to bite!
Having kept all types of small cage pets (mice, hamsters, gerbils etc) the Rat is by far the best pet and doesn't deserve his bad reputation.
l hope you have a long and happy friendship with your new Rat.
2007-03-14 11:33:49 · answer #5 · answered by ionadiva 2 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I raised rats as pets when I was young, they are extremely intelligent, can be taught all the trick of a dog including potty training, etc. I love them, they are the best pets ever.
I used to take my rat everywhere on my shoulder, to the store, etc, it was funny watching people freak out.
That said, if I see a WILD rats, you will see me on the coffee table screaming like a girl. There is a HUGE difference from a rat tamed since babyhood and a wild sewer rat.
2007-03-14 11:58:17 · answer #6 · answered by Mark P. 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
People think of the Plague.
Yes wild rats can carry illnesses but pet ones don't-they are ace.
You should have bought 2 though-they love company.At 12 weeks you could introduce another of the same sex.
2007-03-14 18:21:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i reckon it's a "race memory". rats were indirectly responsible for the black death which wiped out a millions of people (1 in 3 across europe) also, wild rats have ever spoiled grain & food (which, being stored against the winter shortages, was the difference between life & death) it's an age old competition at it's most basic level. food & disease.
those who witter on about rats being "filthy" should remember this. a wild rat, in it's natural state, does not endure filth. country rats live in abandoned burrows/nests/etc even sewer rats keep fastidiously clean nests & groom themselves constantly. the reason they get such a name is because, like all scavengers (nature's refuse collectors), they are able to thrive in the filth that we humans leave behind us. rats only take to sewers because we avoid them, hence, safer for the rat.
2007-03-14 16:36:03 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
A lot of people dislike rats due to miseducation and stereotyping. You will also see this a lot in life when it comes to people.
The best thing you can do? Educate people when they are misguided or misinformed about certain things.
Origins of 'fancy rats':
The fancy rat or pet rat is a domesticated breed of the Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) or, more rarely, of the Black Rat (R. rattus). The name "fancy rat" has nothing to do with the "fanciness" of their appearance but derives from the meaning of "to fancy". Thus, one who keeps pet rats is said to be involved in "rat fancy."
Pet rats live on average 2-3 years though the oldest rat on record - a lab rat called Rodney - reached a purported age of 7 years and 4 months, according to the 1995 Guinness Book of Records.
Health concerns regarding pet rats:
Fancy rats being defined as a purely domesticated subset of either R. rattus or, more typically, R. norvegicus, are more prone to specific health concerns and diseases than their wild counterparts.
http://www.petrats.org/
~Hope this helps!
2007-03-14 11:46:08 · answer #9 · answered by mroof! 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
a lot of human beings relate rats and mice to ailments, dirt, and so on. Its basically easily a kind of stereotypes that animals get over the years. they basically are not as undemanding a puppy as dogs, cats, or hamsters, and so human beings are often uneducated about them. I bear in options bringing my 3 rats in the motorcar to the vet's workplace, and on the way i finished at a gas station. I enable them out for some clean air and the seems I were given from human beings were hilarious. some human beings do basically not realize that they make superb pets :)
2016-12-02 00:28:51 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
These people are just pathetic and sad- they are making remarks on a subject they dont know about.
rats are great little animals and make good pets- they are very affectionate and friendly, they are very intelligent. I prefer rats to people - people can be such a pain in the ****.
To the ones who have said nice things about rats- thats great !
2007-03-14 11:44:13 · answer #11 · answered by Little Minx 4 · 6⤊ 0⤋