Ratfink!

Adventuring Rule #2: Adventures benefit from guest stars.

     When I was small, I was an animal lover. I wanted to be a veterinarian. Of course, it was through applying to a veterinarian learning program for teens that I found out I wanted to be a writer,  but that's neither here nor there. As I've grown older, pets seemed to get dirtier and smellier. They made messes and were noisy and I just wasn't interested. Creatures are fine, but I don't want the responsibility of caring for them or dealing with their less enjoyable habits. I just was not interested. 

     But one day, I was invited to a friend's home in my apartment complex to share some cookies she had made for her blog. When I knocked on the door, she and her roommate were discussing their plans for the weekend, concerned that they had found no one to care for their pets in their absence. They turned to me and asked if I was available. Before I could respond, the two of them towed me into another room and pulled two small rats out of a cage by the window. One gray rat named Lizzie was thrust into my hands. She looked around, sniffed my thumb and curled up in my palms without a care. That was it. My aversion was overcome, and I was in love. 

     My responsibilities were to check on the rats twice a day for three days, ensuring they had enough food and water. The interesting part was to give the creatures their medicine. Apparently rodents can catch a version of the cold virus, so these little girls were sneezing several times an hour. While it was cute, it meant they were sick. Dispensing the medicine was a two person job. On the first try, I prepared the tiny droppers while my helpful boyfriend wrangled Lizzie into the crook of his arm. He tried to hold the rat's head still while I poked the dropper into the side of Lizzie's mouth, but she was having none of it. We got some medicine on her face and some on my sleeve before we set Lizzie down to give Jane a shot. She was even more wiggly and nearly slipped out of my grasp. Luckily, I was able to get her under control and the medicine went down her little throat without a hitch. Lizzie had run off most of her fidgety energy by then, so she calmly accepted the rest of her dose. 

     Duties done, my boyfriend and I stuck around to play with the rats for a bit, allowing them to run up and down our arms before tunneling through a pile of blankets. One rat was poking around in the pocket of my sweatshirt while the other became very interested in my hair. It was so much fun, I didn't want to leave them. Somehow my aversion to animals faded when I was faced with these adorable rats who lived happily in a cage, as opposed to a dog or cat that can take over the whole house. 

     My friend returned home a few days later and I had to sadly return her house keys, knowing it was unlikely that I would see the cuddly rats in the near future. I asked my own roommate about getting a rat for our apartment, but she shot it down rather quickly. I think that's unfair, because she has fish (that keep dying) but I'll hold in my rat love for now. It won't be too long before I'll have my own place and can love all the tiny caged animals I want. Even better news, my friend is heading out of town again, so I'l get to see my new friends this weekend. I can't wait.