I feel some sympathy for rats, as well as a sense of injustice over the way we treat them. I can think of no other creature that is more reviled. Their name has become a byword for all that is dirty, dangerous, deceitful and dishonourable. Why?
‘They carry disease.’ OK, so they carried the fleas that carried the plague that decimated the population of Europe. That was seven hundred years ago. Did they do it deliberately? Other rodents carry the bubonic plague flea too, but we don’t feel anything like the same sense of repulsion for cute little mice and squirrels. Now they carry Weil’s disease. Agreed, but again they’re not the only ones. Rabbits carry Rabbit Flu, which can be fatal to humans. Does the bunny have the same reputation as the rat?
I think what really concerns us is that rats are intelligent, resourceful and prolific breeders. So are humans. I don’t deny that there are situations when we need to control their populations and peg them back a bit. Does that mean we have to hate them as a matter of course? Does it mean we have to kill them just because we can see them?
My neighbour is disabled and employs a team of gardeners to keep his garden tidy. They find it convenient to pile the cuttings on an embankment by the side of the lane, a few yards from the bottom of my garden. A female rat took up occupation in it during the winter. In January she brought her babies out, and a big, mean looking male appeared at the same time. About two days later I found the mother dead on the road. The male disappeared the next day; I assume he’d gone off to find a new mate. So the babies were orphaned, and I started to take them rolled oats and mixed grains that I buy for the birds. They’re just about fully grown now, although three of the original five disappeared a couple of days ago. Should I feel guilty that I maybe helped them have a life? Well, I don’t.
I do admit that I wouldn’t want a rat in my house, any more than I would relish any form of invasion. My consciousness hasn’t evolved quite that far yet. But I am trying hard to get rid of this near-hysterical prejudice people have against them. As long as they stay outside, I choose to see them for what they are: just little brown furry creatures trying to get by in a hard world like anything else.
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6 comments:
that is the sweetest thing i’ve heard in a long time. i think rats are adorable; the cutest one i’ve seen was at my old place of work, a woman came in with a giant, obese pet rat in the bottom of her purse. it went everywhere with her, presumably messing on her purse contents, being fed god knows what, quietly keeping her company like a bizarro chihuahua.
i hope all of your orphans live long, happy lives. do you have names for them? i took in an orphaned baby field mouse once--named him bellybuttin, belly for short. for the two weeks he survived he slept in fluffy balls of yarn and i fed him puppy formula and crushed rice cereal using the tip of a paintbrush. it’s probably about the closest i’ll ever come to being a mother.
Rats bit electric wires at my office so many times and we needed to pay to have them fixed and connected.
Instead of poisoning rats, we scare them away by petting cats at our office. I think the cats'smell is enough to scare the rats away.
Anyway, I wouldn't mind if they just live on the roof without stealing or destroying things.
Emily: No names, I'm afraid; I can't tell one from another. I can spot males and females (even from the front) because males have a fiercer look about them. I did write a comic short story once called Being Bertie, about a human/rat shape-shifter. His rate mate is called Beatrice, but they swap gender roles. She's the fierce one. It's supposed to be getting published some time. As for motherhood, isn't that just a matter of finding a libidinous Italian who likes long hair..?
Mei-shan: I admit, this is a bit of a worry. The local rodents seem to like my ramshackle old woorden garage, and I would be surprised if they don't investigate my car's engine compartment.
haha, oh my, if the only obstacle was finding a libidinous italian who likes long hair i could’ve been a mother many times over already. i’ve just never been a fan of human infants. luckily my partner feels the same way; we’re part of the voluntary human extinction movement--may we live long and die out.
that story sounds awesome...are you going to post any of your short stories on this blog?
Greetings Ms Emily. The problem with posting stories on the blog is that it would make them 'published.' Any further publication would be, therefore, a 'reprint,' and most publishers insist on having first rights. I'd be happy to send you 'Being Bertie' by private e-mail if you like, or I could give you the website address if and when Hub Magazine finally get round to publishing it. The contract was signed over a year ago!
yes i'd love to read your story, whichever way you'd prefer.
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