The pet rat that won people over
By Zara Light Special to The Acorn

This is a story about our pet rat named Kisses. People may think the term "pet rat" is an oxymoron. How can a creature with such an "ugly tail" that is considered a common vermin be a family pet?

I am the first to admit that while I think of myself as a great animal lover, the initial idea of owning a pet rat was not something I was too excited about. We already have two dogs and several cats and I wasn't overly keen on adding to the current zoo. But I had promised my two daughters that I would look into the idea as they were dead set on it.

From the moment Kisses came into our house she was a member of the family. She never went to the bathroom outside of her cage. She came when you called her name. She would jump on the side of the cage to be let out the moment anyone walked in the room. In short, she was a delight.

The cats even grudgingly showed her respect and while they would often sit near her cage staring with interest, they really never bothered her. Not that she was worried. Nothing seemed to scare her.

But the most wonderful thing about Kisses was how many people's minds she changed regarding rats. My good friend who shuddered at the sight of "the dreaded tail" was won over almost instantly when Kisses sat in her hand eating a cracker quite contentedly.

On Halloween, when I dressed up as a cat and used Kisses as my live prop, we had most of the neighborhood children enthralled at how friendly and mellow she was, just hanging out on my shoulder, munching some chocolate.

We first saw the lump in her leg in May 2007. I knew from my rat forum connection online that cancer and tumors were common conditions in rats, especially those two years and older- Kisses was now just 2.

I wasn't sure what to do. My dogs and cats were regular patients at Oak Park Veterinary Hospital, but would they treat a rat? I called and found out. I was told that Dr. Cole did in fact treat small animals, including rodents, and that I could bring her the next day.

Dr. Cole, who has always been incredibly gentle and kind with my considerably larger pets, was just as sweet with Kisses. We later found out that the lump was a nonmalignant tumor, but that due to its fast growth, it should be removed. So Kisses had the operation. She was an ideal patient and when the time came to pick her up from the vet, even the front desk staff was saying how cute and friendly she was.

Tragically, a month later she developed unrelated lymphoma and she started to struggle to breathe and her energy level declined swiftly. Dr. Cole told me that the kindest thing to do was to put her to sleep. I was devastated. Having lost pets before, I have suffered through the heartache and loss. I just never thought I would feel that way about a rat.

I made an appointment for the next day, dreading having to tell my two daughters. Kisses had become the most beloved pet in our household. She spent more time outside of her cage than inside. I would come into the dining room in the morning to find my two girls eating their cereal with Kisses sitting on the table between them, a coco pop in her paws, munching away.

My daughters were very upset. We spent the evening petting Kisses and giving her all kinds of treats that had been restricted in the past. She drank chocolate milk out of a saucer and had peanut butter from my fingertip. My daughters tearfully said goodbye to Kisses the next morning before school.

I took Kisses to the hospital at 10 a.m. Dr. Cole was very kind to me. He gave me a big hug and petted Kisses on the nose. He told me he knew how hard this was, but that we were making the right decision. I left in floods of tears, quickly signing a sheet authorizing the euthanasia and another paper agreeing to have her remains cremated.

It took several weeks for the family to recover. We had to put her cage in the garage, as it was just too sad to look at it empty. Then we had to put something else on the table where the cage had been as we couldn't bear to look there either. Her ashes arrived about two weeks later and they are on our fireplace.

But the most amazing thing that happened was we received a letter from the University of California, Davis that a $75 donation in Kisses' memory was given to the highly acclaimed veterinary program on behalf of the Oak Park Veterinary Hospital. I was overwhelmed. Not only were the staff there kind, gracious and wonderful with Kisses, but she had truly touched them too and now her life would mean something in ways that I never thought possible.

There will never be another Kisses, ever. But now I know that our family will never be without a pet rat again. I would like to thank the staff of the Oak Park Veterinary Hospital and let people know that if they are considering getting a first pet for their child, or adding an easy-to-look-after creature to their household, that they should highly consider a pet rat. After you discover how great rats are, you won't even think about the "dreaded tail."