What would you do if a rat ran up to you in the street?

Would you …

a. Scream and run

b. Call the pest exterminators

c. Grab a shovel

d. Pick the rat up, put it in a box, take a photo and post it on Facebook, asking if it belonged to anyone.

I’m an a, b or c kinda gal.

But to my surprise, a woman who lives a few blocks from me put the following photo on Facebook, captioned: “Anyone lose a pet rat?”

She added: “Poor thing is terrified” and noted he was “very friendly”

To my further surprise, someone replied: ” OMG Yes, it’s my son’s fancy rat Striker. He escaped two days ago. Thank you for finding him. I’m about to leave for work, any chance you can hold on to him till this afternoon?”

Someone else commented: “Awww it’s so cute!”

What the actual?

“Fancy rat”?

I’m still recovering. I had not previously considered rats to be friendly or cute or fancy. I thought the only good rat was a dead rat …

Are you with me or are you a rat fan?

The eldest is a rat fan and is ON MY CASE to get one.

No way, no how. Especially since there are three days every week when the eldest is not at my house and therefore the rat would be my responsiblity.

Shudder.

I don’t care how many cute videos you post on Facebook of rats cuddling teeny tiny teddy bears. I am not a rat person.

I’ve also never recovered from the childhood horror memory of a rat chewing the foot off my grandmother’s pet pigeon … I know rat of the earth vs rat of the sky … but major erky erk.

I much preferred the moment when an escapee pig ran past me in the street …

Pigs are awesome. You can put as many cute videos of pigs on my Facebook as you like and I’ll go naaaawwww every time.

But rats … nup.

Anyways, as you were …

Song of the day: Fall Out Boy “Rat a Tat”