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(There may also be help in our Lovable Pets' Stories section)
Bitey Rat Acrobat Reader file (PDF) full of tips and tricks to help a biter or fearful/frightened rat. This link will ask if you want to open it in word or download it. If you download it and wish to share it please keep it as is.
Our Lovable Pets' Stories
Tarzan - a very important Heart rat. Tarzan inspired the file about how to help Bitey rats above. His story has helped many owners and their bitey rats.
updated 10/20/2024
Puppyjack - an inspirational rat who had been a biter. His story too may help those with a biter. This little guy inspired a story called "An Unexpected Hero" and will be available on Amazon in ebook form first. It was written by Mary D. Jarman Karr.
updated 10/20/2024
Scabbers was not one of our rats but his story melted my heart. He was rescued off a hiking trail when he crawled out of the bushes and right onto the foot of the man who stopped to see him. The woman talked him into taking him in and they took him home. They posted a need of medical help for him and a place that would take him in. I contacted the rescue I work with, Best Friend Rodent Rescue, and it was arranged that this boy be brought to them. He inspired a story about him and what other rats might have experienced. Many rats purchased as snake food get tossed outside thinking they would survive out there when their snakes don't eat them. But they cannot. So it is a combination of fact and fiction. It is available on Amazon as "Scabber's Miracle" as an abook for now written by Mary D. Jarman Karr.
updated 10/20/2024
Luke (see below) - Luke came to us as a small puppy. And being a long legged puppy, he was quite comical at times. Later as he had gotten older and was with Hans on a backyard camping trip with Mom and daughter Jessica - a story about Luke (Fictional) evolved. It later became a printed story and read to a 3rd grade class. It is available on Amazon as an ebook at the moment called, "Valley of the Bones." It was written by Mary D. Jarman Karr.
updated 10/20/2024
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Bobby - Born on 8/9/2021. He was a dog listed in our Woodinville group as a dog that needed rescuing, but the rescuer needed a family to take him as she had no room. This dog had been kept in a kennel 24/7 with no interaction. She believed it was due to the fact that he had a birth defect so they could not sell him. But once we offered our home the owners who bred Boston Terriers tried to get $300 out of the rescuer. She saw that she needed to offer something or this breeder might not let her have the dog.So she offered $100 and they accepted. We paid this rescuer the $100, but didn't even think about offering to pay for the gas as they had driven for hours to get him. |
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| Moose - Born on August 29, 2011. He is a Big dog. We had a DNA test done and he is made up of only two breeds they can detect in the last three generations - Vezsla and Mastiff. He went to the American Canine Academy in Bothell, WA. for 5 weeks of training because he is so big. It has done wonders for him.
Rescue was in a 5 week training course which helped him get along with Moose. Rescue seems to be scared of him. He must have forgotten all about Luke, our previous big dog. Of course, Moose towers over Rescue but certainly will not hurt him unless Rescue starts the fight. They have actually become best buddies. It just took some time. Rescue has since passed away leaving Moonse alone. He started to go into a bad depression and within a couple of days of Rescue's passing, Bobby came into our lives. He was already 6 months old(see above for his background). He took to Moose right away and Moose took to caring for Bobby. We really think Rescue sent Bobby to Moose because he knew what heartbreak felt like. |
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Updated: 10/20/2024
Luna - A small Tuxedo kitten. Born about 09/09/2021. Spayed on 03/23/2022. Looks like Luna will always be a small girl.
Annie Bug - born 3/1/2020 and spayed at 6 months old. Her grandmother was half Maine Coon and Annie shows the characteristics. She also enjoys playing with the dogs and snuggles with them at night.
Mitty Kitty - Tuxedo cat we took in for a friend and he has fit into our family so well. He loves our grandson alot. He is the brother of Nahal.
Nahal - He is the brother of Mitty Kitty. He is mostly black and we love black cats. Mitty Kitty was so lost without his brother that when the chance to take Nahal too came up we jumped at it. They are so happy together.
Elsa - Next to Black cats we absolutely LOVE Tortoise Shell colored cats. Elsa was born to a friend's cat who accidentally got out and got pregnant. She had 4 babies. We offered to take two before we found out about Mitty Kitty and Nahal. The boys were neutered already and they act like they are older brothers to Elsa and Lusy.
Lusy - Lusy is also a Tortoise Shell and the sister of Elsa. Lusy is short for Lustica. They got along with one another so well and their antics reminded us of the two lions in Born Free.
Annie Bug - Annie came in time on 04/28/2020 for Sammy who was lonely after Gwen passed away. Her Mom was half Maine Coone and Annie sure looks like she will be a big girl like her mom. Now that she is a bit bigger she and Sammy play together although the water spray bottle needs to show up as Annie can be a bit aggressive. She just needs to learn how to play nice with other cats.
Updated - 03/21/2022
Frodo, Samwise - See The Bus Babies' story. Boys from BFRR. Born on 2/3/2020
Amelia (rip), Orville and Wilbur (rip)- These are three Roof rats that came to me as pinkies. There had been 4 and one did not make it. I spent alot of time with them and they loved to be in my shirt. The boys loved to chase one another around me as if I was a tree. Amelia got two fancy rat girlfriends who were later spayed - Bessie and Socks. Orville and Wilbur got two fancy rat friends - DB Cooper and Jack. Notice a theme? Picked up 4 roofies from BFRR on 07/28/2019 to feed but one passed away. Orville has outlived his brother and sister as of 03/22/2022.
Sid and two daughters and three sons adopted on 8/6/2020 after fostering since 06/22/2020. As of 03/22/2022, Sid has outlived her two daughters and one son. But she has a PT tumor and her two cagemates are taking very good care of her. Her daughters' names were Amber and Ashley who have passed away before mom. Her sons' names are Patches, Whitey and Albert (rip).
Zuzu and Ryu (rip) - Zuzu was found in a garage among Christmas decorations. Ryu was neutered on 3/15/2020 due to aggressive issues. Zuzu remains and lives with Dacherie who was spayed but has developed a tumor anyway. As of 03/21/2022, Zuzu is holding her own but definitely looks like a 3 year old rat. She is a fighter and makes sure she gets her fair share of food. We guestimated Zuzu's Birthdate as 6/14/2019 - but could have been completely wrong as she was skinny and stressed when she came giving us the idea that she was younger than she really was.
Pixie and her 5 daughters and 4 sons - Pixie came with her three brothers and one sister. A friend rescued what she was told were 5 boys. Turned out they were 2 months old 2 girls and 3 boys and of course the two girls were pregnant. Each gave birth to 9 babies. Trixie, Pixie's sister, went with her babies to BFRR where they have since been socialized and adopted out. Pixie and her gang remained with me. The babies were born on 10/25/2021. Moms came at 2 months old on 10/4/2021.
Jasmine - a roofie baby who came on the day her eyes opened. Her estimated birthday is 06/11/2021 which might be within a week of her real birthdate. Due to timing and the covid issue preventing travel Jasmine never got a cagemate. By the time I was able to get babies Jasmine was already used to being alone and was totally freaked out by the ones I tried with her. When she ended up with a bite wound I decided she would never want a cagemate. But who knows, once she is passed the start of her hormones kicking in she may be receptive to a cagemate. Time will tell. Her cage is next to a set of girls so she can have some distant socialization and to learn that she is not alone.
Updated - 03/21/2022
The Bus Babies - Three baby fancy rats had been found on a bus in Seattle on a piece of paper on a seat. Their eyes were not open yet. They were brought to Best Friend Rodent Rescue (BFRR) right away. The next morning they came to us. A few times we thought we would lose one. But they are fighters and survived. We had a problem, only one was a boy and two were girls. Fortunately BFRR had babies the same age. So two baby boys were adopted to be with the bus boy. Yep - I became the typical foster fail. The Bus babies names became Bilbo (on a journey), Bella B and Ginny. The girls were named after two of the bus stops on that bus route - Bell and Virginia. The two other boys adopted are named Frodo and Samwise to join in their journey.
Penny Penny was a rescued puppy from New Orleans. At the link for her photo, she is the dog in the left column. She is smallish - about 40 pounds and looks like she will stop there. She was very nervous of strangers and after Hans, I decided I didn't want to have to deal with that attitude and felt that a good dog school training would be the best thing for all of us. I took Penny to the Academy of Canine Behavior. That was the best thing for her. She is turning out to be a wonderful dog. We had to do an emergency spay because she develope pymetria. This was ok because she was due for a spay anyway. She was a very high strung pup, which the vet attributes to the possible German Shepherd in her. She is obviously something smaller with that coloring and tail, but we do not know what. We are guessing that she was born shortly after Katrina and before Rita. She had a mother that wouldn't let anyone touch them for a long time, but eventually started to trust some of us "regulars". Penny was the runt of two other sisters and one very rolly polly brother. Before the mother and other pups were placed, I made the quick decision that I wanted to keep her. Then, as the mother was being taken, I talked with her and told her that I would take very good care of her pup and I wouldn't let anything happen to her. She seemed to understand and gave me a big lick on my face, something she didn't do to anyone. I haven't seen or heard about her since, but I hope they are all ok. Penny is now showing signs of the cancer in her kidneys. She is starting to lose the use of her back legs. It will be a very very hard day when she decides it is time for that trip to the Rainbow Bridge. Penny developed a cancerous growth on the side of her face which we opted to have removed and tested. It was risky with her serious heart murmor and they almost lost her twice on the operating table. But she couldn't live with that tumor and if she passed away on the table then at least she would not suffer from this tumor. But she survived the operation, the tumor was cancerous but the edges were clean. However, Penny passed away months later and as the final xray showed she did have a tumor that was dividing her stomach.
Rescue - a.k.a. Triple-P. (Pirahna Puddle Puppy) Born around July 4th, 2008 and we will celebrate his birthday on July 4th. He was from the Denham Springs Animal Shelter outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was severly damaged with the Gustav Hurricane in 2008. HHis DNA is rather unusual.Rescue is part Labrador Retriever, American Eskimo Dog, Cocker Spaniel, Beagle, Chow and Lhasa Apso and some others. He also has a dwarf issue in his legs.
Now you must have asked - why is the word Pirahna in his nickname? Well, at one point in New Orleans I was helping a friend go through her van to make room for a cage. We put an large opened bag of dog food on the ground and I had Rescue with me on a leash. In a few moments we heard strange sounds we couldn't recognize. Then we saw Rescue's leash led to and disappeared into the opened bag of food. Then his head popped out and he was growling as he was chewing. Once I got him extracated from the bag, he fought me to go back into the bag for more still growling and chewing on the mouthful he still had.
Rescue can definitely sniff out any and all of the food he can reach. And he also has a huge issue with separation anxiety. Funny how that goes when there are two other dogs here that don't.
In October of 2018 Rescue was diagnosed with a cancer that is invading his vina cava. Now in April of 2020 he is still with us. We can see it has grown because it is pushing on his innerds. That is actually how we noticed it. He is on blood pressure meds due to where this tumor is. Since that diagnosis we got another cancer diagnosis on Goldie and we lost her. Penny now has it and most likely will loose her before Rescue.
Cinnamon and Pepper - brothers to Nutmeg who were all from BFRR. They were supposed to be cagemates for Parker but instead they picked on him.
Dorian and three Brothers/Cousins adopted on 8/6/2020 after fostering Dorian as a rejected baby.
Bessie, Socks, DB Cooper and Jack - See Amelia's gang story above. Siblings from BFRR . Bessie and Socks were spayed on 3/15/2020
Rascal and possible two sons - From Canada
Dot (now with neutered Caleb)- From Mariah Simmons. She had Atticus' Mom.
Lily's girl Leslie and her son Leeland are left - From the bad Pet store in Monroe, Wa., both are double Rexes
Truman and Gus Gus - From BFRR
Sampson and his brother Caleb - From the Tacoma Humane Society. Sampson was labeled a biter. Both had been snake food and been with the snake for a while together.
Mason - Mason came from Laura R and was from a breeder who was going to put him down because of his teeth. He later lost an upper incisor due to an infection and the other to surgery. But he bled too much for the lowers to be removed.
Gimli and Legolas - Canadian boys. updated 08/02/2021
Sammy - Grey Tabby belonged to a friend of ours who lived in an apartment. He needed more space. He came to live with us on April 8, 2001 at one year old. Passed away at 1 month shy of 23 years old.
Worf - One of 5 Canadian boys all named after Star Trek Next Generation characters. d. 06/16/2020 - Jean Luc is the last brother to survive.
Blue - From a friend who was moving far away. d. 06/16/2020. She came with Dot who survives her and was with Lancelot and now Caleb
Nutmeg - From BFRR with brothers Cinnamon and Pepper who survives him. He passed away on 06/02/2020
Simon Pettigrew - He was an oregon rat that survived a house fire and then an adoption that just didn't work out. He passed away on 5/1/2020
George - From Jayne in Canada joined his brothers named after the Beatles on 3/1/2020, Ringo d. 06/02/2020
Oliver - Came with Truman and GusGus. But he wasn't with us very long as he passed away on 2/29/2020 from something neurological and unexpexted.
Jimi - Was an Oregon rat. d. 07/30/2020
Lily - From the bad pet store in Monroe, WA. d. 1/28/2020 and her son Lucien d. 05/24/2020 and her daughter Laurel d. 05/24/2020 all from weird head tumor issues.
Lancelot - He was a nipper and was neutered and became a great boy. He lived with Blue and Dot. d. 06/29/2020
Parker - Parker was found in a Sea Tac park. Kids were feeding him french fries. A local Mom called BFRR and helped to catch him. Died on 05/24/2020
Ghost - From Laura R. - She got him on 4/18/2018. He was about 6 months old then. d. 06/28/2020
Ivan - Rattus Rattus. He had been found outside on a sidewalk. Possibly dropped by Mom as she was transferring the babies to a new place or by a bird stealing him from his home. Someone found him and had him for almost a week before he was brought to BFRR via me. I was to wean and socialize him - his eyes weren't open yet. He became a wonderful foster fail and outlived all of his varied cagemates of Fancy Rats. He had been neutered young. He passed away at the age of 4 years and 7 months old on 1/31/2020.
Gwen- She is such a shy little tortie. She only really trusts Mary. She comes up after the dogs are put to bed to get her attention from Mary. But if you look at her directly, she gets very nervous. Sometimes others can pet her as long as they don't look at her. She is funny. And now she is the only cat in the house to stand up to Hissy.
Goldie - She was a resident of the Denham Springs Animal Shelter outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was severly damaged with the Gustav Hurricane in 2008 for 3 years. She had been beaten by a man and was surrendered to the shelter only for them to discover she had a fear of men and could not be placed. Fortunately this is a no-kill shelter. Now she has become a part of our family and loves to lie across your lap and look "upside down" at you. Her ears flop back and she looks sooo cute. But don't look too close or your nose can get wet - Liiiiiick.
Kisa - Grey Long Haired 12 Year old when we took her in for a friend.
Ben and Jerry These two boys came together and are the most wonderul boys. They were the first in a long time not to come to me as biters and my husband is even enjoying their antics. Ben has developed a bad tumor on the top of his head. It is inoperable and we will have to make that unhappy decision soon. updated 02/28/2018
Little Rascals Gang These are 4 boys that came from the same person as Saul. They were with their mom then with two other siblings who didn't make it. They were about 1 week old then so we decided December 1st would be their birthday. updated 01/19/2013
Saul (a.k.a. Grumpy Old Man) - This man is not old and yes he is a little grumpy. He came to live with us on the first night of Hannukah, 12/07/2012. Someone online suggested the name Saul and he responded to it - so Saul it is. On this page will be links to other pages of photos. Sadly he passed away from cancer in his Sinus cavity. updated 12/27/2012
Perseus - I am sooooo sorry buddy - I should have had a page for you by now..Arrived here on August 8, 2012., updated 12/12/2012
Rodney and Rupert - arrived here on 08/29/2012 from the Seattle Humane Society. They are approx. 6 months old, updated 12/12/2012
PJ - the Canadian Biter becomes a US citizen. updated 05/01/2013 and his pics page is here, updated 09/08/2012
Morgan - We adopted her about 2 weeks after we lost Daffy. My younger daugher held me to my promise that when we got down to two cat, she could get a kitten. Well, the one she fell in love with had a sister and had to be adopted together. That is ok, since I fell in love right away with Morgan. Her original name was Teufel. She is a large darker tortoise shell with 7 toes on the front paws and 5 on the back. It looks like she is part Maine Coon cat from the size of her. That fits with her paws. But we will see. Note: We later found out that Morgan and Kira are not really sisters. I wondered about that and asked that their files be checked. It seems that at the same time the litter Kira was in was surrendered to the shelter, Morgan was left on their doorstep. I am glad, as I love her alot and she seems to like being my friend.
Mr. Bruxini, Simon and Raffles. As of 07/18/2012 Simon was the last to leave us at the age of at least 3 years and one month. updated 06/15/2013
Born on 12/26/2010 and is the brother of Hamlet. He was from the Everett Animal Shelter and is Polly's son. He had a Sebacious Cyst that just wouldn't go away. In the last week of his life we felt more on other areas of his body. He was starting to refuse food and the day before he died I believe he was telling me it was time. He passed away on 5/5/2013. We will miss our Jakey Bake. Jake, updated 04/18/2020 - Part of the Everett rescue.
Born approx 12/15/2011. Got from Best Friend Rodent Rescue as part of the Tacoma horder Rescue effort. Developed a heart condition and finally secumbed to on 05/01/2013 at 2:30pm. Found out that these guys and gals from this situation either seccumed to URI's that couldn't be healed with any antibiotics or heart conditions. So I guess Ashley fell into the heart issue category. She was a pretty Siamese.
| Oliver | Born Approx 09/10/2010 | Died 04/30/2013 @ 11:30pm | Caitlyn Little (originally guessed it was 02/10/2011 because he was so small but must have been out longer on his own that first thought.). Rescued from outside |
Kira was a tortoise shell kitten and is on the petite side like Daffy was. Kira has developed Lymphoma. It was already widespread when she as diagnosed in March of 2013. She was on oral steroid and an oral Chemo drug. She improved for about a week and was back to her old talkative self. But then very quickly her body decided to give up. She is such a talker - you could carry on a conversation with her for a long while. She loved to sit in sinks and bathtubs. Kira left for the Rainbow Bridge at 1:30pm on 04/12/2013.
Charger was rescued in NOLA after Katrina and was such a scared cat that his cage had signs all over it that he was a mean and dangerous cat. Something told me he was just scared. I was right and he is now one of the most friendliest, clutsiest cats we know. He is a Turkish Van. He is getting braver and braver around the dogs. Died on March 13, 2013
updated 07/10/2012 our newest member arrived 01/15/2011 and labeled a biter. We will see. He is very young - 4-6 months old. Join us on his journey to settling in at his new forever home. Gotten from Hilary Price approx 04/15/2010
Ozma b. 02/05/2011, from Panzy's Place Rattery
Mr. Bruxini - Mr. Bruxini's story is on the page of the Idaho boys' diary. He was a very handsome male Big eared dumbo Rex Black hooded. And he Bruxed whenever he was held and/or pet. He was a squishy boy and got along with anyone. His last cagemate was Tessa who laid with him while he was fading away. As the end drew closer she would nip at my fingers if I tried to get closer to him. He will be missed.
Raffles - He was an idaho rescue. He was younger than Mr. Bruxini. He had standard ears, was a rex black hooded. He didn't brux much, but he loved to be pet. He didn't like to be held, but he was always at the cage door for head scritches.
The NASA Boys, once called The Moon Boys since all their names are from the first 4 astronauts to walk on the moon - Armstrong, Aldren, Conrad, Dangerous Bean. RIP to all of them.
updated 06/28/2011
We will miss them here and look forward to seeing them all again. Willow and Dawn and Willow's Babies - Diary of "The Two Rex Girls" and Willow's Babies - Willow gave us 9 surprise babies. - None of this family is left.Precious - one of Willow's girls. Unknown cause of death as she lost weight no matter how much she ate. Her aunt, Dawn, did something similar and was x-rayed. There were tumors in her lungs which could have been what was happening to Precious. She left us on September 1, 2010 and is now buried under the weeping cherry tree.Dawn - She passed away, with gentle help, on 06/08/2009. She was bleeding from her urethra and I took her in thinking she only needed a hysterectomy and then some antibiotics. But after an exray, it was discovered that either her kidneys were way to big or there was a double growth of tumors. Either way, she was very anemic from losing blood and after the xray session, she was completely wiped out. Now since rats do not show how bad they are feeling, to see that in Dawn, well, I knew there was nothing I could do. She could not survive any surgery for sure at this point and there was no evidence that this was a result of an infection as there was no bacteria in the slide of the discharge. So I made the decision to send her on to the Bridge. Our Topper (Willow's last baby) passed away 05/17/2011. - 3 years 1 month 11 days. Click here to enjoy photos of his 3rd birthday to celebrate his life And good news is that Conrad, who was the last NASA boys and was left alone when Topper passed away is happy with Jake. Now, Conrad loves to sleep in his hammock. But, unlike boys,Jake has chewed the straps of the hammock so many times that I have run out of strap to fix. Poor Conrad. I have since put in a new hammock to see if Hamlet will leave it alone - but last I checked - one corner is now unattached. :-(
updated 07/19/2011 - RIP to all of them
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The Monkey Boys - Diary of "The Monkey Boys" Wingman has since gone on to the Rainbow Bridge, unexpectedly.Sidekick - The second of the Monkey Boys passed away quietly on August 25, 2009, while in his Bag O' Rattie Comfort. Since he loved his bag so much, he rests with it under the weeping cherry tree with his favorite fruit - a home grown cherry tomato. We are sure he is playing again with his brother, Wingman, at the Rainbow Bridge all nice and healthy again.Wingman - He left us while I was back in Louisiana, September 2008. He died unexpectedly. He had shown no signs of illness at all and upon his death, no visible signs of what happened. He and Mary had bonded really well so the sudden loss was pretty hard. RIP to all of them.
Our Black Skirt - one is left and loves to watch us at the dinner table.
Our Corry Catfish
Chloe- She has one tooth left at the time she was rescued in NOLA after Katrina. The first vet that looked at her labeled her as being a 6 months old Tuxedo female cat. When I saw her, I knew that she was at least 15 years old.I didn't know at the time she only had one tooth. I got another vet to look at her down there and she laughed and agreed with me about the age. Although now I believe her to be about 3-4 years older than that. She passed away quietly in her sleep on 02/17/2010.
Luke - Our beloved dog, Luke was sent on to the bridge. He was our almost 100lb well loved pal. He was "Uncle Luke" to
our other dogs. He guided them and took care of them. Being as big as he was and almost 12 years old (his birthday is Sept. 16th)
he developed some physical issues. But today, Sept. 9th, we found out he had a huge growth on his liver that bled. He also had a huge air
pocket in his intestine area that didn't change with his moving for x-rays. To top it all off, he had a bad case of arthritis in his
back legs and spine. We live in a split level home and he had to go up and down the stairs to go outside. Sometimes his legs would give out and we had to help him up the stairs. The quality of his life was not promising. So he now joins his pals - Hans and Buster
at the bridge most likely racing around all the cats and rats that have preceeded them waiting for us. And of course - finding all those 6' long sticks to fetch.
LUKE - We miss you already and always will.
If you wish to read the story I wrote years ago when he was young - "Valley of the Bones" then please email me at mdkarr@aol.com and put the title in the subject line. He was the main character and this story very much captures the essence of who he was. The pictures were all drawn by myself and my two daughters. This story is copyrighted and was published in a 10 book production. It may take a little time to download. It is in PDF format. (Not for resale/publication without permission.)
Jean Lafitte - Our feline feral rescue from Katrina just passed away at 4:30am on 02/26/2009. When we got him home, we found out he had FIV and had to be kept away from our other cats. So he has lived in our bedroom and bonus room. Friday, still feral, we finally saw that he wasn't well when he didn't eat his food. He went quietly and we took him to be cremated. I am hoping to find someone in the New Orleans who would be willing to spread his ashes near where he was found so that part of him can return home where he was the happiest. Go to the Katrina log link and find "Our Katrina Fosters" to see a photo of him. He was in our local newspaper when I came home after 2 months in New Orleans.
Molly - On July 3rd, 2007 our eldest daughter came up from Portland with two little girls who needed a home. We read on one of the Rattie newsgroups that someone in Portland had a room mate that left her two little girl dumbo ratties. But unfortunately, she found out she was allegic to them and needed to find them a new forever home. Something said they should make their way up to our area and here they are. They are slowly getting used to the sounds and smells that are here as well as to the people who are around them. They are enjoying all the fruits and veggies that are in abundance here since 2 out of 3 of us are vegetarians. They seem to be about 8 months old and are so adorable. Time will tell if both will become lovers of human attention. Blondi left for the Rainbow Bridge to wait for her sister on November 2, 2008. Molly has just joined her on February 2, 2009 - just three months later, exactly..
Buster (full name is Buster Brown Squire of Karr)- Lhasa Apso purebred. He had been sold twice before and returned before he was 4 months old, but found a home with us on April 17th, 1996. He seems to have a fear of smoke and fire alarms. Born December 29, 1995. His hair grows fast and we let it during the winter. He always looks funny by the time spring rolls around. Then he looks even funnier when he gets his first shave. He passed away from Cancer leading to pneumonia on November 16, 2008. He was almost 13 years old. We miss his fear of smoke and thunder. We also miss his "swim swim" trick and his love of playing and catching tennis balls. We are still finding them around the house.
Blondie - On July 3rd, 2007 our eldest daughter came up from Portland with two little girls who needed a home. We read on one of the Rattie newsgroups that someone in Portland had a room mate that left her two little girl dumbo ratties. But unfortunately, she found out she was allegic to them and needed to find them a new forever home. Something said they should make their way up to our area and here they are. They are slowly getting used to the sounds and smells that are here as well as to the people who are around them. They are enjoying all the fruits and veggies that are in abundance here since 2 out of 3 of us are vegetarians. They seem to be about 8 months old and are so adorable. Time will tell if both will become lovers of human attention. Blondie, the biter - Diary of "Blondie", the biter, RIP big girl
Romeo - Romeo passed away on 02/06/2008. He had been VERY overweight and a lovable squishy boy. A few months ago, he lost the use of his right back leg. I took him to the vet and we decided that he either had a tumor or had a back injury somehow. He was already 2 1/2 years old and we felt surgery would be out of the question. As he lost weight, very slowly, I started to find more and more tumors. He showed no signs of slowing down and was as affectionate as ever. He was most likely losing weight because he couldn't reach the main food bowl as often as he could. Yesterday I noticed he was a little too quiet and I realized his time was coming. He showed no signs of pain but I thought about scheduling him for help from the vet anyway. But today he passed away peacefully. I will miss my squishy, cuddly boy that was a diamond in the rough that shined up real good! See you at the bridge Romeo.
Earlier entry- We got Romeo from the Rabbit, Rodent and Ferret House. On August 18, 2006 we came home with him. He was one of 20+ ratties left on their doorstep. He is a hooded rattie and about a year old. He was kept in an aquarium with others and seemed to be very friendly when we were holding him. He was licking us a lot, thus his name, Romeo. But once he got into his quarrantine cage, he decided to become a biter. Only when my hands were in his cage to get him out or pet him. If I let him out on his own, he is perfectly happy on our shoulders. I got him to be a cage mate for Rowan, who is spayed. We are working with him and I feel he will get better. But we are going to take it slow. May 16, 2007 - A Romeo update is that he weighs a pound and a half of fur and love. He loves to come out and play and is so squishy. He loves to cuddle inside of my jacket and sleep where it is safe and warm outside of the cage.
Rowan - Rowan passed away on 5/15/2007 at 10:45pm in my arms. She went from a stroke that sent her on pretty quickly. She had one before that most likely came from the Baytril she was on for her pneumonia as on very rare occasions, it can cause seizures/strokes. Once we realized what was happening, we changed meds and she recovered from pneumonia. She did have some weakness in her right side which seemed to go away as time went by. She was not as trusting of people until after this pneumonia. Then she started to come to the cage door eagerly to get attention. At least we had this month worth of loving time before the 15th. Now I am sure she is at the Rainbow Bridge with Cordy, her previous cagemate.
Original entry about Rowan - After all the rattie loses we faced this year, we had decided no more ratties. But a friend of my daughter's had adopted 3 ratties, two from one shelter and one from another. The one did not get along with the other two and she couldn't bear to take her back to the shelter, so she called us. My daughter couldn't face any more losses and so she didn't want her. I took her and named her Rowan. She is white with pink eyes and paralaxes like my Charlie did, but more. She is very skitterish and I am wondering if she will ever trust me. But the more I work with her, the more she is trusting me and likes now to be on my shoulder. I cannot walk around too fast or it startles her. But she is getting better. At least she doesn't bite. < :3 )~~
Tiger - He was a cat that was rescued by my eldest daughter and brought to us when she moved to an apartment that wouldn't take him too. She has a dog and another cat as well. He seemed to fit into our home better than her other cat which made the choice a little easier for her. He was a purr ball. His purr was soooo loud when he was happy. He was an orange and white tabby short hair. She had him tested for FIV/FELV before bringing him, yet all of a sudden we noticed he wasn't around us much and staying downstairs more. We took him to the vet and his red blood count was 5. So they did an FELV test and he was positive. There wasn't much to do and he was very uncomfortable. My daughter was in the next state over and couldn't be here with him and his unexpected death was a shock to all of us. We will miss him. He lies near Sassy under our weeping cherry tree.
Sassy - Tortoise Shell, Her mother was Jasmine and her father was Smokey. She was born on our bed on April 7, 1988. She is now having a problem with her Thyroid and is losing weight alot. She was too old and fragile for any treatment on her thyroid. She quietly passed away on December 24th, 2006, 1pm PST.
Cordelia, Cordy for short - Sister of Cailean, Cordy for short. We purchased them at the 1st Seattle Ratapalooza. She is a velveteen dumbo rat. Joined our family November 3, 2002 at 6 weeks old. the top photo was taken by the breeder who sold her to us. Unfortunately, due to multiple tumors, she had a couple of surgeries which let her stay comfortably in our lives for 6 months more living to 3 years old. But I was in New Orleans involved in Pet rescue after Katrina when my younger daughter called and said Cordy was really uncomfortable. I told her to take Cordy to the vet and get her opinion. It wasn't good. So, with my heart in my hands, I asked if my daughter if she was up to taking Cordy back to the vet and be with her while the vet sent her on to the Rainbow bridge. She said she could do that with Dad's help and they did. They called me when it was over, but I knew it was. I cried and cried and the people I worked with in New Orleans understood what I felt and rallied to my side and consoled me. To this day, she and Christopher and Charlie are the ratties I miss the most with Cordy leading the way.
Trapper- Brother of Hawkeye. He was born around the same time as Cora and CiCi. We got him on 03/22/2003. He passed away quietly in his cage one morning from myco.
Aoden - received the Saturday before Mother's Day, 2003. But my daughter fell too deeply in love him that he is now hers. Estimated he was about 7 weeks old.
Gwenevere - We got Gwen and her sister, Moira, at the Ratapalooza in Seattle on November 2, 2003. They were exactly 7 weeks old.
Moira - Moira is an American Irish we got at the Ratapalooza with her sister, Gwenevere on November 2, 2003. They were exactly 7 weeks old. I went into the rattie room and at the very first cage I came to I bent down to look. All of a sudden this little girl came running from the opposite side of the cage, jump onto the wall and licked my nose. Within 2 seconds she was in my hand and my heart. Next thing I knew, she was coming back to my display table on my shoulder chattering in my ear.
Zachary - We got this little gent at the Ratapalooza on November 2, 2003. This little guy crept into the heart of my daughter.
Cailean - Sister of Cordelia, Cordy for short. We purchased them at the 1st Seattle Ratapalooza. She is show quality. Joined our family November 3, 2002 at 6 weeks old. The top photo was taken by the breeder who sold her to us.
Clara - Sister of Cora and CiCi. These were three little ones that were in a tank with many boys. No babies here either. We guestimate she is about 8 weeks old. We got her on 01/11/2003.
CiCi - Sister of Clara and Cora. These were three little ones that were in a tank with many boys. Not pregnant, thank goodness. She would have been way too young for a first litter. We guestimate she is about 8 weeks old. We got her on 01/11/2003.
Charlie - House rat, - Oh, No! He's a she! - sister to Chester and Cedric. Charlie is actually a girl, going back to the pet store to make sure. The tough decision came - should we exchange one of the rats for another so I could have two of the same sex? I became attached to Charlie and my 11 year old became attached to Chester. Joined our family 08/18/2002 at 8 weeks old.
Daffy (Daffodil) - Black and White Domestic Short hair "human", Born 1982 (yes, she was really this old) She was another human in our house and we will miss her dearly. She loved to be cradled in your arms like a baby which was unusual for a cat. She died at the age of 22.5 years old in my arms.
Hawkeye - Brother of Trapper. He was born around the same time as Cora and CiCi. We got him on 03/22/2003.
Hans (after Hans Christian Anderson)- Chow/Yellow Lab Mix, Born November 3, 1989
Cedric - House rat, brother to Charlie and Chester, Joined our family 08/22/2002 at 8 weeks old.
Cora - Sister of Clara and CiCi. These were three little ones that were in a tank with many boys. Fortunately she turned out to be baby-free. We guestimate she is about 8 weeks old. We got her on 01/11/2003.
Chester - House rat, brother to Charlie and Cedric, Joined our family 08/18/2002 at 8 weeks old. He joined Christopher, of whom he never met, at the Rainbow Bridge on March 31, 2004. He had been battling an upper respiratory ailment for a long time and I almost expected any day that I would find him. Something told me today not to have my daughter check in on him after school or she would have found him. She had just lost her little girl, Christina, and didn't need another shock like that so soon.
No longer will I feel his face knudge my cheek or his whiskers tickle my nose. Nor will I smell that so familiar "boy" smell. Maybe someday, someone will make a cologne like that. But then again, maybe not. I will soooo miss you Chester. Sweet Dreams.
Christina - Rat, sister to Carly, Joined our family 01/2002 at 8 weeks old. She passed away today, 03/29/04, with a little help due to an usual abscess on the right side of her face. What was supposed to be liquidy in the abscess was more like a thickened cottage cheese filling and hard to remove. She had gone through a surgery and some other methods to fight this thing. But in the end it had gotten so large that it broke her jaw and pushed the bones so far out of place, we were afraid she would never be able to eat normally again. Upon today's exam, the vet finally agreed with me that it was most likely a young tumor developing as the consistancy of this growth was changing again. As she lay sleeping, prepped for a surgery she was not going to have, we said our goodbyes for now until we meet again at the rainbow bridge leaving her in the vet's care to help her on. See you later Christina. Go and have a blast with your sister while you wait for the rest of us.
Our Rabbit, Sarah - Red Dwarf Rabbit Born 1995
Dusty - Rabbit, born 1995 and gotten with Sarah
Carly - Rat, sister to Christina, Joined our family 01/2002 at 8 weeks old.
A VERY sad note: Carly went on to Rainbow Bridge on Friday, September 26th, 2003. We will miss her dearly.
Our mice, Bandit and Tessa- Our mice have since died. They were sweet while they were with us and we loved them dearly.
Updated - 08/06/2020
| Chris and Sassy |
Chris telling his secret |
| Sassy taking in Chris' secret Wonder what it was? |
Chris' reaction |
A Memorial: We had to send Christopher on before us tonight, 08/15/2002. His upper respiratory infection finally worsened to the point that his quality of life was too poor. I held him through his final breaths, assisting him as he did me through my two surgeries. I truly hope that whoever wrote the Rainbow Bridge poem told the truth in that he, and my other wonderful pet, Jesse, will be waiting for me. and that they will be healthy and happy from now on up there. Finally, when it is my time to leave this earth, I will meet them there and all of us will cross over together.
Many people feel that animals have no soul. But isn't it a soul that makes every human unique? Why then can you take two or more alike animals and put them together only to observe they are different? Why do people say only humans love, when animals love their masters so fully and unconditionally and would never think of hurting them like humans can hurt one another. Animals do have souls and I know the pets souls that lived with me will be out there somewhere when they pass on. I only hope I will be lucky enough to have my own soul reunite with them someday.
