Ratless!

Poor ol' Scoundrel died about half and hour ago, resting on my chest.



He had a bit of a rough life; like his brother Ragamuffin he was a "rescue rat". He was also suffering a significant ear-infection which gave him a head-tilt which he never recovered from. Another side effect of the infection is that he would suffer sharp bursts of pain; causing him to attack, quite vigorously, whatever was around him at the time. Which would often be a human hand. For a short time we thought we had a pathological rodent - but when the infection was cured he turned out to have a very gentle disposition.

Unusually for a rat he was not overly fond of food and managed to keep himself fairly thin for most of his life. Even with his unbalancing lean and even into his last hours, he was an athletic little rodent, bounding about, jumping and climbing. But at the same time he was prone to illness; apart from the aforementioned ear infection, he also once caught a nasty case of bronchitis which scarred his lungs causing wheezing sounds when he breathed; and the final illness was the most recent 'flu.

For the first time in years our home is ratless. It feels slightly empty as a result. No doubt we shall have more again in the very near future and the ratty cycle will continue.

In the meantime, sleep well my little friend. You're at peace now, and we appreciated your most delightful company.