Valedictions Ragamuffin

[tcpip]

Thanatos has visited again, making it three posts in a row I've had to refer to his work. Last night I had a few post work drinks with Andrzej, an old friend whom I hadn't had much of for the better part of ten years. On the way to The King of Tonga we stopped over at my place and of course the opportunity arose to meet the rabbits and rats.

Except Ragamuffin seemed to be in a very deep sleep indeed.



Ragamuffin and Scoundrel were 'rescue rats' that caseopaya and I picked up over a year ago. Muffin was in a bit of a rough state; he had a mite infestation which had caused the loss of the tips of his ears, and his skin was quite scaly; he was also terribly nervous. We applied the necessary spray, brushed him regularly and after a while he started he turned quite friendly; and quite large - at one point he weighed in at over 600g, resulting in a fairly strict diet of fruit and vegetables.

He hadn't been terribly active recently with his strength declining somewhat and requiring some anti-arthritis injections, although I must say I thought he still had at least quite a few months in him; so it's all a bit of a surprise. I'll remember this little guy for his extremely gentle demeanor and socialbility. Sleep soundly my little friend.

Comments

[allandaros.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. He looks to have been a friendly little guy. My sympathies.

[lefae.livejournal.com]

Sweet dreams little guy.

[txxxpxx.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear that. At least you know you gave him what he seems to have sadly missed in his early life. That is a blessing. *hugs* particularly for E.

[drjon.livejournal.com]

That's so sad. You have my condolences.

[17catherines.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry for your loss. He looks like a sweet rat.

[tau-iota-mu-c.livejournal.com]

You really should have gotten into cats or something like that -- they last much longer before wearing out.

See ya little muffin!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Heh. The rat has the socialbility of a dog and the independence of a cat. Living a long time however, is not where they put their character points.

Unless of course I breed a race of super-rats! My rodents will take over the world! Bwahahaha!

[i-beloved.livejournal.com]

Aww :( Sorry to hear, buddy *hugs*. Cute fella.

[risssssy.livejournal.com]

Vale, Ragamuffin.

[forwrathandruin.livejournal.com]

Ahem, the above post is from me, not Risssssy. Forgetting to log your girlfriend out before you post = fail.

Take pride, as we did with the loss of our three dogs, in knowing that you gave him love, warmth, and a worthy home.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Heh. Whoops.

Yeah, I do take pride in the care for all the little creatures. They seem very appreciative for this, as I imagine your dogs were..

[forwrathandruin.livejournal.com]

Our dogs were absurd. Beagle, cocker spaniel, "chocolate" toy poodle. All lived well into their second decade, with the poodle living nearly to 20.

All left us fat and happy. If all dogs go to heaven, I'm not convinced they had wings that would make the beagle fly. She wasn't grotesquely fat, but maaaan, did she like the human foods.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Now I have an image of a chubby beagle flying to the heavens using its ears :)

That's a good innings for the poodle! Are they are particularly long-lived breed?

[forwrathandruin.livejournal.com]

I don't know. The lifespans of dogs mystify me, to be honest. I know that the general rule is that the more extreme the dog's size, small or large, the shorter their lifespan. Rachel (the poodle) was looooong-loved. By her end she looked like an old lady - her hair grew out in a once-a-week-perm shaped poof, and she moved on wobbly legs and glared around at stuff with beady eyes. But she had vigor, and didn't ever seem disoriented or distressed.

[missmalice.livejournal.com]

they always go too soon. xo

[redcountess]

Aye they do, but I'm glad he had a happy year with his new humans before he went peacefully.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Some Hindu's believe that rats are the reincarnated souls of humans who have to complete some short-term task before going back to what their "real" next stage was supposed to be. Thus giving a reason on why they're so smart, socialble and don't live so long.

Doesn't explain why there's so many of them tho'!

[greenglowgrrl.livejournal.com]

I learnt pretty quickly I don't have it in me to be a rat companion, although the desire to give into the temptation to have another rat is often there. I hope for you the extra darkness in this time of losses is made up for by the richness of a year's shared experience with this little creature. I remember when you adopted them being glad there are people like you and Caseopaya who find room in hearts mostly likely still bruised from the previous pet's passing, for those rescued from others.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Every rat we look after is a happy, fed and warm rat and regardless of how many months they're with us, that's what matters.

[zey.livejournal.com]

That looks like the sleep of a happy old rat. He seems to have a face with character. Condolences.

[tempusfrangit.livejournal.com]

Vaya con Dios, ratoncito.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

"Obrigdo colega!"

[tempusfrangit.livejournal.com]

*hugs you*

[dputiger.livejournal.com]

Tcpip,

Sorry for your loss. I've never had a rat, but I'm an animal lover and have lost pets--it's never easy. Have a hug. *hug*

Two questions:

#1. How long to rats usually live? You say you had him a year--when kept as pets, do they last just one year?

Interesting that "valediction" evidently refers to a farewell speech or address. I understand why we'd have a "valediction speech" at a high school graduation in America (I don't know what term you use in Australia--here, the newer one is "commencement," though I think the entire affair might be more properly referred to as "same shit, more expensive." Then again, I guess the acronym SSME might not catch.

I digress. Why would we refer to a person who graduates at the top of his or her class as a valedictorian? Are they waving good-bye to the rest of us while trotting off to Harvard, Yale, or Oxbridge? ;)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Because 'muffin was a rescue rat we're not exactly sure how old he and Scoundrel are. We think 'muffin was a year and Scoundrel was six months when we got them. So it would put his demise at just over two years, which is within the normal range (2 to 3 years) but still the earlies for the one's we've had. A very rough rule of thumb is to use 30 years = 1 year within the normal range. Of course, it gets rather out of whack at the extremes; the oldest pet rat lived to over seven!

Are they waving good-bye to the rest of us while trotting off to Harvard, Yale, or Oxbridge? ;)

*nods* That's right :)

[laura-seabrook.livejournal.com]

poor thing.

*HUGS*

[severina-242.livejournal.com]

looks like he went peacefully... poor little guy :-(

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

It's looks like he's sound asleep doesn't it? I even had to double check, as there was no signs of any sort of discomfort. Although he didn't get his full innings, I'm happy that his passing was a quiet affair.

[severina-242.livejournal.com]

Best way to go - he curled up to wait for you and died in his sleep.

[shadow-5tails.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad that he got a year of good life with people who loved him. Would that they all went so gently...

[caseopaya.livejournal.com]

I"m glad he left us so peacefully, I wish I'd been there to say goodbye.

Vale lil tubby one :(

Transience

[erudito.livejournal.com]

It is always sad to lose a much-loved pet. You seemed to have made his life much better: which makes his passing all the more poignant but that in itself is a tribute to the value of what you had.