Laughing Rat

@laughing-rat.bsky.social

May or may not be a rat. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤎🩵🤍🩷

Today brothers Hector and Diomedes crossed the bridge the way they came in: stinky, sleepy, and never apart for more than a minute. Three years I had these guys, and I am happy to have had the honor of spoiling and loving on them the entire time. This was our last cuddle before we left for the vet.

Two incredibly old hairless rats asleep in a grey hoodie pocket. Only their faces are visible. At three years of age, they are about 120 in rat years.

Oberon 's name when he's being a terrible little bastard is "Obe-Ronald Reagan", but I did not call him that when we were snuggling last night. I did call him that when he tried to stash smoked salmon in the couch cushions later.

Watching these 3 year-old fart-butts drinking water to make sure they don't fall asleep and accidentally drown themselves. We are at the days-not-weeks stage of hospice care, they're still enjoying treats and cuddles, but when that stops we will talk to the vet about The Big Nap.

Diomedes the ancient hairless rat tucked into a fluffy blanket with his brother Hector. They're drinking water out of a dish held by their human, and both look very sleepy because they are the rat equivalent of 120 years old.

Hector, age 3, finally letting me cuddle him. This would be a magical, transcendent moment in our rocky relationship if he didn't have dementia and a tendency to bite anything in front of his face when he wakes up, hence my index finger being held out of his face.

Hector the extremely old hairless rat asleep in his owner's hand, looking somewhat like a dried out piece of ham. The human's index finger is held stiffly away from his face in the hopes of preventing a confused, geriatric chomp when the old man awakens.

I'm doing introductions between Selkie and my new girls. They're going slowly, because Selkie insists on asserting her dominance with younguns who don't seem to understand what a rat social hierarchy is. What you see here are the airplane ears of a woman who is trying to create order and is Over It.

Odd eyed rat Selkie sitting on a plaid blanket looking exhausted and slightly frustrated, with eyes narrowed and ears turned out flat. She's trying to whip some young girl rats into marching order, and it is not going well.