The Rat in the Cupboard.


Rune (pr. rooh-neh) got to explore the cupboards while I finished up some laundry last night. He had a wonderful time exploring, boggling and chittering the whole time. A bit put out there weren’t convenient holes to get to the higher shelves, but you can’t have everything. Click for full size.

© C. Ford.

Comments

  1. says

    And new smells, always interesting! Rune had a very good time. After that, he had his first hoodie training, and we went outside and picked some dandelion flowers and leaves for everyone.

  2. stellatree says

    Rune is so darling. I love his curly whiskers! The fourth picture is total ratteh cuteness. What a face!

  3. Kengi says

    A bit put out there weren’t convenient holes to get to the higher shelves…

    That explains the look in #4. Those in the house with opposable thumbs are responsible for using the cordless drill to create such holes.

    Can never get enough rat photos. Been too long since the last batch.

  4. says

    It’s interesting that their whiskers are curly!! I gather that they serve (as they do in cats) as sensor-arrays that let the cat know “yes my head can fit in there” …. or have I just committed evolutionary psychology? Curly whiskers argue against that.

  5. says

    Marcus:

    It’s interesting that their whiskers are curly!!

    Oh, no, rat whiskers aren’t curly. They are straight, and tremendously long, as you can see in this photo of Chas:
     

     
    Where the curl comes from is in the breeding of Rex rats (like Rex cats), which gives them that wavy hair. I’ve never bought a purebred Rex, but Grace was part Rex, and somewhere in the lines, there was also hairless, so Rune is a blend of Dumbo, Rex, and Hairless. Rats are very whisker dependent, and they are remarkably sensory and sensitive. Rats have very lousy eyesight, but their accuracy when it comes to jumping, grabbing stuff, all that, is nothing short of amazing. Chas, the rat in the photo, used to suddenly stand up, and snatch a fly out of the air. The Rex whiskers, in spite of the curl, still seem to do their job, although perhaps not as efficiently as the regular type.

  6. stellatree says

    Marcus, curly whiskers are a sign that a rat has the Rex mutation for a curly coat. It’s not the standard rat, they’re considered a fancy breed. Standard rats have long straight whiskers. I’m not an expert, Caine probably knows more. :-)

  7. says

    Kengi:

    Can never get enough rat photos. Been too long since the last batch.

    Chasing rats for photos can be an exhausting task. With some crews, it’s easier. This one is pure difficult. Would there be interest in a Rats Past series? I have a serious many lots of photos of previous crews.

  8. rq says

    Another vote for Rats Past! I may not comment on these, but I do enjoy them, like a long-running adventure story.

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