Rat Creature's Journal

Emil
8.3.2007 - 11.9.2009

I had Emil put down this afternoon. The vet said that with this rapid a decline it was most likely a tumor inside, and that there was no sense to try antibiotics further in the bad condition he was in. And he had been suffering the last few days. (I even thought for a moment earlier today that he had died on his own because his body was so cold when I checked on him and he didn't react anymore, but after a moment I saw and heard that he was still breathing.)

Anyway, I cuddled with him for a while at home to say goodbye, hoping that even though he didn't seem very aware anymore he maybe still enjoyed being with me and lying on a warm body when his own wasn't even maintaining body temperature anymore, and then I brought him to vet to end his misery.

I hope I helped make the two and a half years he had a good life for him. He was only sick for a short time, barely two weeks, and he had never any health problems before, so he was luckier than many of my other rats. Though of course today it doesn't feel lucky.

( some photos of Emil )

For the first time in years I am without rats. It feels very lonely.

Ignatz
8.3.2007 - 16.7.2009

I had Ignatz put down this afternoon. I posted a lot about his sickness before, and there was nothing to be done. The spider venom didn't slow the cancer down, and at the end the bulge on his throat from the tumor and the wound bleeding had gotten so large that he could not even groom his face with his paws any longer or walk without struggle, and the myco didn't respond anymore to antibiotics and his breathing was getting very labored. I tried to give him as much time as possible, and he fought hard to hold on, but of course we all loose to death in the end.

Still, two years and a little over four months is not such a bad age for a rat, and I hope he enjoyed what time he had. I'm sorry that Emil will be alone for the end of his life though, but he's just far too old that I'd risk baby rats with him for very little time of potential company.

I'll remember Ignatz as a good rat and companion to me: good natured and affectionate, playful and sometimes cuddly, and never aggressive (not even to the vet).

( some photos of Ignatz )

Krümel
2.12.2006 - 18.12.2008

I had Krümel put down this afternoon. He was suffering, couldn't breathe anymore, and the meds weren't helping. I cuddled for nearly an hour with him early this afternoon, watching tv with him and petting him, just like I always used to do in the evenings. He kept having panic attacks though, when his breathing was getting too bad, but I wanted to have some time with him to say goodbye, and I hope it comforted him too.

Krümel was one of the most cuddly rats I've ever had, he was patient with being petted, and loved dozing next to me and sometimes on me and getting belly rubs, and he liked to keep me company. He'd come up on my bed to be petted and scritched. I think in part it was because he was alone with me for a while after Ben killed Krümel's brother Gonzo (in the awful socialization failure) before Emil and Ignatz joined him.

He was a great rat and I miss him.

( some photos of Krümel )

Ben
31.7.2005 - 14.9.2007

I finally brought Ben to the vet today to have him put down. It wasn't unexpected, his health has been getting worse for a while, but this week the decline became really drastic: He barely ate, drank only little and had trouble moving sometimes, slowly became more apathetic, and finally today he didn't even groom himself anymore. Actually when I looked in on him this morning his whole body felt cold so that for a moment I thought he must have died over night, but then he still moved after all. But I took that as the last sign that it was really time to say goodbye, and that it was better to put him down than to let him suffer a few more days.

He survived his brother Dustin by a little more than a year, and two years and a month isn't such bad age for a rat, though of course I wish he had become a methuselah among rats and lived longer. He was a great rat and a good companion, even though he caused me heartbreak when he killed little Gonzo in the disastrous integration attempt after Dustin's death.

Ben loved to cuddle with me and to groom me, especially as an older rat, when he liked to sleep on me or inside my clothing, and he developed very definite ideas what his food should be like over time. If it had been up to him he would have had scrambled eggs and cooked pasta and rice far more often than he did in any case. He was friendly and affectionate, and had a very soft and fine coat even as an adult which was great for petting. He had a beautiful silver color too that would change a bit with the seasons.

( some photos of Ben )