We had to say goodbye to the late Lara rat’s former cagemate Lucy today.
She’d always suffered to a certain degree with respiratory issues — she was a very sneezy, snuffly rat — but she had never let things get on top of her, and had always been full of energy and life. Even well after she was out of her “childhood”, I continued to think of her as “the childish one”; “the silly one” while Lara was “the mature one”.
This is silly of course, since they were both rats and both consequently prone to acting like little furry psychopaths at a moment’s provocation, but still I couldn’t escape the personalities that I’d ascribed to them.
We first got Lucy shortly after Lara’s first cagemate Willow died very young. We didn’t know much about keeping rats at that time — still don’t, probably — but it was abundantly clear very quickly why people said that rats were sociable creatures, and that you should keep them at the very least as a pair. Lara was very lonely after Willow died, losing nearly all of her energy and spending most of her time just sitting in the plastic “house” we hung from the cage’s ceiling, staring out at us. It was heartbreaking, so it wasn’t that long before Andie came home with another little box from the pet store, and Lara had herself a new cagemate.
Lucy was incredibly shy when we first got her. She spent her first few days in the cage attempting to hide in the corner, burying her head in the bedding on the floor. This didn’t stop Lara fussing around her, though; we were worried that the two might not get along, since they weren’t from the same group, family or whatever, but it turned out it was the opposite that was the case — Lara cared for her a little too much if anything. Eventually, we put Lucy in a carrying box but still inside the cage so she could have a little peace from her doting cagemate — Lara, meanwhile, became adorably frantic with worry, trying desperately to get into the box and to her new friend.
Over time, Lucy came out of her shell — though not before she gave us a scare one day by playing dead very convincingly — and started to take on the cheeky personality we came to know her as. She’d harass Lara, occasionally giving her a playful nip on the ear or getting in her way when she was trundling around the floor, but it was clear the two of them cared for each other very much. When Lara hurt her leg and was limping for a day or two, Lucy laid off her a bit and instead stayed with her, huddling around her for warmth and looking to all intents and purposes like a little furry nursemaid. As soon as Lara was back on her feet, however, it was business as usual once again.
When Lara died, we saw Lucy start to behave in much the same way as Lara did when Willow died. She became uncharacteristically lethargic, retreating into the hiding places in the cage and not coming out unless we specifically poked her. We tried to give her as much love as we could, but it was clear that while she appreciated our attention, it was the companionship of her own kind that she was looking for.
So it was that we came into ownership of Socks and Clover, two much younger rats. Again, we were a little worried that Lucy might not take to them, but they became friends very quickly. Socks in particular took to following Lucy around and copying her; it was very cute indeed.
A few times in the last couple of months, Lucy had become very wheezy and was obviously having trouble breathing. It worried us each time we saw it, but it usually passed in an hour or two and was normally a sign that she’d simply been overexerting herself — she wasn’t as young as she used to be. Last night, she had an episode that worried me; with good reason, since she was still puffing and wheezing today, and clearly didn’t have a lot of energy at all. We took her to the vets — tell them your pet is having breathing problems and they tend to magically have a same-day appointment available, it seems — and sadly we came to the conclusion that Lucy was in pain, miserable and unlikely to get better, even with treatment.
And so we said our goodbyes and put her to sleep. It is very sad, as always — both Andie and I have had several good cries over our dear departed little furry friend — but it’s better that she’s released from her suffering rather than being forced to live on in obvious pain and discomfort. Besides, now wherever she is, she can catch up with Lara and get back to biting her ears for all eternity. Won’t that be nice, Lara?
Lucy now joins Lara buried in the small patch of garden behind our building. In a way, I’m glad they got the chance to be together, but it’s still sad we had to say goodbye to her the way we did. As cute and friendly and curious as rats are — they’re wonderful pets; I would have never considered them before we got Lara and Willow, but now I’m a total “convert” as it were — their time on this Earth is tragically short, and so before long you find yourself having to say goodbye to them.
Goodbye, Lucy. Andie and I will treasure the happy memories you gave us, and we hope you’re in a happy place now. Say hello to Lara for us, and we hope we brought you as much joy as you brought us.
