My feeling sorry for them was soon to go away.
Last night I went to take my place on the long seat next to my 'The Her' . As I jumped up I notice one of the rats was free, the cheeky one called Penny. I was about to warn my 'The Her' when she put her hand down and started stroking it. Yes, you heard me right, she was actually stroking it. I sat down and decided just to ignore it. After all, I have no need to show my prowess at hunting yet again. I was settling into place when the damned thin actually came up to me and started snuffling at my fur. I stood up fully expecting that to be enough of a warning but all it did was try to run between my front legs as though I was providing it with a tunnel. Let me tell you now that I batted it with a closed paw and hissed my displeasure. Did it run? No it didn't. Instead it pulled on one of my whiskers which made me turn my head and almost unbalanced me. My hiss was really loud. Fearing the kind of damage I could inflict I decided to make a discreet withdrawal, which I did quite quickly to another seat.
I saw my 'The Him' go over and start to play with it. It was really disconcerting since he doesn't do that with me. Granted I am not always nice to him but he's only a Longlegs so what so you expect. Anyway he sat on the end of the long seat and the rat ran between them, Suddenly it darted into my 'The Him's pocket.There was a rustle and out it came clutching a packet of tissues in it's mouth. It bit into the end and pulled out a whole tissue. I expected such anger at this nerve but both Longlegs laughed. I do not understand it. After a few pulls like a tug of war the tissue was retrieved but she kept doing it again and again and again. He didn't seem to mind.
My 'The Her' picked Penny up ( far too gently in my book) and returned her to the cage where the rats belong. I stirred myself ready to go and sit on her knee for my well deserved strokes but she pulled the other one out. Amy, the one with the brains. No way was I going over there yet. That was for the safety of the rat of course.
It seemed a long time before they returned this rat to the cage but she wasn't as playful with the Longlegs and my 'The Him' soon came back to his seat so I favoured him with my presence on his knee and allowed him the privilege of stroking me.There are times when my generosity knows no bounds but we do have a duty to look after our servants I suppose. I cast a few glances at my 'The Her' in case she wanted to apologise and ask me over but she seemed preoccupied with building something. Lots of pieces of that thick , hard, paper stuff slotted together. In the end it was a large square filled with little rooms and holes between each one. You know what she's done don't you. No wonder I don't understand these wretched Longlegs sometimes. She's built them a run to put on the floor. Why? They have a perfectly good cage there. I think tonight one good wee should see the end of that and I should be back as Top Dog ( how I hate that expression) in my own home again.