Rat owners have a term they use for those rats that are something special. The rats that are so sweet or so full of personality, or a little of both. A heart rat is the rat that you remember for a long time, and these two were mine and Uriel's.

The white rat was Garnet who was happy to simply sit on my shoulder or in my hands. Whenever I put my hand in the cage the other rats would scramble for treats, but she would climb up onto my hand and flatten herself, begging to have her back rubbed or just happy to be in contact with me. I lost her to tumors two years ago, but she lived a long and happy life.

The gray rat sitting in the back with her tongue out was Leblanc. Leblanc loved my husband and would cling to him, groom his beard, and play with him for hours. LeBlanc was the rat that I would give people who were nervous about rats because she was so quirky and friendly that within moments you would fall in live with her unless you had a heart of stone. Even here in the photo she's going "Thbbbt!" At the prospect of another rat getting cuddled. Leblanc died due to pneumonia a couple of weeks after Garnet was lost. She also lived a good long life though.

I have never had rats like these two, although some have come close. Enough time has passed that I don't look sadly on the memories of losing them, but instead I think fondly of the time we had. When you own rats you need to understand that they have these short bright lives. Still, I wish I could have another girl with personality like these two did someday. Perhaps the powers that be will see fit to bless me again one day.