Many famous people have discovered the special joy of rat friendship
and they aren’t afraid to tell others. Find out who loves rats and
why? You might be surprised how popular rats really are!
Clint Eastwood & Dina Eastwood
In a ABC News interview with Lara Spencer his wife reeled off a list of
domestic chores that Clint normally does. Cleaning the Cages. "Oh
my gosh — clean all the rat cages, the pig pool, and the parrots'
cages,"
Clint Eastwood acknowledged that he enjoys keeping animals — and
says the rats are domesticated, just in case anyone was wondering.
"We have a couple little pets,"
Jamie Lee Curtis (Actress)
In the November 29, 2004, issue of People magazine (sexiest man alive
issue) there is an article about Jamie Lee Curtis, where she reveals her
son has a pet rat, Diglett. She mentions giving him medication, and there's
a picture of her with Diglett on her shoulder!
John Cleese (Monty Python)
John's love for animals is clearly evidenced by the company he keeps at
his ranch in Santa Barbara. He told us that he keeps "... eight horses,
two alpacas, three dogs, umpteen cats, as well as a few chinchillas, and
several rats." John's rats were the star of their own hidden camera
feature called "The Cleese Cam" on the Rat Race movie website.
Visitors could tune into nearly-live images of Cleese's home in Santa
Barbara, usually getting shots of his rats running up and down the ramps
of their cage.
Source Monty Python's Daily Llama web site.
JK Rowling – (Harry Potter Author)
Revealed her daughter Jessica, 12, shares a love of rats with Harry's
pal Ron. The author admitted she also has a soft spot for the creatures.
She said: "My daughter keeps a pair of rats and I'm quite happy to
let them sit on my shoulder."
Source: Scotland’s Daily Record.
Rupert Grint – (Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films)
He was so fond of the rat who played his pet Scabbers. After the filming
of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," he took it -and
a stunt rat - home. Rupert indicated “I think rats are cool so I
didn't mind doing scenes with Scabbers. The Animal department shaved bits
of his fur off so he would look manky, but he is really a nice healthy
rat who had a make over.” Source: Scotland’s Daily Record.
& Young Performer interview.
Angelina Jolie (Actress)
Billy Bob Thornton bought his wife a pet rat as a present. They named
it Harry, although it's a female. Harry often travels with Angelina when
she's working on a flick. While Angelina was filming a movie in Vancouver,
Canada, Harry munched the drapes in her hotel room. Maybe room service
didn't bring her cheese!
Source: MSN Entertainment article.
Taran Noah Smith (Mark on Home Improvement)
People Magazine (dated 09/03/01) featured a photo of Taran with his pet
rat and dog.
Kim Basinger (Actress)
Kim has become the proud owner of a rat - thanks to her 8-year-old daughter
Ireland, and admits Ireland has developed the same passion for animals
as herself. She says, "I have 21 animals at home - dogs, cats, ducks,
bunnies, a cow, hermit crabs, fish and a rat named Nibbles. I've had every
pet there is, but never knew much about rats. "At the end of Ireland's
kindergarten year, the rats needed to go home with someone. There were
only two names in the jar. Ireland ran home and said, 'Mom, I won you
the rats!' I couldn't say no. They're fun to play with, and they're incredibly
bright. "They sit on your shoulder while you're working on the computer.”
“They're just beautiful."
Source: San Francisco Chronicle's "Daily Dish" & People
Magazine.
President Theodore Roosevelt
In a letter to Joel Chandler Harris author of Uncle Remus stories. He
wrote, All of the younger children are at present absorbed in various
pets, perhaps the foremost of which is a puppy of the most orthodox puppy
type. Then there is Jack, the terrier, and Sailor Boy, the Chesapeake
Bay dog; and Eli, the most gorgeous macaw, with a bill that I think could
bite through boiler plate, who crawls all over Ted, and whom I view with
dark suspicion; and Jonathan, the piebald rat, of most friendly and affectionate
nature, who also crawls all over everybody; and the flying squirrel, and
two kangaroo rats; not to speak of Archie's pony, Algonquin.
Nicole Richie (Actress)
Says she once gifted Paris Hilton with a pet rat named Tori Spellng. Hilton
loved the Christmas present. "Rats make great pets," she said.
"They're cute and when they nibble on you and crawl on your shoulders,
they're fun." I own six rats, and I've named each after a 'Beverly
Hills 90210' character like Shannen Doherty and Luke Perry."
Source: UPI News Service, 11/19/05
Pink (Recording Artist)
Radio Station 107.5 KZL in NC in the Music News section. "In concert
this summer, Pink will be able to bring her two most prized possessions
with her on The Party Tour. 'I'm taking my rats,' Pink said. 'Those are
my friends for the tour. Thelma and Louise. They're so cute.'
Edward Furlong (Actor in Terminator II)
Saved rats from the filming of the movie Pecker, which were going to be
killed after filming.
Source: Rat Report, November 1998.
Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane, Starship)
She likes being licked! Source: Rat Report, July 2000.
Marylin Manson's mom (Parent of Recording Artist)
When he left home, she agreed to look after his pet snake. There were
rats she was supposed to feed to the snake, but instead she started keeping
them as pets. She now has ten pet rats, each named after people she likes.
"They're part of the family".
Source: Chris Heath, Rolling Stone 11/98
Michaela Dorfmeister (Austrian Skier - Gold Medalist)
During NBC Olympic coverage on 2/20/2006, journalist Jimmy Roberts did
a piece on Olympic athletes with unusual backgrounds. He mentioned that
Michaela keeps rats as pets. I have also heard that she has been known
to bring one of her rats to the podium with her when she wins medals in
events! International Herald Tribune – 2/7/2001 Christopher Clarey wrote Austrians Sweep Medals - Dorfmeister Dominates Downhill
Order was restored to the Alps on Tuesday, if not quite normalcy. Michaela
Dorfmeister's pet rats made sure of that. She won her first World Cup
race in St. Anton during the 1995-96 season, and though she still had
to wait nervously Tuesday for the likes of Hilde Gerg of Germany and Kirsten
Clark of the United States to finish, she was about to win her first gold
medal in St. Anton. And she would do it with her parents watching in person
and her pet rats Cindy and Columbus watching at home on television in
Mondsee. "When they watch, I have a good race," Dorfmeister
explained (sort of). "They're my mascots, and my boyfriend said it
was hard to keep them awake for it because they sleep in the morning.
But he got them out of the cage and managed it."
Beatrix Potter (Author)
Dedicated a book ('The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or the Roly-Poly Pudding')
to her PEW (Pink Eyed White)
Source: RMCA Article.
Provided By Rat Chick Rat Rescue and Advocacy Group