Your new best friend: a cuddly rat

SAGINAW, Mich. — For pet seekers looking to stray from the traditional choices of cats and dogs, a fancy rat may fit just right, says the owner of the North American Rat Registry.

"They're like small dogs," said Sarah J. Paterson-Farrand, 29, of Saginaw, who has run the registry out of her home for the past eight months. "They actually bond to people."

The registry serves much the same purpose as the American Kennel Club for dogs. Members nationwide are adding to the database every day.

Breeders can browse its growing online database to find information such as birth and death dates, health notes and pedigree details for 11,000 rats.

Membership costs $8 a year for owners looking to register up to four rats and $25 for serious breeders needing unlimited registration. Any profit remaining at the end of the year goes to an animal welfare organization, Paterson-Farrand said.

The registry also allows breeders to match their rats with mates that would produce the best pets.

"You have to know the genetics of the rats you're breeding," Paterson-Farrand said. "People want to be able to breed healthy animals that live long and have good personalities."

Rat enthusiasts can get together to form a rattery, a group specializing in breeding certain species. There are thousands of ratteries nationwide.

To go along with her nine rats — including curly-haired, hairless and Siamese varieties — Paterson-Farrand also has a dog and three cats.

Tradition holds that cats eat rodents and dogs chase cats, but in Paterson-Farrand's household, cats are terrified of the rats, while the dog gets along with everyone.

Farrand points to the size of the rats — larger than the average mice that cats prey upon — and their ability to stand their ground as the main reasons her cats fear them.

Farrand started breeding fancy rats 11 years ago. Her favorite mix is the fawn-dumbo, a rat with the brownish color of a deer and oversized ears.

She describes rats as "gentle and loving" creatures.

"They're very social and interactive," she said. "The worst they'll do is lick you."