We all know that cats and mice are more commonly known to be mortal enemies, especially since it is in a cat’s nature to hunt and eat mice. Cartoon series Tom and Jerry also taught us well that they don’t see eye to eye. This relationship also applies to cats and rats.
Nowadays, it seems this is changing as some people are starting to bring rats into their homes as pets!
MacKenzie Allmon of North Little Rock, Arkansas is the proud owner of an adorable cat named Jagger, and four rats, named Willow, Jasmine, Eevee and Sadie. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right?
You’d be surprised to know that they actually adore each other and even take naps together! Their human mom MacKenzie took snaps of their sweet encounters.
MacKenzie’s kittty, Jagger was born in her garage about a year ago.
“In our neighbourhood there was a flea market close by and people would give away kittens there – but at the end of the day if they still had some left they would just turn them [loose], which caused our neighbourhood to be filled with wild cats,” she told The Dodo.
She had a soft spot for Jagger and kept him as her own after finding new homes for his mother and siblings.
“I just couldn’t give him up”.
Eight months later, MacKenzie took in four more furry friends—her rats Willow, Jasmine, Eevee and Sadie.
But naturally, she was worried about their wellbeing with Jagger around.
“Since Jagger was little he’s loved other animals, especially dogs. But when I got my rats I didn’t know what to expect,” she said.
Then she spotted her feline in the most unexpected place!
One day, MacKenzie noticed that Willow was snuggled in a crate with Jagger.
They look so adorable! And now they can’t be without one another. So sweet!
“Ever since then they’ve been inseparable. They follow each other around the house and love to wrestle with each other.”
Aww. Totally opposite from Tom and Jerry!
The rest of the pet rats are also friendly with Jagger but no rats can replace Willow, she said.
“I’d definitely say Willow is his favourite,” MacKenzie said. “She’s the one who started it all, the one who got out and first started cuddling with him. They absolutely love each other.”
Pass us a tissue!
Credit: The Dodo