Welcome! Introduce yourself here 🙂

@Zoe7 mine is very talkative(in fact wont just shoosh) and sits like a real laid back dude, drives me crazy haha, and when he escapes omg the chaos he causes lol

@AlDenteRodente rats sound like great pets, I've always been intrigued tbh. They sound like an underdog animal. I love misunderstood creatures, seems animal instincts.

I've always loved those animals that no one else has, my favourite animal I describe as puppies, no one else seems to agree. I was always the weird kid at school for my animal fixation, I even had a pet echidna once I called him Eddie

I don't know how well a rat and cat would get along, my cat would probably be scared, he's a real scaredy cat but likes to pretend he's a guard dog.

I want to learn more about rats now (might be my next hyperfixation hehe)I love the description you gave too, I was born in the year of the rat (maybe it's a sign lol)

Plus who doesn't love Templeton(is that his name) from Charlotte's Web

@AlDenteRodente my daughter, 9 year old, keeps begging me for a pet rat! I almost got her one for her birthday but felt the responsibility might be too much.. Funnily enough I had a pet rat when I was her age and I absolutely adored it, such fond memories with him and they are such affectionate and smart creatures.

@Juliet2

I have a cat at well. We adopted him at 9 years old and he learned pretty quickly that rats are not for touching. The rats have not learned that the cat is not for touching. Pet rats do not have an abundance of survival instinct.

@MermaidHair

It's generally considered a good idea to have at least two rats. They are very social animals and can develop psychological problems if kept alone. Think about how humans who crazy in solitary confinement.

When there's more than one rat it's easier to see the contrast in their personalities. Like when I grew up we only had one cat, so I assumed all cats were exactly like my cat. But just like cats, and dogs, and people, rats have a huge variety of personalities and it's nice to appreciate them for who they are.

Hi all!

I am very new here so not sure where to post? Hopefully I'm not intruding on a convo....

I have a staffy girl, she's 3 now! I'm a big dog lover and am happy to share tales of mischief also.

Recently ive been going through some lonely times, please feel free to reach out and share I'm looking forward to chatting to anyone willing to 🙂

Hey @Krissy91

Welcome to the forums! You're definitely posting in the right place, and thanks for sharing a little about yourself.

Hopefully we'll get to know more about you here in the near future. 🙂

Hey @Krissy91 ! Welcome to the forums! I'm glad to hear you are a dog lover 🙂

There are many here who are also dog lovers! Let's just say, I like dogs over cats 🙂 I have a cavoodle.

I'll make a thread for you and tag you there. Maybe you can post some photos of your staffy (anonymous photos - so no photos of people)! I hear you when you said life can get lonely sometimes. You're not alone in feeling this way.

See you around!

Hey @Juliet2 Sorry it has taken some time to get bacl to you - been a very busy week for me.

I had a giggle at your description of the antics of your fur baby. Both mine are super snuggly but when they chase each other they make me laugh. Clover likes to pounce on Toby off the chairs and then he chases her around the loungeroom. She retreats back to the chairs until she wants to pounce again - and it all starts over again until Tobes is worn out and lays next to me.

Hi, I've already posted in Looking After Yourself, but will do again here... "I'm a Mum of an adult schizophrenic (medicated but) and substance abuser, won't go into unnecessary detail. My current focus is keeping my 5 year old grandson safe, mentally and of course, physically."

I've received some valuable links since posting and am building a list of appropriate books.

Hello, I will go by Jay here, and I was recently diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder and CPTSD and this forum was recommended by the hospital staff after my diagnosis. Some fun facts about me are:

- I am an expat from the US

- I came to Australia to be with my partner

- My favorite animal/pet is a cat and I currently have one cat and one dog.

I was previously diagnosed with BPD but have been told it was either a misdiagnosis or it has since gone into remission.

I am currently seeking treatment for both of my diagnoses and am always open to any recommendations or pointers as I have no idea where to start looking.

I hope I can meaningfully contribute to the community you've all made so far, thank you for having us!