Remembering
This was Toffee, my 'computer mouse'. The computer screen fascinated him and he sat on my hat or shoulder and stared at it constantly like he was watching television.
He was only tiny but brave and believed he was Mighty Mouse. He often chased my big pet rats away
He was good company. He didn't talk but conveyed messages to you with his eyes and facial expressions. When he was happy or excited you could feel him throbbing in your hand like a mobile phone.
I felt sorry for him because he was such a tiny thing in a big bad world and yet he maintained a strong personality and determination.
Even a little mouse has feelings of affection, much like all animals. Like us they feel fear and pain, pleasure and joy. They are also very intelligent.
Another thing I've noticed about mice and rats is how clean they are. Like most animals they wash and preen themselves regularly - more so than some humans I know.
The sad thing is rats and mice don't have long lives. Their metabolisms operate much faster than ours, like their time on this earth has been accelerated.
So I treasure my precious time with them and try to give them happy and loving lives.
People call them vermin. Rats and mice are disliked, killed, fed to snakes. Humans have been brainwashed about them and other animals but hopefully one day they'll see that all life is precious and even a little mouse has a right to life.
