I got a lot of emails and calls about the Craigslist ad and flyers that I posted about the lost rat that I found. Over two weeks eighteen people wrote to me; if anyone is interested in seeing what kind of attention this kind of story gets in Seattle, then read their letters here. More people called. All who called were very concerned, but remember that freely posting one’s number on CL attracts all types, and one person interested in adopting the rat called at 6am to schedule an immediate pickup. To clarify, no, I never gave any indication that it would be good to call that early in the morning, and yes, it was disruptive.
What I did – collecting a lost rat from the road and looking for his owner – is something that I think many local people would have done, had they seen the rat before me. Furthermore, I think there is always a community on CL that supports this kind of behavior, so I think this story is representative of the behavior of Seattle people. Definitely there are lots of places in the world where things could have been much different for the poor lost rat.
Unfortunately we never found the original owner. In the end, a woman named Marty adopted the rat. She described herself as 65 years old and with a lifetime of animal experience and said that she liked animals more than people. She drove an hour to get to us because she lived outside of the city and with her she brought a huge pen, a rat ball for him to run inside of, lots of toys, and proper bedding. Upon seeing him she immediately put him on her shoulder and he perched there while she walked around. I think they will get along fine. Thanks Marty, and to everyone who wrote or called, and thanks to my friends for providing a foster home for this animal while we waited to adopt him out.