Shoppers go rat crazy... well, not really.
ok, so the somewhat tenuous link here is the film Ratatouille, Disney Pixar's latest CG animated film about a rat that can cook...But I had to share with you this press release from Pets At Home, saying that Rattus Norvegicus (the Norway rat most commonly sold as a pet rat) is enjoying an surge in popularity thanks to the antics of Remy, the star of Ratatouille.
So have a giggle at this...
A hit film depicting the animated tale of a rat working in a Parisian restaurant may have helped spark the unlikeliest of pet crazes after the UK’s largest pet retailer, Pets at Home announced a dramatic rise in sales of the pet rodents following the success of Disney’s ‘Ratatouille’ in British cinemas.
Prospective owners have flocked to the country’s largest rat retailer to watch, enquire and purchase pet rodents in the weeks following the films debut on October 12th with stores reporting an increase of around 50% on the number of rats sold each week.
UK sales of rats currently sit at 2022 for the whole of the month so far - a 30% increase on last with still some time to go, and though Pets at Home are strongly warning against ‘impulse buys’ stemming from the success of the film, the animal specialists are already estimating weekly sales to have doubled by the end of the half-term week to over 1000 rats. Already the pet retailer estimates it has sold around 800 this school holiday week with 'Dumbo rats' the favourite among enthusiasts who identify the species' notable big ears as having a likeness to 'Remy' - the film's culinarily gifted hero.
Highly rated rodent movie ‘Ratatouille’ has become a firm favourite with families, taking a whopping £9m in the two weeks it has held onto the number one spot at the UK box office. It also continues to gnaw away at the top of the international box-office chart, where it also sits as the world's number one film for a third week in a row.*
And it seems cinemagoers have so warmed to the sewer-to-soufflé story of ‘Remy the Rat’s quest to become a world-renowned five-star chef that the oft-maligned rodents look set to set for a dramatic reversal in fortunes with many prospective owners now looking to have a household version of a rodent most commonly regarded as ‘pest’ rather than ‘pet’.
However the increased interest in rats hasn’t on the whole come as surprise - the animal specialists have reported a 40% rise in the sale of rats and other rodents from last year, an increase attributed to Hollywood ‘Celeb-ratty’ rodent owners like Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Pink and Angelina Jolie who have helped soften the image of rats and have made them fashionable.
Qualified Rodent Expert and Pets at Home spokesperson Steve Fairburn said:
“It’s early doors yet, but it seems ‘Ratatouille’ has done wonders for the image of rats and finally helped to portray the image we have long been keen to promote - which is that contrary to popular opinion, rats are actually one of the cleanest and least smelly pets you can own. They are incredibly responsive to learning and can be taught to do amazing tricks, much in the way that dogs and cats can”
However, alongside the smiles and raised eyebrows that the ‘Rat Renaissance’ hopes to bring, there were words of warning from Pets at Home to anyone hastily planning to buy a rat after enjoying the film.
Steve Fairburn said: “We certainly don’t want rats to become the next animal victims of a movie craze. Everyone saw what happened in the case of the Ninja Turtles and the subsequent demand and mistreatment of terrapins and other aquatic reptiles that followed and we don’t want the same thing happening with rats”.
“We would urge anyone seriously planning on owning a rat to come in and talk to a Pets at Home in-store specialist. Rats can be extremely fun and rewarding to own but need adequate housing and suitable food and equipment in order to be cared for properly”.
Once that most vilified of all small animals, it suggests the humble rat is on the rise. Not only is 2008 the Chinese Year of the Rat which will see the animal celebrated all around the world but the last check of the UK rat industry measured it as one of the fastest growing pet sectors in the country.
Dumbo Rats can be bought from Pets at Home stores nationwide for £10.
The release goes on to list 10 celeb-ratty (oh that's just too witty to not use meself) owners, which I'll share with you now:
Angelina Jolie (Actress)
Fancy rat ‘Harry’ was a gift from her former husband, Billy Bob Thornton. Source: MSN Entertainment article.
Jamie Lee Curtis (Actress)
In the November 29, 2004, issue of People magazine (sexiest man alive issue) there is an article about Jamie Lee Curtis, where she reveals her son has a pet rat, Diglett.
Beatrix Potter (Author)
Source: RMCA Article. Dedicated a book ('The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or the Roly-Poly Pudding') to her PEW
Nicole Richie (Actress)
See above
U.S President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt
Source: Article from Bartleby.com. Had a male 'piebald' and two kangaroo rats; also kept dogs, a macaw, a pony, and a flying squirrel
Rupert Grint (Actor)
Source: Ananova. After the filming of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," Grint (Ron Weasley) decided to adopt the two rats used to play Scabbers, Ron's pet rat in the film.
Kim Basinger (Actress)
Source: People Magazine. Kim's Basinger's 8-year-old daughter Ireland (with her ex Alec Baldwin) shares the actress's love of all creatures great and small. 'I have 21 animals at home - dogs, cats, ducks, bunnies, a cow, hermit crabs, fish and a rat named Nibbles.
Clint Eastwood (Actor)
Source: ABCNews.com Article. Clint even cleans their cages!
John Cleese (Actor/Comedian)
Source: Rat Report, February 2001. It is said Sam and Tony (his rats) put him at ease before he tackled a new project
Frankie Muniz (Malcolm on Malcolm in the Middle)
Source: Yahooligans Chat Transcript. At the date of this chat, Frankie's rat had no name yet...
Edward Furlong (Terminator II)
Source: Rat Report, November 1998. Saved rats from the filming of the movie Pecker, which were going to be killed after filming.
What can I say but.. wow.
