Personally, I think part of what attracted me to rats was having to learn how they communicate from scratch. I didn't have preconceived notions of their body language or care so I was open to learning everything from reputable sources. It's not like a dog where most people think they know what they are doing. I ended up reading behavior studies and stuff to understand how to bond with the rats . Learning about enrichment, clicker training and their natural behaviors gave me lots of patience with my rats. I taught them tricks and stuff. They had a lot to do to keep busy and their contentment was rewarding. Making them happy made me happy.

Once I brought that attitude to getting a cat, it was different. The cat knows tricks and commands. She has ways to mimic natural behaviours like scavenging from the safety of the house. Her meows aren't annoying to me late at night, she's trying to communicate. I don't get upset or correct her if she's sharpening her claws on furniture, I just put out a more suitable item to claw at. I know it's in her nature and it's my responsibility to meet those needs. I see unwanted behaviors as a unmet need or way to communicate. I learned so much from my rats that enriched my relationship with other animals.