Sheesh......... So yesterday I was out walking my dogs and one of them was curiously sniffing something in the street - turned out to be a rat. But not a wild rat, I could tell immediately that this was someone's escaped pet rat. And it didn't look like it was feeling too well, and I thought it was probably dehydrated. So I got a shoebox and caught it (it didn't even TRY to resist) and brought it in to give it some water and food. I recalled hearing a loud rodentish squeak the previous night and thought my cats had found a mouse and were killing it, but upon investigating found my cats sleeping and no sign of a rodent intruder. So I'd figured the sound came from outside (my window was open) but realized that it was most likely this found rat being injured somehow. My mother thinks it may have fallen from a neighbor's window and was injured, which would explain its lethargy as well as the sound I heard the night before. (don't let those little lungs fool you - they can squeak quite loud) I used to have pet rats, so I had the stuff to care for it, but not wanting a pet rodent again, I made up some signs to go post along my street in hopes that the owner would contact me.
After posting them up, upon returning to my apartment, I realized I had locked myself out and there is NO window or anything to jimmy open to break in. So I went to my neighbor's apartment and she was kind enough to let me use her phone. But I couldn't get a hold of my mom to get my uncle's phone number who has my spare key, nor could I get the apartment manager or maintainance guy. I called some locksmiths and they all wanted $150 and up to pick the lock. So I took a walk to my uncle's ex-girlfriend's apartment up the street, not knowing if she even lived there anymore, but hoping that she would have his phone number or could give me a ride to his apartment. No one home. Returned to my neighbor's apartment and tried my mom again, this time she was home and gave me my uncle's cel number and his home number. His home line was busy, and his cel was going directly to voice mail. Called the operator to do an emergency breakthrough on his home line, and their equipment was having trouble and they told me to try back in 30 minutes. So I wait 30 minutes and try again, but this time they tell me there's a problem with the phone line and they're putting in a repair call on it. I waited another hour or two and tried again... still busy. So finally I resolved to shell out the cash for a locksmith and hope I could find a way to get my apartment manager to reimburse me. About 30 minutes after putting the call in to the locksmith, I tried my uncle's cel number again. He answered! But immediately said that he'd have to call me back because his cel battery was about to die. I managed to get in that I was locked out of my apartment and needed the key before his phone went dead. Well, I then tried his home number a couple times and on the third try it finally rang and turns out he was online the whole time. Grrrr. Expecting this to all be over with, I was unhappy to hear that he'd let his roommate use his truck to go to work and he was without a vehicle! After begging and pleading for him to figure something out, he decided to hop on his mountain bike and go to her work to get his truck (what a sweetie my uncle is!) He got here after a long time, and I finally got into my apartment after being locked out for about 5 hours.... IN MY PAJAMAS by the way!
Immediately, I went into the bedroom to check on the rat that started this whole ordeal, and the fuckin thing was DEAD.
Damn me and my soft spot for helpless/injured animals!!
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