The rat was officially recognized as a pet in 1984 when the word NAC (New Companion Animals) was coined by a veterinarian, Michel BELLANGEON (during a lecture at the National Veterinary School in Lyon). However, rats are still struggling to gain the same recognition as other pets, they are excluded from the Animal Welfare Act [a] (the only federal law that offers even minimal protection).

From a sentient being...

According to a scientific report in 2021, each year 111 million mice and rats [b] are killed in American laboratories. At the University of Missouri-Columbia, for example, experimenters cut off rats' heads to remove parts of their skulls [19]. Then, they attached heavy weights to the animals' tails and forced them to climb a 90-centimetre ladder. Their aim was to determine whether weightlifting could remedy cognitive deficits [c]. At the end of the experiment, the rats were killed, whereas several studies have shown that rats are sensitive beings. Neurologists Shimpei ISHIYAMA and Michael BRECHT [d] spent three months tickling rodents. The results demonstrate that rats can laugh and jump for joy. In other words, they are sentient beings. Peta [e] denounces the exploitation of rats in laboratories through the use of a sensitive mascot who is suffering. In a campaign dating from 2024, Peta uses a human-sized rat mascot [28]. This ball of fluff, with its white coat and red-tinted eyes, resembles a typical albino laboratory rat. Thus, from the front, this mascot appears to be a healthy cuddly toy ready to be cuddled; from the back the fiction turns into a nightmare. The rat is wounded, its skin ripped off. There is a gaping wound, clumsily sewn with iron wire. By combining the soft image of cuddly toys with the violent image of torture, the fiction demonstrates that rats are sentient beings who don't deserve inhumane treatment.

In the fictional cartoon, like Ratatouille [15] the rat’s sensitivity is highlighted. Despite their sewer rat appearance, Remy and Emile seem to be endearing. Moreover, the history of Remy and his determination are touching. Remy overcomes his pest status to realize his dream : to become a top chef in France's gastronomy. And yet, it is a fictional story whose main character is a rat, Ratatouille was a huge hit with audiences and winner of the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2007. Moreover, when the movie Ratatouille was released, domestic rat sales soared in the UK, with the Pets at Home chain seeing a 50% increase in sales. In consequence, a fictional movie was able to influence reality. At the same time, the creators of Ratatouille published Pixar's short film Your old friend rat [16]. In the form of an educational film, Remy and Emile argue to assert the reconciliation of humans and rats. They use historical facts magnified by various styles of animation [f]. There is a real commitment from the filmmakers to produce a quality aesthetic that benefits the quality of the speech and therefore the image of the rat.

Science perpetuates the acts of barbarism against the rat while helping to propagate the image of the domesticable rat, capable of cohabiting with humans. As a result, the human knowledge of the rat is gradually refined, both scientifically and historically, transforming the image of an insensitive monster into that of a sensitive rodent.