Love rats

It's World Rat Day, a chance for rat owners globally to celebrate their rather maligned and misunderstood pets.

They're not considered your average pet but there are 2.5 million rodent-owning households in Britain, according to the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association.

That's quite a lot when you consider there are just over five million dog-owning households in the UK and the British are famous for being a nation of dog lovers.

World Rat Day is a chance for rat owners to celebrate their pets, an opportunity they don't often get.

"There is a stigma attached to owning a rat," says Stella Hulott, who runs the Kent-based charity and rat shelter, CavyRescue (which is staging a rat beauty pageant for the occasion).

According to enthusiasts, rats make far better pets for young children than other more traditional domesticated creatures, like rabbits.

Mrs Hulott and her husband Jason set up their charity to educate people about rats and run a recycle-a-rodent scheme to re-house homeless domestic rats, along with other small furry animals. They hope to expand and open a rat sanctuary that is staffed 24-hours-a-day.

...love me, love my rat :-)