…without rat.
Which is just an observation. You shouldn’t be offended by that, because rats are awesome. One of mine has taken to playing a game where he repetitively tries to dart under the desk to climb the computer cables. This, of course, is not allowed.
When he tries to ascend the live electrical wires, I catch him, turn him around and let him go. He invariably makes a hop of glee and scampers away (rats are the best scamperers in the world), then, without warning, Z turns and speeds back towards the forbidden cables again. Sometimes I catch him, sometimes he gets by and I have to dig him out from under a pile of electrical cords. But the game always repeats itself. Because he knows he’s not supposed to go under there, and the simple fact that he’s not allowed is what makes him want it so much. He doesn’t even resist when I get him out from under the table anymore, because that’s the point of the game. He’s thwarting authority for no reason other than the fact that it is fun. By the same token, getting caught is also part of the fun. If I ignore him, he’ll start poking his nose out to see why the human isn’t coming for him. That’s textbook brat behavior right there.
Clearly there’s a biological basis for brattishness. Probably a brat gene. Further studies are needed of course, fortunately there’s quite a plethora of human subjects who fit the brat criteria, so there will be no need for animal testing.
