Pets at Home has announced a dramatic rise in sales of pet rats following the success of the Disney film Ratatouille in UK cinemas. The company reports a 50% increase in the number of rats sold each week since the film debuted on October 12th.

Pets at Home's UK sales of rats are currently 2022 for the whole of the month so far - a 30% increase on last month with still some time to go, and though Pets at Home is strongly warning against impulse buys stemming from the success of the film, the company is already estimating weekly sales to have doubled by the end of the half-term week - to over 1000 rats.

Already the pet retailer estimates it has sold around 800 this school holiday week with Dumbo rats the favourite because they are identified, by their notably big ears, as having a likeness to 'Remy' - the film's hero.

Ratatouille has held onto the number one spot at the UK box office for two weeks, taking a whopping £9m.

Pets at Home spokesperson Steve Fairburn said:

"It's early doors yet, but it seems Ratatouille has done wonders for the image of rats and finally helped to portray the image we have long been keen to promote - which is that contrary to popular opinion, rats are actually one of the cleanest and least smelly pets you can own. They are incredibly responsive to learning and can be taught to do amazing tricks, much in the way that dogs and cats can."

However, alongside the smiles and raised eyebrows, there were words of warning from Pets at Home to anyone hastily planning to buy a rat after enjoying the film.

Steve Fairburn continued:

"We certainly don't want rats to become the next animal victims of a movie craze. Everyone saw what happened in the case of the Ninja Turtles and the subsequent demand and mistreatment of terrapins and other aquatic reptiles that followed and we don't want the same thing happening with rats."

Submitted by: Steve O'Malley      

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