Hi Ann,

Having worked in the laboratory animal science field for over 35 years, I am not quick to dismiss your experiences/observations with respect to animal behavior. While my involvement is more laboratory related with respect to animal disease detection, I do have anecdotal experience that makes me stand up and take notice, when alerted to changes in animal behavior. More than once, our lab would be alerted by supervisors/managers of an animal facility that their animal care staff were noting changes in feeding and/or breeding behaviors. Generally, within weeks we detected the presence of some infectious agent. Now, these pre-detection behavioral changes might be expected as the animals were experiencing physical changes in response to a disease process, so this is not quite the same as changes in animal behavior predicting a natural event However, I do believe many animals have more developed senses and can detect subtle changes in their environment.

I have personal anecdotal experience with the heighten sense of detection exhibited by many animals. In my role as an EMS provider, I and my partners once responded to a call for chest pain in a middle-aged gentleman. We arrived on the scene and found the man alert and oriented complaining of sub-sternal chest pain. His wife had placed their dog in a nearby area which had one of those extendable child-gates to keep him corralled. The dog was quite calm and just sat there watching us and did not appear to be upset with us for being in his home. We had placed the patient on an EKG monitor which was normal and were continuing our examination, interview and treatment when all of sudden the dog let out this blood-curdling yelp/howl which I will never forget. Within 5-10 seconds of the dog howling, the patient went into cardiac arrest. While we were able to successfully treat the patient, I will never forget that call and how the dog knew his owner had a cardiac event before the EKG machine even registered a change.

I just saw on the news, that a new (at least new based upon the news story) earthquake detection system based upon the detection of the P wave which travels faster than the destructive S wave is being used in parts of California to give a 15-60 second alert to allow evacuation from buildings. Perhaps there are other more subtle waves that are virtually undetectable by current technology, that animals have the ability to detect. Just look at the highly sensitive sense of smell exhibited by dogs.

I would not worry about whether or not your imagination might or might not be in play. If you feel some type of early alert might be afforded by the use of a pet rat, I would go for it. At minimum, you have a pet and at best you might have an early warning alert.

Just my 2 cents-
Pete