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A few days after I was forced to rehome Magenta and Frankie, I moved in with my parents and sisters into a country cottage. I settled into a life with just two rats, and they were devoted to each other. I still enjoyed being somewhat unusual for the backwater village in having pet rats, and liked to flaunt this whenever possible.

One day I was getting some photos developed and I saw two elderly women nearby. I made a big show of looking at my rat photographs and eventually they took notice and - rather than react with the usual shock or fascination - they told me they also had a pet rat who lived in a rabbit hutch. A few days later I saw them shopping at the super-market where I worked and after that we often traded stories of our pets.

After their rat, Ratty, died they bought another rat - a little girl they also called Ratty. But this little girl was hyper-active and playful - nothing like they laid-back elderly buck they were used to. They had bought her an indoors cage in the hope of making her more accustomed to them but apparently it did't work. When I explained that Ratty 2 really should have a friend they became ver upset, admitting they couldn't cope with one, let alone a second. Knowing they really couldn't look after her, they asked if I would take her.

I seriously didn't expect my parents to let me take on another rat, especially as I'd had to give up Magenta and Frankie only a few months before, but even they wanted to help this lonely little girl. Ratty 2 was given to me in the supermarket car-park with her very small cage and a plastic cup for a bed. I really don't feel angry about the ladies who owned her - they didn't mean to neglect but on realising they couldn't cope they did the best for her by rehoming her. I know it made them sad. On seeing Ratty 2 I saw she was the beautiful banded roan I had seen in the local petshop, although her belly was now yellow. She was promptly renamed Raffles, after a cuddly toy reindeer I loved.

Raffles was a cocky, confident little girl who waltzed into the cage and acted like she owned the place. RiffRaff and Columbia were very well-behaved towards this little upstart even though she annoyed them deeply with her silly enthusiasm and attitude. I remember one particular time when she had annoyed Columbia so much that Columbia turned and drop-kicked her.

Raffles was never the most affectionate of rats but she was quite sweet and deeply in love with RiffRaff, although his heart belonged to Columbia. When he died, she became very tight with Columbia and settled down but her heart was broken when Columbia died 9 months later. For the next nine months, Raffles would be on her own.

I had tried to rehome Raffles after Columbia's death. I had plans to move to Plymouth and wasn't sure if I should risk buying more rats with this in mind. But this was before the the fancy-rats forum and I simply didn't know anyone else who kept rats or who would want to get rats, much. Raffles stayed with me but became increasingly grumpy and antisocial. I don't regret much in life, but I sincerely regret the loneliness of Raffles in her last months. Of course I had her with me as much as I possibly could, but she missed rat company. All I can say is that I did my best for her and my intentions were loving.

Raffles was put to sleep at the ripe old age of two years and six months. She had developed a series of tumours and I knew she wanted to go.