Shares the author's experiences with her pet rat Iris, offering anecdotes of her antics and other rat owners and discussing how to care for rats, health concerns, life spans, and eating habits.

The haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate: why do so many people abhor/fear/detest rats? -- Who you calling cute? What makes us think something or someone is cute? -- In search of positive images: are there any good representations of rats? -- Mistakes were made: what should you know before you get a rat? -- On the road: what's it like to travel with a rat? -- Empathy: do animals have emotions? -- The rescuer: what kind of person has forty-three rats? -- The rat lady: where do you go for expert advice? -- The secret society: who are the rat lovers? -- Get thee to a rattery: where does a right-minded person acquire a rat? -- This is how grief works: how do you survive the death of a loved one? -- Moving on: does having a rat ruin you for other pets? -- Ratapalooza: what does a celebration of rats look like? -- The girlfriends: Can you fall in love again?.