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Rats. They’re surprisingly self-aware. They laugh when tickled, especially when they’re young, and they have ticklish spots. Admit it, they’re pretty damn cute. A few years ago, I had a pet rat. Her name was Sqishy (pronounced ski-shee). She was the sweetest pet ever - loved to give kisses.

Rats have personalities, and they can be grumpy or happy-go-lucky depending on their upbringing and surroundings. One study showed that rats accustomed to good times tend to be optimists, while those reared in unstable conditions become pessimists. In another study, Jonathon D. Crystal, a psychologist at the University of Georgia in Athens, discovered that rats display evidence of metacognition: they know what they know and what they don’t know.