Cassie
Cassie was a was a family pet adopted by Dana Reddick in the fall of 2005.
During the summer between the first and second grades, Dana's first grade teacher recommended a summer workbook titled Summer Bridge to exercise the skills from first grade and prepare her for second. The book was very goal oriented, and encouraged a page of activities per day, coupled with reading. At the middle and end of the book were contracts the student could enter into with her parents. They stated that if all goals were completed there would be a specific treat or reward, decided upon in advance.
For the halfway point, Dana and her parents agreed upon a weekend vacation to Universal Studios in Orlando, and for the end of the book, they chose a pet hamster. The book was completed as promised. Dana and her dad took the weekend trip to Orlando mid-summer, and just before school started, Dana's mom and she went to the pet store in Tallahassee, FL.
After much visitation with the hamsters, rats & gerbils in the store, and on the advice of the store's employees, it was agreed that rats are much better pets, so a rat is was.
Dana first got Cassie, but within a week it was clear that Cassie was somewhat lonely, so the family returned and purchased another rat from the same litter, Cassie's sister, Londen.
Life
Both Cassie and Londen lived their entire lives atop Dana's bookshelf in a spacious cage full of tunnels, hammocks & hiding places.
Unlike hamsters & gerbils, rats are not only very sociable, but actually enjoy the company of people. It was not at all uncommon for Dana to have Cassie sitting on her shoulder or crawling under her shirt (a bizarre, ticklish sensation that must be experienced to be understood).
Both rats were so well behaved, that they were invited to visit Dana's second grade classroom at DeSoto Trail Elementary and be handled by all of the students in Dana's class. Cassie and Londen were a big hit with Dana's classmates.
Death
In July 2007 it was discovered that Cassie suffered from numerous mammary tumors, an unfortunately common illness in mature rats. The tumors grew very rapidly and became so large they impeded her ability to move.
Cassie was euthanasized at Mandarin Landing Animal Hospital on August 6, 2007, and was buried in the back yard of the Reddicks' home on Harpers Ferry Lane in Jacksonville, FL.
