That woman was way way outta line.
Good on you for not decking her one!

However, I've got to add that using the 'you're going to get divorced' thing to belittle someone isn't cool in my book.
I'M divorced and a lot other nice people on here are also divorced.  It happens.  I don't think it should be used as an insult.  With more than half of marriages ending that way quite a few really nice folks end up in that divorcee category.
And, while my ex thinks I'm a twitch for leaving him, I think it was the best thing I could have done.

He didn't like the rats much anyway. Kept complaining I loved them more and spent too much of (MY) money on them.
The new guy?  LOVES the rats and has two of his own.
I call that trading up. LOL.
Melissa

just an extra little note. I had always been interested in rats but once i had researched and found out they only live 3 years i decided on getting something else. When i met my boyfriend He's actually the one who got me more interested. hes kept rats as pets longer than hes kept snakes as pets. Hes been keeping snakes since he was 15 and hes not 45 so thats a LONG time and hes kept rats since he was like 5-6. I find him amazing. even at that age he was doing as much research as he could on the animals he kept and kept them very well.he would send out  for animal books(There wasnt any internet back then). and read everything he could.

So when we found winston in our attic and decided to keep him Al(My boyfriend) was the one who encouraged me not only to KEEP him but to get OTHER rats. So deffinetly if you wait around long enough. You will find that right person. Ive always loved animals and my dream was to be surrounded by them. I met my boyfriend on a reptile forum and he was the same way. Now we live together and are both surrounded by our animals and we love them to bits.

And your vet tends to all of them, right? 

(From Moonshadow's largest fuzzie, ShadowDancer)

Why would anyone even THINK of saying that?? It's just insane, who makes that connection? People these days...

I'm thinking that the woman who said that to you must have some issues of her own regarding guys to even be thinking about that. You know "Well, I can't get a boyfriend because of this, but SHE can't get one because of RATS!" kind of thing?

When I had my boys at the vet, no one really seemed to notice them, although I was tempted to pull the "long tailed hamster" bit if someone asked (Oliver actually DOES look like a hamster!). I even heard on kid and his mom saying something about their own rats (I think).

That was wicked rude of her!    I haven't had any REALLY rude comments...Just the normal tail comments, and my favorite "Ohhh, what a cute ferret!!!1'  "nope, it's a rat "  "OMG *dies*"

My favorite reply to the whole "Rats are disgusting!  Thats so gross!" is to say "That's alright, my rats would probably think your pretty gross too." Then smile at the person and walk away.

I've gotten a lot of people just curious about my girls, and as long as they get a nice scratch behind the ear my girls are happy to oblige any questions or comments.

I'm very sorry, I did not mean to offend anyone one with the "divorce" comment. I was, unsuccessfully, trying to say that  at some point you get fed up with these kinds of people and just want to say something back that is just as hurtful to them. You may think it even if you don't really say it.

If I was quick enough I might really say something like "Actually, my rat loving husband is the reason I don't have a boyfriend!"

I wasn't thinking, sorry guys! 

I like Pie's response.  Just a short little something to put them right in their stoopid place!  UGH!  I put a sign up by our rats at an adoption event on Saturday that said, "It's Ok, because they rats think you are gross too"...>I know it's a common saying but after so many responses I decided to just get that out of the way.  LOL.  Lots of people said, "aw, but I don't think they are gross at all"....they were mostly well received.  Sorry about MORON you had to deal with .  People stink for the most part.  They are just rude and don't use their brains! 

Love me, Love my rats simple as that.

That's how I filter the good from the bad.

Isn't this thread already doing that?   

*pat pat*
No worries!
Just wanted to bring it up since I'm a nice, lovely person who happens to be divorced (due to my ex being a jerk.  Heh.  I guess there is always ONE person in the divorce who was hard to live with, eh?). I get what you're saying, totally.  I guess I'm still just sensitive due to the "failed at marriage, must be something wrong with her" stigma.  Not your issue, mine.

That lady, though.
What a piece of work!
Melissa

Ruuuuude! My boyfriend loves my rats, and has one of his own. Rat ownership just weeds out the loser guys.

I once worked briefly with a woman who after I sympathetically listened to her tell me about her dog's death asked her how she felt about rats.  She said "Oh I hate them and let me tell you why."  She then went on to tell me that according to her vet rats put out special signals that will attract every other rat in the area.  So even if you had just one pet rat your house would soon be swarming with rats!  I told her in all of my 20+ years of keeping rats I had never heard/experienced anything like that.  She was adamant. And then she went around telling people that I kept wild animals as pets.  Needless to say, she was an idiot.  Turns out she lied about a lot of things and I don't think her vet ever told her that.  (The irony is that her vet worked at the same practice I took my first rat to!)