Oh, Rats!

"Oh, Rats!" by Miriam Allen De Ford is a science fiction story from the 1960s about a super-smart rat named SK540, made in a lab with special chemicals. It's a tale about big ideas like power, the right to be free, and whether it's okay for people to experiment on animals. After SK540 breaks out of the lab, he becomes the leader of regular rats, starting their own group away from people. The story gets intense when a scientist named Philip Vinson and his wife, Norah, are trapped in their home by these brainy rats. They must confront if SK540 is intelligent and what that means. In a surprising turn, SK540 does something drastic to ensure his group survives against what he sees as humans trying to control them, teaching everyone a lesson about being careful with science and understanding every creature's feelings.