R.I.P. Pancake, the family pet

Pancake, moments before her death ... : (

Pancake the Rat -- extraordinary mother, gentle giant and one of the pets of the Murray family of North Mankato -- has died at the age of 2.

While she only lived with the Murrays for a short time, she made a deep impression on the family that picked her out of a tank at Pet Expo so many months ago. Pancake was actually the fifth rat chosen, after the first four brought home by the family died untimely and unexplainable deaths. But almost immediately after her arrival, she began winning the hearts and minds of the people around her.

While Pancake lived a remarkable life full of romps around the room of her primary owner, Emma Murray, and seemingly constant cage crawling, she will perhaps be best known for her successful raising of a litter of 12 babies, which greeted the family quite unexpectedly a few weeks after she arrived.

From the beginning, her parenting skills held people in awe. Whether it was letting 12 babies nurse simultaneously, or the way she lovingly retrieved any young that strayed, Pancake's methods were beyond reproach.

"I remember coming into my room one day when Pancake was nursing. When she heard me, she came running over to the front of the cage because she wanted food or something. Well, when she did that, all the babies went flying in all different directions," owner Emma said. "But then she went around and picked them all up, one by one, and carefully put them back in the nest. True story. Cutest thing I ever saw."

Emma was Pancake's primary caretaker. She, in fact, lived in a modified bird cage on top of a chest of drawers in Emma's room. Despite an at-times-annoying habit of grinding her teeth on the cage's metal bars, Pancake and Emma soon became close friends. And when Pancake had babies, Emma kept one of them, named her Omelet, and the three of them shared Emma's bedroom until Sunday afternoon.

When Pancake originally came home with the family, they'd been told Pancake was about 6 months old. But as her health has deteriorated during the past month, it has become clear, family members say, that she was probably much older than that. In her last week, she'd grown week. Family members had attempted to adjust her diet, working in cooked chicken and fresh garden salads in addition to her regular gourmet rat food.

Signs existed, however, that Pancake might be on he last days. She'd lost control of her bladder and bowels, and by Sunday afternoon, had lost nearly all ability to move. With her breathing labored, the family administered a muscle relaxer to keep her comfortable. Then, at about 2:20 p.m. Sunday, with her "brother" Sam Murray at her side (Emma had to attend a baby shower for a friend of the family,) Pancake took her last breath. And Sam cried. Sources close to the family say Emma and Sam's dad may have shed a tear as well, but Freep Spirit could not confirm that as of Sunday afternoon.

A private funeral will be held Sunday evening. Afterward, Pancake will be laid to rest in the family's rodent graveyard, where at least six previous family pets have been buried.