Whilst landlords seem very happy to re-home stray washing machines they come across on the street, they have less space in their hearts for animals. Maybe because they can identify more with an inanimate object which is incapable of feeling joy or compassion for another living being. Maybe because animals claw furniture and poop indoors. It's one or the other. Despite the majority of student properties expressly forbidding any sort of pets being kept by the tenants (even fish? Even fish), they don't seem anywhere near as quick to act when infestations of rats or mice are reported. That's because they usually try and shift the blame onto you. Well, it must be because the house is a mess, they say, standing in a kitchen, living room, bathroom or bedroom pick one which clearly has holes in the skirting board leading directly outside, which is where mice famously walk through. Maybe if you had a hoover, they say, ignoring the fact rats can squeeze through holes the size of needles.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
