# What is setting off my remote-controlled rat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 12, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446 "2014-11-12T14:34:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/1 "2014-11-12T14:34:51Z")
Ratty is a large, hideous gray rat on wheels who takes part in our Halloween decorations and has stimulated entertaining reactions on the part of our dogs. Ratty moves forward or spins in a circle depending on how you operate the buttons on his handset. However, occasionally Ratty moves without anyone touching his controls. For instance, I was eating breakfast this morning when Ratty suddenly jumped forward about six inches on the dining room table in front of me (in the past, he has mysteriously careened off a table or scuttled ahead on the floor). What has gotten into Ratty? Is he warning us of an intrusion into our Wi-Fi hot spot? Does the new iPhone 6 inadvertently trigger remote-controlled rodent activity? Is Ratty taking on independent life of his own? :eek: Help!!! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/2 "2014-11-12T14:49:57Z")
Maybe some eCheese? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/3 "2014-11-12T14:56:09Z")
Whatever you do, don’t give it launch codes. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/4 "2014-11-12T16:04:06Z")
Was your house built over an old burial ground? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/5 "2014-11-12T17:06:47Z")
Is Ratty radio controlled or is it an infra-red transceiver? If it’s the latter, I suppose that a TV remote control might also affect it. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/6 "2014-11-12T17:31:16Z")
Do you know if one of your neighbors has a remote-controlled cat? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/7 "2014-11-12T17:37:08Z")
I’ve seen Ratty on Youtube scaring women. It appears to be RF controlled, of which there are a lot of transient signals floating around everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/8 "2014-11-12T17:43:21Z")
Someone’s garage door opener? ---
**Author:** ![andrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@andrewm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewm)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/9 "2014-11-12T20:54:25Z")
Fluorescent lights have been known to interfere with IR remotes/receivers. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/10 "2014-11-12T20:59:51Z")
A dancing coke can? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/11 "2014-11-13T02:22:04Z")
Well, it’s not _our_ TV remote or garage door opener. Maybe the unexplained motion is due to HAARP or chemtrails. Will keep the board posted on future events. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Holdsworth_Effect)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/12 "2014-11-13T06:10:22Z")
It is likely the Ghost of Posts Past, with advice from Present and Future. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/13 "2014-11-13T18:14:25Z")
I want 7 cheeseburgers and a tuna fish sandwich (no pickles on the tuna fish) placed into a Chippewa Boot box (size 12) and left in a green Marshall Fields bag beneath the 3rd “O” of the Hollywood sign on Mount Lee or I might not be able to restrain Barry (that’s his real name. He hates it when you call him Ratty) THE NEXT TIME. Capiche? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-setting-off-my-remote-controlled-rat/704446/14 "2014-11-13T20:26:13Z")
I believe that this is the most tempting thread title that I have ever seen.