The Yorkshire Rat Club was formed in January 2002 to provide a place for rat lovers to meet and share their love of rats. We staged our first show in May 2002 and have grown steadily ever since. Our shows now average well over 100 exhibits in varieties and pets combined. We occasionally stage specialist shows.

The club is affiliated to the NFRS and we are proud to offer stars at most of our shows each year.

We stage regular shows in Leeds for pets and varieties, as well as shows and exhibitions around the Yorkshire county in the summer. In 2011 these included visits to Rotherham, Todwick, Denholme and Northallerton. We also staged a joint show with the NFRS as part of The Cleveland Show, near Middlesborough. We are proud of our Yorkshire roots but we welcome rat lovers from all over the UK and beyond to join us.

We always have children's activities, trade stands and hot and cold refreshments at our Leeds shows, so all the family are catered for. There is a meet and greet area for new visitors at shows to get to know how things work and to meet the regulars.

Shoulder rats are welcome, subject to guidelines, so even if you don't want to show your rats you can still enjoy a ratty day out.

The club aims to promote the keeping and responsible breeding of fancy rats for show and as pets. If you are thinking of getting pet rats and want to know more about them we can provide you with a range of information sheets and the opportunity to chat to breeders and real rat enthusiasts. If you can't make it to the shows you can still get all the information by joining the club and chatting online via our active members forum.

Our aim is to provide a friendly and welcoming atmosphere to all, whether you are a dedicated rat exhibitor, a breeder, just love your rats as the great pets they are or are new to the joys of rats and want to learn more.