LEWISTON – It was enough to make even a veteran cop scratch his head, but certainly not enough to leave him baffled as to what to do next.

On Sunday afternoon, “an adult” brought a rat in a box into the city’s Police Station.

“Some kids were playing with it on an inner city street,” said Lt. Tom Avery.

The person who brought the rat in was worried about both the critter and the kids, Avery said.

While police officers aren’t trained in rat patrol duties, Avery said that after looking the critter over, he had to agree that it wasn’t acting in a rat-like way.

“We transported it to the veterinary hospital,” the lieutenant said.

Avery said he wasn’t certain if it was a domestic or pet rat or a denizen of sewer systems.

But a call for help is a call for help, and the LPD was obliging.

“We are the agency that’s open 24/7 regardless of the need,” said Avery. “It’s been that kind of day.”