Rat Spotted ‘Pole Dancing’ on N.Y.C. Subway: ‘Gotta Make That Cheddar’

Mar. 15, 2025

A rat; poles on a subway train (stock images).Photo:Getty

Getty

Rat race? Try rat dance.

Riders on a New York City subway got more than they bargained after a small rat snuck onto a train and spent the trip climbing one of its poles, gracing onlookers with a rat stunt that is rare, even in the Big Apple.

“Yo, it’s climbing the pole though,” one person can be heard saying off-screen. “I’ve never seen it do that.”

Several passengers on the train also had their phones out, recording the critter — whose viral stint on the pole was later compared to pole dancing.

The rat’s train display earlier this year is not the first time a rodent has drawn stripper comparisons on the N.Y.C. subway — another rat’simpromptu pole dancing show previously went viralin 2019 — but it still managed to shock those who witnessed it online.

The critter’s stint on the vertical rail also earned tons of ribbing on social media, with many of Subway Creatures’ 3 million followers weighing in on the rare — and, according to commenters, raunchy — subway scene.

“Why did no one throw it some ones ? Show some support 🙌,” a top comment read, while another similarly joked, “Poor rat is pole dancing to make ends meet. It’s a tough world out there! 😢.”

“He’s gotta make that cheddar the only way he knows how 🥁,” a different user punned, while another defended the critter. “She’s trying her best,” the user wrote. “It’s amateur night 😭😭😭☝🏽☝🏽.”

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“Note to self…buy more hand sanitizer,” read one top comment, which earned more than 1,500 likes.

“Someone’s kid is about to have their whole face on that pole in the next couple of stops too🤦🏾‍♀️,” the user wrote.

source: people.com