That said, there is also an ethical distinction between doing horrible things to animals (as in the urban legend about the gerbils) versus having them present and doing what they like to do (squeaking, running around, being furry, investigating stuff with their whiskers). It’s by no means clear to me that the latter is unethical so long as care is taken so that the critters are unharmed and unafraid. There’s an argument to be made, but it’s by no means a settled ethical question.

Finally, I should be clear that I was writing for entertainment, as I always am. I don’t actually possess any small furry animals nor would I be inclined to use any in BDSM play. As is often the case with fantasy ideas, the logistics make it not worth the trouble. Making sure that nobody gets bitten (or accidentally smooshed, among the furry extras) is a non-trivial problem. It could be solved but I am much too lazy.

They do however have large, wet tongues and look scary as hell, plus a love of peanut butter…