Rufus

Voice by: Nancy Cartwright

Ron's pet naked mole rat. He goes on nearly all missions and, due to his small size, often proves useful. Rufus's origin began long before Ron had even purchased him. At four years old, Ron had an imaginary friend named Rufus, who was, by Ron's description, "huge". Ron's father, due to allergies, would not allow Ron to have a pet with hair, so in roughly sixth grade, he visited a Smarty Mart (aisle sixteen, to be precise) where he bought Rufus. When he was first bought, Rufus's appearance more resembled that of an actual naked mole rat, being wrinkled, eyes barely open and considerably smaller. Rufus was once thought to be Experiment #607, a creature created by Dr. Jumba Jookiba & Dr. Jacques von Hamsterviel, as seen in a crossover with Disney cartoon, Lilo and Stitch: The Series. In the end however, it is confirmed that Rufus is a normal, although rather impressive, naked mole rat.

For the sake of Rufus as a character, the show ignores the reality of literal naked mole rats, who are nearly completely blind, rely upon large colony environments and specific temperatures, and cannot survive individually as pets. This has led to the disappointment of many fans who have sought a pet naked mole rat and have found that not only are they unable to be pets, but look and act very little like Rufus in real life. Rufus is generally portrayed as pink, small and light, and very agile, which proves useful time and again. He shares several things in common with his owner: his love of Bueno Nacho food (and subsequently, the Naco), his ability to eat with practically no regard to the food he is eating, sharing Ron's disgust for others, and an overall laid-back, casual attitude. However, unlike Ron, he has been known to abandon this attitude at crucial times, often using quicker thinking than his owner. Rufus tends to display frustration with Ron when he uses him in an embarrassing way, or doesn't give Rufus (or others) due credit. However, he has generally stuck by Ron in virtually every situation, and though he doesn't have the same fear, has the same overall dislike for monkeys, Rufus also communicates with Ron through a series of squeaks and hisses that Ron seems to understand.

In A Sitch In Time, a version of Rufus from the future named Rufus 3000 visits Kim, asking her help in saving the future from Shego. He refers to himself as Rufus 3000 because he is the 3000th version made of the original Rufus, now called "Rufus Prime". He displays Rufus' fondness for cookies, and asks Rufus what the meaning of life is, to which the mole rat replies, "Cheese!" Rufus 3000 is the leader of a team of genetically altered naked mole rats, who, like himself, are very muscular in appearance and capabilities. He and the original Rufus lead them against Shego and her allies in the climax of the film. Rufus 3000 appears in all three parts of A Sitch In Time ("Present", "Past" and "Future") as an information provider to Kim and occasional aid in the first two, but only assumes a main role in the final part.