The vermin was a varmint. The rat king had a six shooter and lived over the saloon. Every evening, he'd blow into town, 'cause that's what varmints do, and terrorize the cheese monger, 'cause that's what vermin do.
"Shot of Jack," Whiskers the Rat King would say, and the bartender/cheese monger would scoop out a shot glass' worth of Pepper Jack cheese.
Whiskers would eat it with one eye on the door. Occasionally, he'd twirl his six-shooter with his tail. There wasn't much to do in Cheddar Creek, so Whiskers wasn't particularly feared.
But he hated being called cute.