Crossword Genius

It doesn't quite rate being petted (3)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

rat

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'it doesn't quite rate being petted' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'it' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'it' could be 't' (abbreviation. e.g. in 'tis) and 't' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ra' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for rat that I've seen before include "that gets out of stricken vessel" , "one who deserts the sinking ship?" , "Scumbag" , "one not going down with ship" , "Grass" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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