The Rat familiar won't follow me arround, it won't take commands not directly nor by voice. I need to either posses it, or use the player tools to cotrol it.
I can confirm this one, though I haven't been able to log on for a few days. The rat animal companion is just fine -- its just the familiar that sits there, regardless of what commands are given.
It's okay to use the player tools. They're very easy to use. But yes, the rat will not follow conventional radial commands.
Learn to love the control tool. It's true you shouldn't have to, but it's incredibly handy. I play a char that uses animals as weapons and tools. If it wasn't for the control function I couldn't hope to succeed.
Quickslot the control function and life will be much easier.