use Data::Dump::Streamer;

my $string;

while (<DATA>) {
    chomp; s/\r//;
    # append a comma to lines not ending in 'Array' or '('
    # or being (other than containing whitespace) empty lines
    $_ .= ',' unless /(Array|\(|^\s*)$/;
    $string .= $_."\n";
}

sub Array {
    my %h;
    while(@_) {
        my ($key) = @{shift(@_)};
        $h {$key}  =  shift(@_);
    }
    \%h;
}
print $string,"\n";

my $ref = eval $string;

Dump $ref;

__DATA__
Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [attrs] => Array
                (
                    [0] => Array
                        (
                            [key] => rat1
                            [value] => -10
                            [options] => 0
                            [type] => 0
                        )
                    [1] => Array
                        (
                            [key] => rat1
                            [value] => -10
                            [options] => 0
                            [type] => 0
                        )

                )

            [mesg_id] => 1
            [parent_id] => 0
            [thread_id] => 1
            [cat_id] => 3
            [folder_id] => 0
            [status] => 4
         )

)


##</code><code>##

Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [attrs] => Array
                (
                    [0] => Array
                        (
                            [key] => rat1,
                            [value] => -10,
                            [options] => 0,
                            [type] => 0,
                        ),
                    [1] => Array
                        (
                            [key] => rat1,
                            [value] => -10,
                            [options] => 0,
                            [type] => 0,
                        ),

                ),

            [mesg_id] => 1,
            [parent_id] => 0,
            [thread_id] => 1,
            [cat_id] => 3,
            [folder_id] => 0,
            [status] => 4,
         ),

),

$HASH1 = { 0 => {
           attrs     => {
                          0 => {
                                 key     => 'rat1',
                                 options => 0,
                                 type    => 0,
                                 value   => -10
                               },
                          1 => {
                                 key     => 'rat1',
                                 options => 0,
                                 type    => 0,
                                 value   => -10
                               }
                        },
           cat_id    => 3,
           folder_id => 0,
           mesg_id   => 1,
           parent_id => 0,
           status    => 4,
           thread_id => 1
         } };