Now I knew they looked like mice droppings but I immediately ruled that out since:
- I have 3 cats
- I live on the second floor
- I found them behind the kitty litter boxes of the 3 cats located on the second floor!
I hadn't seen the substance again so figured whatever created it was gone. Wishful thinking and turns out I was wrong.
Fast forward to this morning and I'm slowly waking up. At first it's me and all three cats in bed and then I notice its just me and the boys. And then I hear a small squeak. It takes me a moment and I realize it could be a mouse being chased. I have been through this a decade ago in Michigan.
I jump out of bed and finally locate Wallace innocently sitting in the middle of the living room. I must have imagined it. I was dreaming of squirrels, birds, mice and little kittens being in the rain and coming inside only to face my cats. I must have transitioned the dream story into real life.
As I get ready in the morning I hear some birds tweeting and realize that must have been what I heard. It's not until much later I'm eating breakfast just before leaving that I glimpse one of the kitties tails in the closed curtain of the north facing living room window. They like to hang out there and watch the birds at the bird feeder of the yellow house in the morning.
Except, I slowly realize, the tail is much higher than it should be and I don't see any other part of the body. I get up to investigate only to find its a field mouse taking a pause as it climbs up my curtain.
Now having gone through this before I immediately grab a container with a lid and put the three cats in the bathroom - the only room the door stays shut. I've tried catching a mouse with the "help" of the cats and it doesn't go well. I'm back at the curtain and feel like I could just tap the mouse into the container. As I attempt this, the little guy runs to the top and makes it more challenging. A moment later, as I make attempt number two, he scurries back down the curtain and about a quarter of the way down he jumps to the floor and scurries under the couch.
I do the classic yelp. I can't help myself. I did it before in Michigan and I'll do it again. I move the furniture and investigate but the mouse is gone. I can't find it. In the meantime the three cats are meowing wondering what excitement I'm up to without them. I let them out and continue to get ready. Only a moment later I hear a bunch of squealing and run into the living room to find Wallace reaching between two boxes and grabbing the tail of the mouse (I think). The two boys are watching but not really participating. I yell at Wallace, while standing on the couch, you don't know which direction the mouse will run, and end up pulling Wallace out the boxes, sans mouse thankfully.
Now you may wonder why I don't just let them have at it. The problem is that the humanist doesn't like to see suffering and the little guy looks too much like the toy mouses I give the cats to play with. And that's what they will do - just play until the mouse is full of broken bones, and dies of fright. I've gone through that before and the last thing I want to be faced with is putting a poor injured mouse out of it's misery. I'm a catch and release kind of gal.
So on to round two. I pull the cats into the bathroom again - throw another handful of dry food at them and close the door. I go back to the living room, container in hand and start moving boxes.
The little guy scurries off into the radiator under the front window. I take the radiator cover off, and a moment later we're at a stale mate. He's pulled himself up into the workings of the radiator and I can see his head as he breathes heavily with half closed eyes. The poor guy has literally had a near death experience.
And I feel for the little guy. I like him. He's cute and small and furry and hasn't done any damage (that I can see) and the clincher - he goes to the bathroom in the bathroom spot (behind the cats kitty litter). How can you not like a conscientious guest?
I grab some work gloves and proceed to try to get him out. But he's too far back and not easily grabable. And I don't want to end up with half a mouse in my hand. After awhile I give up. I'm already late for my morning meeting at work. I tell him, he's safe there and he should just stay there if he knows whats good for him. I put the radiator cover back, push the couch back and let the cats out.
Wallace immediately goes to the radiator. Which is not where she last saw the mouse - she saw him at the boxes. So she's a good little hunter. But easily distracted - I set them up with dry cat food in the rolling balls to keep them occupied in the back room. And I run out the door to catch the bus.
Who knows what I'll find when I get home. My biggest fears are that the mouse might go off and hide in some corner and start to smell or that the cats actually kill it and try to eat it and choke on a bone or something. Or it's half dead and I have to do something to kill it. I'll probably come home and find nothing and have a repeat in the middle of the night tonight.
I do the classic yelp. I can't help myself. I did it before in Michigan and I'll do it again. I move the furniture and investigate but the mouse is gone. I can't find it. In the meantime the three cats are meowing wondering what excitement I'm up to without them. I let them out and continue to get ready. Only a moment later I hear a bunch of squealing and run into the living room to find Wallace reaching between two boxes and grabbing the tail of the mouse (I think). The two boys are watching but not really participating. I yell at Wallace, while standing on the couch, you don't know which direction the mouse will run, and end up pulling Wallace out the boxes, sans mouse thankfully.
Now you may wonder why I don't just let them have at it. The problem is that the humanist doesn't like to see suffering and the little guy looks too much like the toy mouses I give the cats to play with. And that's what they will do - just play until the mouse is full of broken bones, and dies of fright. I've gone through that before and the last thing I want to be faced with is putting a poor injured mouse out of it's misery. I'm a catch and release kind of gal.
So on to round two. I pull the cats into the bathroom again - throw another handful of dry food at them and close the door. I go back to the living room, container in hand and start moving boxes.
The little guy scurries off into the radiator under the front window. I take the radiator cover off, and a moment later we're at a stale mate. He's pulled himself up into the workings of the radiator and I can see his head as he breathes heavily with half closed eyes. The poor guy has literally had a near death experience.
And I feel for the little guy. I like him. He's cute and small and furry and hasn't done any damage (that I can see) and the clincher - he goes to the bathroom in the bathroom spot (behind the cats kitty litter). How can you not like a conscientious guest?
I grab some work gloves and proceed to try to get him out. But he's too far back and not easily grabable. And I don't want to end up with half a mouse in my hand. After awhile I give up. I'm already late for my morning meeting at work. I tell him, he's safe there and he should just stay there if he knows whats good for him. I put the radiator cover back, push the couch back and let the cats out.
Wallace immediately goes to the radiator. Which is not where she last saw the mouse - she saw him at the boxes. So she's a good little hunter. But easily distracted - I set them up with dry cat food in the rolling balls to keep them occupied in the back room. And I run out the door to catch the bus.
Who knows what I'll find when I get home. My biggest fears are that the mouse might go off and hide in some corner and start to smell or that the cats actually kill it and try to eat it and choke on a bone or something. Or it's half dead and I have to do something to kill it. I'll probably come home and find nothing and have a repeat in the middle of the night tonight.
1 comment:
Surely there's a children's book here.!
Post a Comment