Saturday, April 14, 2007

Final Score: Mouse 1 Two Cats 0

Last night I'm sitting here at the computer and Cat #1 is rummaging in the closet. Yep, the some closet we just arranged and rearranged with mother dear. I figure she's gonna go in there and tinkle. The cat, not mom. Her ears are perked and she's intent on something. I shoo her out and she eventually curls up and goes to sleep on the couch behind me.

About a half hour later, Cat #2 is tearing around out in the hall. I figure it's about that time when she gets frisky. Runs around the house, tries to catch her tail, etc. But then I notice she has a mouse in her mouth! I get up to investigate and she runs downstairs with it. Typical. I see her drop it at the bottom of the stairs and it starts running around with her in hot pursuit. It's a big game for her. Most of the time cats will play with their prey for a while and then kill it when they grow tired of the whole scene.

I get back on the computer, and Cat #2 emerges from the basement with the mouse in her mouth again. I get up once again and she runs into the living room with it. By the time I get there, the mouse is down and running around and the cat is having a blast chasing it some more. I got a plastic bowl so I could trap the mouse under it and eventually get it outside. But that wasn't meant to be. It made a mad dash under the couch and we haven't seen it since!
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1 comment:

proudprogressive said...

Good one, Y, (the tinkle joke)

Well i will just trade a tale with you regarding cats in general. Here in NM we deal with middle ages type of diseases ie. plague and Hanta virus.
Thankfully one of my two cats is a "big Red Mouser Boy". The other "My old girl" could watch a mouse run past her nose (this has happened) and look at me with a wtf expression,not moving an inch.
Never wanting to become a "cat lady" i decided that dispite the dangers of coyotes and such a cat door would be a good way for the "kids" to get fresh air and me not have the hassle of cat litter.
This has worked out fine.

However Mouser boy used to bolt into the house nightly with a catch mostly still alive. A present for me. The dear boy brought me "presents" as large as rump roasts.Which caused me to gasp in horror, but this is life in the country.

Over time i have grown used to this. At first i was over empathetic with the vermin (they have such cute eyes) and just felt horrible about the whole cycle. And my murderous "young son".
I rescued bunnies and kangaroo rats,shoot once i even got bit by a mouse.
Now after yrs. of this, i realize the cat needs raw meat and i encourage him to go in for the kill. (like a spectator in ancient Rome) Its nature. Locking the cat door from inside does slow him down so this bloodshed doesn't have to occur in front of me. I can do a mouth check at the litle cat door and he can eat outside.

When he would lose them in the house still alive and kicking i used to keep a count of how many mice might be residing here. Usually fatal carnage was evident the next morning. I would remind him as well,that he had work to do in here. Oddly we have no pied mice out here, that i've ever seen, just gray ones. My home is in a pasture so its good to have my mouser. My ajustment to the realities of country life has not been easy but i am at peace with it now.

The one thing i absoulutely cannot do which my nieghbors have no problem with is the barbaric act of clubbing a rodent over the head.
That is just too much for me, even if its suffering. So i have had to have people do it for me. Suffering their mockery at what a softie i am. Oh well.