I come out of my bedroom into the living room to find my male cat, Solan, staring at the floor underneath the blue Lazyboy. I watch him as he swats at a lump in a blanket which I have over the chair. I lift the blanket thinking he got a toy stuck there. Something falls out. Still thinking it may be a toy and it is now under the chair, I tilt the chair forward and a gray-black blur shoots from underneath the chair to underneath the curio cabinet. It’s definitely not a toy, it’s a mouse.
I decide to go into my bedroom and get a mouse trap I had set there. “It would do better in the living room,” I think to myself, “the thing has dust on it and may be in a bad spot anyway”. I bend down to get the trip (a covered, reusable one) and I see that it’s sprung. It has a fresh kill inside. I empty the trap, clean off the dust, and reset it. I place it between the curio cabinet and the entertainment center, behind a basket (so cat paws will not get caught in it).
Solan still has the mouse cornered as I find and prepare more traps. I place the second one behind the blue Lazyboy and, as I am readying another one, I see Solan chase the mouse across the living room away from the traps. I yell at him that that is the wrong way as I try to set the third trap. The spring wouldn't stay latched. Then I see Solan chase the mouse back toward the curio cabinet, batting the mouse in the air twice. The mouse runs behind the basket and Solan leaps over it in hot pursuit. I hear a snap.
I gingerly walk over to Solan. I see a mouse tail moving in the trap. Not knowing if the struggle set off the trap and the mouse is just hiding inside or if it is caught, I try to quickly come up with a plan. I realize that I want the mouse to stay in the trap, if it’s alive, so I get a bag to help scoop up the trap (before the mouse can get out) and I open the front door readying to fling the mouse outside.
Solan is still wedged between the furniture, behind the basket, ready to pounce as soon as the mouse comes out of the trap. I, ready with my bag, lift the trap and see that it did its job and killed the mouse. I show Solan (who is freaking out) the trap with the mouse inside. He looks at the mouse and bats at the bottom of the trap. I give him praise and pets -and after bringing the dead mouse outside to the garbage can- I give him treats.
About half an hour later I’m sitting on the couch and Solan comes in from the kitchen with a small, live mouse in his mouth. Both I and the mouse are stunned. I grab another grocery bag and approach Solan. He drops the mouse and I am able to grab it through the bag and release it outside. Then I give my good little mouser more treats.
—
Before you breathe a sigh of relief for the humane release of this mouse, it was injured. And when I went back outside to see if it was still there, there were bird foot prints in the snow around the imprint the mouse had made when it landed. Circle of life (eye roll).
During all of this my other cat Hillary didn’t move from her kitchen chair.
Solan has since calmed down but I’m still freaked out. Three mice in one day? I am determined to find how they are getting into the house and put up as many traps as I can. First I need to go to Target for the traps and then do some detective work. Thankfully I now know I have an excellent mouser to replace Sunny (my dearly departed tabby and accomplished mouser in his own right).
I decide to go into my bedroom and get a mouse trap I had set there. “It would do better in the living room,” I think to myself, “the thing has dust on it and may be in a bad spot anyway”. I bend down to get the trip (a covered, reusable one) and I see that it’s sprung. It has a fresh kill inside. I empty the trap, clean off the dust, and reset it. I place it between the curio cabinet and the entertainment center, behind a basket (so cat paws will not get caught in it).
Solan still has the mouse cornered as I find and prepare more traps. I place the second one behind the blue Lazyboy and, as I am readying another one, I see Solan chase the mouse across the living room away from the traps. I yell at him that that is the wrong way as I try to set the third trap. The spring wouldn't stay latched. Then I see Solan chase the mouse back toward the curio cabinet, batting the mouse in the air twice. The mouse runs behind the basket and Solan leaps over it in hot pursuit. I hear a snap.
I gingerly walk over to Solan. I see a mouse tail moving in the trap. Not knowing if the struggle set off the trap and the mouse is just hiding inside or if it is caught, I try to quickly come up with a plan. I realize that I want the mouse to stay in the trap, if it’s alive, so I get a bag to help scoop up the trap (before the mouse can get out) and I open the front door readying to fling the mouse outside.
Solan is still wedged between the furniture, behind the basket, ready to pounce as soon as the mouse comes out of the trap. I, ready with my bag, lift the trap and see that it did its job and killed the mouse. I show Solan (who is freaking out) the trap with the mouse inside. He looks at the mouse and bats at the bottom of the trap. I give him praise and pets -and after bringing the dead mouse outside to the garbage can- I give him treats.
About half an hour later I’m sitting on the couch and Solan comes in from the kitchen with a small, live mouse in his mouth. Both I and the mouse are stunned. I grab another grocery bag and approach Solan. He drops the mouse and I am able to grab it through the bag and release it outside. Then I give my good little mouser more treats.
—
Before you breathe a sigh of relief for the humane release of this mouse, it was injured. And when I went back outside to see if it was still there, there were bird foot prints in the snow around the imprint the mouse had made when it landed. Circle of life (eye roll).
During all of this my other cat Hillary didn’t move from her kitchen chair.
Solan has since calmed down but I’m still freaked out. Three mice in one day? I am determined to find how they are getting into the house and put up as many traps as I can. First I need to go to Target for the traps and then do some detective work. Thankfully I now know I have an excellent mouser to replace Sunny (my dearly departed tabby and accomplished mouser in his own right).
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