Had to share this - it just cracked me up. Winter has struck with a vengeance here in the Windy City. I've taken to working with fingerless gloves on and a spaceheater by my side - it's just wicked cold.
So I head into the kitchen this morning to try to warm up my frozen coffee and as I pass thru the living room, I notice that our 2 younger cats, Elsie and Soda, are sitting across from each other on the floor, about 3 feet apart. Miracle in itself because the girls (sisters) fight like... well, like cats. When they're not hissing at each other, they're sitting by the front window hissing at cats that roam the neighborhood. Pretty cranky girls.
So I take a closer look and there's this tiny brown thing on the floor between them. Yep, a little field mouse. Our back yard backs up to a park so we tend to get a variety of critters throughout the year. Mice are no big thing. This was the *cutest* tiniest little thing I've ever seen, much smaller than a golf ball, with Dumbo ears. It was just sitting in a little puffed up brown ball between the girls. Everytime it moved, the girls would cooperatively adjust their positions to keep the mouse in place. I watched for probably 5 minutes. Mouse twitches, cats move.
Finally Elsie, who is far more a mouser than fat old Soda, had enough and started to "play" with Mr. Mousie. She's a *really* good mouser. Fortunately, Mr. Mousie had the good sense to jump into a shoe by the front door so I was able to scoop him up and deposit him outside. Felt guilty doing that actually because it's so doggone cold but then I decided that mice have been here forever - there must be alternative housing for them besides my living room!
Of course, about an hour later when I headed in for another coffee defrost, it looked like someone had TP'd my kitchen with the paper towels. Couldn't figure what on earth was going on since I was home alone, until I found a mouse underneath the paper towels. Elsie (I'm assuming it was her) got herself a mouse but good. I'm surprised I didn't hear the ruckus she must have made - seriously, paper towels from one end to the other, over the table, under the table.
I really hate the idea that we have gaps in our house big enough for these critters to get in, more because that means we have gaps where heat is getting *out*, but at least we have a good mouser!!
So I head into the kitchen this morning to try to warm up my frozen coffee and as I pass thru the living room, I notice that our 2 younger cats, Elsie and Soda, are sitting across from each other on the floor, about 3 feet apart. Miracle in itself because the girls (sisters) fight like... well, like cats. When they're not hissing at each other, they're sitting by the front window hissing at cats that roam the neighborhood. Pretty cranky girls.
So I take a closer look and there's this tiny brown thing on the floor between them. Yep, a little field mouse. Our back yard backs up to a park so we tend to get a variety of critters throughout the year. Mice are no big thing. This was the *cutest* tiniest little thing I've ever seen, much smaller than a golf ball, with Dumbo ears. It was just sitting in a little puffed up brown ball between the girls. Everytime it moved, the girls would cooperatively adjust their positions to keep the mouse in place. I watched for probably 5 minutes. Mouse twitches, cats move.
Finally Elsie, who is far more a mouser than fat old Soda, had enough and started to "play" with Mr. Mousie. She's a *really* good mouser. Fortunately, Mr. Mousie had the good sense to jump into a shoe by the front door so I was able to scoop him up and deposit him outside. Felt guilty doing that actually because it's so doggone cold but then I decided that mice have been here forever - there must be alternative housing for them besides my living room!
Of course, about an hour later when I headed in for another coffee defrost, it looked like someone had TP'd my kitchen with the paper towels. Couldn't figure what on earth was going on since I was home alone, until I found a mouse underneath the paper towels. Elsie (I'm assuming it was her) got herself a mouse but good. I'm surprised I didn't hear the ruckus she must have made - seriously, paper towels from one end to the other, over the table, under the table.
I really hate the idea that we have gaps in our house big enough for these critters to get in, more because that means we have gaps where heat is getting *out*, but at least we have a good mouser!!