Caught a mouse this morning. Humanely; I was able to release it into the wild later in the weeds near a pond some distance from our house. I’d heard this particular little guy Wednesday morning as I was making breakfast. He was scrabbling around under the stove, no doubt snacking on whatever little bits of food that had been inadvertently kicked underneath and missed by the vacuum.
Our lovely kitty cat, whom we’ve renamed “Fail”, sniffed around as I pulled the trap out, acting not unlike a state road construction supervisor: “Yeah, that’s the one. I knew he was there all along. I would have caught it myself, you know, but well, I’ve had a lot of napping to catch up on, and hairballs to hawk up and stuff.”
In a house full of kids, especially teenage girls, the option of a quick kill does not exist. So despite the myriad of “instant death” mouse traps at the local hardware store, I opted for the one that was designed for catch-and-release. A simple little device, really: bait at one end, opening at the other. Mouse walks in to get the bait, trap tips up, door shuts and locks. Voila.
I decided it would be neat to release said mouse into an old wastebasket so that we could see him before I let him go. Having read “The Mouse and the Motorcycle” fairly recently, I was confident that a wastebasket was a perfect place to keep a mouse awaiting transport to freedom.
Yeah… nobody told me how dang high those things can jump if they put their backs into it. First of all, this critter was HUGE – 8” from tip of nose to tip of tail. Second, he was very interested in not being in the wastebasket, despite the selection of nuts and grains I had deposited there for his enjoyment. Michael said I should have used cheese because all mice love cheese. Who started that myth, anyway?
I took the rodent-inhabited wastebasket outside quickly, in case he did actually make good on his attempts to leap out. Keying off of the energy level of the mouse, I hurried. And sensing my energy level, Michael screamed excitedly as did his sister who desperately wanted to get a picture of little Mr Mousy to send to her sisters, who would no doubt text back various sorts of delighted screams, coos and iconified mouse images. I’m sure the neighbors were impressed to see the fat guy in the orange Hawaiian shirt holding a wastebasket at arm’s length running into the street followed by two screaming kids.
Outside, in the back of the van, Sister S managed to find a makeshift lid and some duct tape, which I used to secure the top of the wastebasket. With his exit plan frustrated, the mouse quieted down.
And later, after dropping Michael off at school, I took little mousy to the pond at the bottom of the hill and let him scamper off into the weeds.
Goodbye, Mr. mouse. No more nocturnal nibbling in our house.
And as for you, Failcat, no wet kitty food for a week.
What an adventurous morning! I hope your day started out ahead of schedule; that escapade would have put me back at least 30 minutes!
(MD) Fortunately, I did have a little spare time. Otherwise I probably would have just let the thing out in the neighbor’s yard.
Sounds like a couple of brave cats we’ve had. Harold was the name of the brave (????) male. Laid on the floor glaring at me and looking like, “Okay, this is annoying me, what are you going to do about it? Don’t just stand there, get rid of it!” (Mary)
(MD) Makes me wonder whether we’ve let domestication get a little out of hand. Pretty soon the cats will be keeping us as pets.
My all time favorite mouse story is when I had a trap behind my bed of all things and it got caught and was hopping around and your brother, Douglas got a hold of it and threatened me with it to tease me before he let it go.
I seem to have a particular quality that attracts rodents, even in this stucco house, with the rats in the attic. New House, so unfair!!!
Very funny, I say kill the little beasties, so there. We kill cows, chickens and eat them but do not want to eat a rat!!!
Mom
(MD) I think I remember that little episode. I knew you’d not be happy to learn that a mouse had been scurrying around downstairs the same days you were bunking there. Just think: he could have been trampling across your bed while you were sleeping.
Do housecats really keep the mice away? I have one who is so arrogant that he’d probably think he was too good to go after a mouse!
You are a brave man letting that mouse out of the trap and putting it into a waste can. I would have made someone else take the trap far away from my house and do with it what HE wanted. Can’t stand the little critters.
I’m sorry, but the description of you in your Hawaiian shirt being followed by two screaming kids had me laughing. Love the image!
(MD) I’m sure the neighbors are used to seeing bizarre sights in our yard. The smart ones have put their houses up for sale.
Yeah, cats can be seriously worthless. Are you sure that was indeed a mouse and not a baby rat?
(MD) Ah, a very good point. Yes, I’m sure it was a mouse, because of the size of the droppings. That, and if it were a young rat, we’d certainly have some grown-up rats hanging around making noise and making their own giant-sized poo. Adult mice can be as big as the one I saw, according to a very official-looking web site I found. And as you know, if you find it on the internet, then it’s true.
I am just glad I was at work when all this happened. AND thank GOD that your mom didn’t experience the mouse while she was here!! I am not sure why this house attracts so many critters. The last time I had to deal with this many critters was when I was growing up and our cat would bring them in and deposit dead things all over the house. Its been a while since Fail cat has brought in a bird to fly around the house.
(Hubby) Yeah, I guess we should count our blessings. I’d rather do the mouse trapping myself, rather than face a room full of feathers like those last few times.
Maybe “Fail Cat” is retired now and is collecting kitty social security!
(MD) If that’s the case, then she needs to start kicking in for rent.
Our vet has a sign in his office that says, “Dogs have owners, Cats have staff.” How true.
(MD) Now I get why she has a calendar hanging over her cat box. I think she’s due for a massage tomorrow.