Never play
cat and mouse
games if you’re
a mouse.
...Don Addis
I may have to rethink my open door policy.
Since we don’t have a doggie door, I have been leaving the backyard French Door ajar so Katniss and Sophie can come and go as they please. I caught Katniss heading towards the door, out of the corner of my eye, so I got up to greet her. It was then that I saw she was using her best ice hockey moves, bringing me a live mouse to the door! I repeat...a LIVE little mouse! I’m sure she was proud of herself and it was meant to be a gift but I would much prefer a Tiffany blue box! Katniss was pawing at it oh so gently and delicately because I guess cats like to play with their prey before it’s demise. I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I went out to the garage and found a shoe box and poked ventilation holes in the top. When Katniss scooped the mouse away from the edge of the house, I was able to get it in the shoebox until my husband comes home from work. I didn’t exactly know what he was going to do about it, but I didn’t want Katniss to kill/eat it. I had visions of us driving the little mouse 10 miles away and letting it loose in a field. I checked on the mouse a couple of times and it seemed alright. The third time I looked in the box it was “just sleeping” like I thought Rose, the old lady, was doing at the end of the Titanic movie. Could it have died from fright? Well, at least I tried. I don’t handle any type of death well unless it’s a spider in my home. When I told my husband about it, he was keeping that shoe box to return some shoes to the store! Oops...I guess not now, with all the air holes!
Nice on black for the funeral. :)
PS...Katniss caught another mouse in the yard the very next day! There must be a nest somewhere and she is flushing them out one by one. I was able to rescue this mouse quicker and set it free to live another day, off our property. If it comes back, it’s on its own. If things happen in 3's, tomorrow may be the Three Mousekateers Day! :)
Great kitty capture but poor little mouse .I leave my patio doors slightly open for my kitty and one day she brought in a mouse and because I shouted at her she dropped it and it ran up the curtain inside the lining. I had to pull the curtain through a small gap in the doors and give it a good shake.
Wow, what a story. We had it a couple of times. I usually just grab a tupperware (a chinese soup container, of we have bunch) and just jump it in front of the cat(s) to scoop a mouse up before they injure it too much. After that, kids ask to poke holes in the container and adore the mouse for some time - and then we release it. They do say that if the mouse is injured, there is no much chance of surviving though.
I recognise that description - hockey moves - batting it along and pretending not to look! I took 8 photos of that once and deleted them all - felt so sorry for the mouse.
Well, you have quite a story too! LOL! I had heard about cats “bringing gifts” but Katniss brought us her toys. Now, it is one small bird and one small mouse. @wendyfrost
A magnificent capture of both! I guess that's what cats do as a hobby. You are lucky it is only a mouse! Minky brings in snakes!! Now she is not allowed to use her door anymore, we just have to let her in, providing she has no toy! Fav
Dear of her.....they do love a game with their 'little friends'....and seem quite confused when they stop moving!......one of our cats brings in frogs (yuk)...
What a mouser! Katniss and her mouse hockey puck did provide you with an incredible photo op - I love it (although you certainly didn't appreciate it)!! Favorite.
@seattlite@gaylewood@laurieewilson@craftymeg@bigmxx
Yes...I guess cats will be cats. Katniss was so proud she was bringing me a gift. I will be watching the door carefully in the future. Thank you for your nice comments and reading the story! :)
@ziggy77@brett101@tonygig@casablanca@jesperani@kwind
Many thanks for you kind comments and favs! I will be the inspector at the door in the future. So far, the count is one small bird and one small mouse in 16 months. I guess that isn't too bad. Katniss is well fed but she still likes to keep a lookout for movement...squirrels, birds, etc.
@ludwigsdiana A big NO to snakes! My son has rattlesnakes at his new home with 3 small boys! Yikes. I will be checking Katniss at the door from now on. Thanks, Diana!
OMG! What a brilliant piece of writing to go with that oh-so perfect photo!!! THIS is what I miss so much, but I don't dare goo too deep untl I get caught up a little around here! Later, m'friend!
AND...guess what, Louise! She caught another little mouse today! Two days in a row. There must be a nest somewhere in the yard and she is flushing them out...one by one! This time, I was able to save the mouse earlier and I put it in a deep plastic bucket. I will be able to release this one back to the wild...
It could have been worse, many years ago I had 2 cats and we lived by the sea, somehow they managed to get a seagull in through the cat flap. It was still alive and sitting in the corner of my now covered in feathers and poo, kitchen! the cats were curled up asleep in their baskets.
We were overrun with feral cats one year. They would stalk my bird feeder but since it's high enough none of them ever caught a bird. However one did catch a mouse from the wood pile. That was the last day I put up with the cats. We caught them (humanely) one by one and relocated every last one (11 in all!!). I can't fault the cats for doing what comes naturally, but I don't have to watch it either! Good shot!
@bigmxx Oh, you poor thing, Michelle...although your story is hysterical!!! I am sure it wasn't at the time though...your cats got tired and figured their job was done! HaHa!
@olivetreeann Wow Ann...that is a lot of feral cats! I wish people would have them fixed so they cannot keep producing more cats than can be saved or adopted. Many vets will do it for free. I read that cats can have 5-6 litters a year. I bet the feral cats are hard to catch too. I visited a friend of mine in late Sept. and she feeds 5 feral cats...one would let me pet it and feed it and wanted me to take it home. My friend named it Chatterbox and she says it misses me.
@olivetreeann I put the mouse in a place where it could find some shelter. I don’t know what it eats in the wild. But, I am keeping Katniss, who was once a pregnant abandoned kitty kitty. :)
Lovely story. Mice are my phobia so I think a dead mouse is better than a live one running around the house. If they are outside I just about cope.
Well done Katniss for doing a good job.
@gardenfolk We were originally going to take them to a shelter, but learned that after a certain amount of time, or if they showed signs of being anti-social, the shelter would put them down. I really didn't think it was fair to the cat to condemn them to that. What happens here is that people move into the area from NYC thinking they are escaping the crime, etc. but they still have to commute for their jobs and many still have family there too so they are constantly back and forth. After a while they realize the wear and tear on their vehicles and the toll it takes on their family is not worth it and they'll move back but if they can't bring their pets with them, they'll just leave them behind. And that's how I ended up with 11 cats in my backyard!
@olivetreeann Wow...I could never leave a pet behind ever! I would refuse to go! But, that is how I got Katniss. A family moved and left her behind. I love her so much too...my first kitty!
Yes...I guess cats will be cats. Katniss was so proud she was bringing me a gift. I will be watching the door carefully in the future. Thank you for your nice comments and reading the story! :)
Many thanks for you kind comments and favs! I will be the inspector at the door in the future. So far, the count is one small bird and one small mouse in 16 months. I guess that isn't too bad. Katniss is well fed but she still likes to keep a lookout for movement...squirrels, birds, etc.
Well done Katniss for doing a good job.