[Jeanie]

Monday morning the cats were exceptionally noisy, running around and keeping me awake. I finally gave up trying to go back to sleep, and sat up. They were chasing a mouse who had found his way into the house. Up went my feet, and tbe word EWWWWWWWWWWW could be heard the whole way to Pittsburgh. Well, that's how it started, anyway. But Precious, the female, caught it and carried it around like a kitten for a long time, and I was sure it was dead. But then she'd put it down, and the two cats would corner it. What a great new toy they thought they had. Let it go and it becomes an interactive toy! They obviously didn't want to kill it or eat it.

Finally, Precious put it on the carpet near the couch where I was sitting, and the poor little mouse (a cute little brown field mouse with a white tummy) just sat there in shock, not even moving. The cats backed off and waited. He just huddled where he was. I've been rather ill, and didn't have the strength to get a box to trap the mouse. We always used a shoebox and slipped something sturdy under it to trap chipmunks or any other possible kitty victims. Finally, the little mouse made its way to the fireplace and hid under a nearly flat metal log holder. The cats tried and tried, but couldn't get it to come out and run. I said, "No," every time they went near it, so they just sat and watched.

My heart was broken---- and I am not a fan of mice in the house! Finally, someone dropped by to help me and to my surprise, felt as sad as I did. She lifted the metal log holder, and almost cried when the cute little mouse didn't move, just huddled in fear. She immediately got a box. The little mouse walked right into the box; she covered it and released the mouse on the porch. Although it stayed still, she checked later, and it had gone away--probably VERY FAR away! A happy ending to a sad story!

 

[Bean]

I liked mice in the county, but not in the city. They can be messy (and noisey) buggers as they don't offen eat in the wild, but in your cupboard.

When I was living with my last roommate - the one who had Julia (EXCELLENT mouser) I mouse hung around my room for a week and I swear it was taunting me. First time I saw it I was watching TV on my bed and it walked right across the top of the TV. And I'd call Julia and the mouse would ignore my voice only to casually walk out of sight just as the cat came in the room. It was SO AGGRIVATING. The cat must have thought I was seeing things.

And from then on it kept appear. Always very casual, in the middle of the open and saunter away just as the cat came. It was comical until one day I saw it crawl out from BETWEEN MY PILLOWS. I kept Julia in my room all day but he didn't reappear until she left. Eventually she saw glimpses once and a while and stalked my room on patrol, but the mouse was not to be found for another couple months when we moved. **** thing.

 

[Jeanie]

Bean, under your pillow??? I'm back to EWWWWWWW! :lol:

It was the fact that the poor thing had given up and was just waiting to die that got to me.... awwwwww

 

[RoboCat]

Not to dampen your spirits any more Jeanie. But our feline friends are veracious predators by nature. If the mouse received a bite it hasn’t little chance of surviving the bacteria from the cats mouth.

I think that’s one aspect that attracts me so much to them. Incredible hunters and yet they are sleek & affectionate animals.

 

[Jeanie]

I didn't see a mark on him, since Precious was carrying him like a kitten. I know what you mean, though. I tried unsuccessfully to help wounded baby bunnies and birds in the past - when I had cats who were allowed outside. The bunnies died of shock, I think, because they never moved from the spot I put them-and they were large enough to eat dandelions, etc. The cats only do what their instincts tell them, but my two thought this mouse was a toy.

 

[faile]

one time a saw a mouse run into my closet. i jumped up at tried to find it, cause i wanted to play with it! so cute and fuzzy.

and another time, at a coffee shop i used to work at, there was a mice problem and my manager had set out traps. of course the traps never caught anything. one night while we were closing up, my manager came in and a mousie chose that unfortunate time to make an appearance. there goes my manager in his big boots, trying to stomp on it!! i screamed, "run mousie, RUN!!!" guess what? it got away!! i was happy for it. i mean, it was winter, i don't blame the poor mice for wanting to stay in a nice warm building with plenty of crumbs, you know?

 

[Jeanie]

As little individuals, they are sweet, but we know that as a group they can wreak havoc and spread germs and mouse dirt on food. So, we can't win for losing!

When I first got married, we had a mouse in a kitchen drawer with only a roll of lifesavers in it. I opened the drawer and saw shredded paper and mouse dirt. Well, we bought all sorts of new kinds of traps, but Rodney (we named him-bad idea) would eat the cheese and never trip the trap. Then my dad gave me an old fashioned trap-the kind you always see- and night one Rodney fooled the trap again and ate the cheese. We were so upset. Night two we heard the trap go off, and Rodney had got away. But night three ( ) we heard the trap go off and inside the drawer was a little brown field mouse-very small, very cute and very dead. I cried the rest of the night. " Sob---all he bothered was one little roll of Lifesavers, and I killed him. " I was really upset. I expected to see an ugly thing that looked like a ferocious rat. Oh, well. He's probably playing with the cats on the Rainbow Bridge! Sorry, Rodney! I didn't know....Why do they have to be cute?

 

[Bean]

Even rats are cute...

HELLO!!

 

[Jeanie]

Ummmmmmm.ah...sure, Bean :roll:
Actually, when I was little, I was up at the castle (yes, there really was a castle with a tunnel!) and there was an excavation. The owner's grandson had white rats and wanted to see if they could climb down the straight cliff. They started to fall; I reached for them, and went head over heels down the cliff, got a nail in my head and was covered with blood, not a terrible injury. I think head wounds bleed a lot. Explains a lot about me--a head injury, I mean, --doesn't it? :lol: It was quite a fall- about 25 feet, I guess. I was lucky. But street rats? Yuck! I'm just not quite that kind hearted.

Your rats are, of course, lovely. (ahem) Forgive me, Lord; I can't just hurt his feelings!

 

[RoboCat]

Even Tarantulas!!

 

[Jeanie]

Oh, hello....there, tarantula. I hope you'll excuse me, but I am suddenly being called away from the computer! Darn, and I was so anxious to meet any other pets you might have..... :wink:

 

[RoboCat]

LOL! I dont really consider the tarantulas as pets more so a hobby/collection since its not something that display affection or any sort of emotion for the most part. Aside from them and cats thats all we have. :wink:

I love the pose of that rat in the middle. It seems so classic.

 

[faile]

bean- love the clockwork orange poster. oh yeah, and the rats too. :mrgreen:

i love most everything that has less than 8 legs!

 

[Bean]

bean- love the clockwork orange poster. oh yeah, and the rats too. :mrgreen:

i love most everything that has less than 8 legs!

They're actually my friends, in his room (and therefore his poster).

 

[kittygirl04]

Even Tarantulas!!

Sorry, but YUCK! I am sooooooooo afraid of spiders. :shock:

 

[kristi]

Jeanie, I understand about the mouse. I understand that cats and dogs are predators by nature, and it usually doesn't bother me that much (I sometimes even think it's cool) but that would have bothered me too! I think it's one thing to see an outdoor cat kill a mole and quite another to see your little housecat torture a small cute mouse. Not different to the cat, just to us. I'm glad he got away!

P.S. to the other stuff: I don't like spiders, sorry. Rats aren't my fave, but I understand they can be smart and affectionate. Just not for me, I guess!

 

[RayOfAsh]

One time, we had baught a few mice and 1 or 2 of them escaped, and they gathered more mice, who then gathered more mice, and before you knew it we had an armada of mice in the house blood thirsty for cat flesh :twisted: .

So we moved and everybody was happy, the end.

 

[Jeanie]

I know you're kidding, but they are prolific breeders-it's amazing! They breed young and have large families. I'm glad this was a field mouse. I hope they don't invite their city relatives! :roll:

 

[Wayne]

Cats will seldom kill an animal at first encounter, but will instead, play with it after injuring it so that it will not make an easy escape. That is the way with many cats, both large and small, wild or domestic.

 

[Jeanie]

I know that, Wayne, but it was hard to watch the poor little thing give up, and just stay still, waiting to die. I know--I'm giving animals human qualities--the poetic fallacy- but I tend to think that way-emotionally, despite what my intellect tells me! I think if a cat was hungry there might be a killing neck bite, as there is with lions and tigers. My cat was having a lot of fun. Well, that's the way God made her! She wasn't trying to be cruel. They're not like us....