There's a mouse in the house!
2007-02-26
12:30 p.m.
Yesterday we had the displeasure of discovering a mouse in the house. (A mouse in the house! A mouse in the house!)
Queenie, our youngest cat, was tossing the mouse around in the den, letting it go, only to catch it again and toss it around some more.
Much hysteria ensued (as Cinzel can attest to, since I was talking to her on the phone when the discovery was made) and I made both boys put on shoes. We must have on shoes immediately!
Oldest Son wanted to know if they were supposed to try to step on the mouse? Because he didn't want to. Foolish boy. No, you need shoes on in case the mouse runs at you and runs on your feet. Neither child saw how important that was.
I think we disrupted Queenie's game just a little too much, because she let the damn thing go, and it promptly ran under the entertainment center. She guarded that until, yawn, she was just too bored with the game anymore.
Damn cat. I never could quite rest after I got the kids in bed last night, what with keeping the lookout going for the mouse. I was juuuuust about to give up and go to bed when I, folding one last load of clothes in the den at midnight, saw the mouse run from our bedroom into the den.
This was a most unfortunate thing, since mice are not allowed in my house, and most especially not in my bedroom.
Luckily both cats saw the mouse make his move, and they both went after it, actually working together, something we don't usually see much of. I stood just in my office doorway (with my shoes on!) waiting to see if the cats were successful. Both cats ran behind the entertainment center, from opposite ends, and all hell broke loose, with the mouse running out toward my office.
Oh hell no!! I stomped my tennis-shoed foot at that mouse and waved my arms, which was successful at getting the mouse to make a right turn, but it also woke up both dogs, who were snoozing in my office.
The dogs took off after the cats, and I beat my head on the wall wondering why the hell I just set that into motion.
Finally I was able to drag the dogs back to my office and leave the cats in peace in the den to do their job.
Though both cats were on duty and searching in earnest, I don't think they ever found the mouse again.
And at 2:30 a.m. (yes, a.m.) I finally decided I must go to bed. I thought about closing the cats out of the bedroom, because I have no doubt that damn Queenie would bring that mouse to my bed in the middle of the night. Then I realized I couldn't close the door, because the mouse could get under the door, and the cats couldn't catch it if they were shut out.
My next brilliant thought was I could let the dogs sleep in the bed with me, that way should Queenie bring the mouse into my bed, well, the dogs would protect me. But the dogs wouldn't protect me from the mouse, they would chase Queenie through the house instead. Oh, the dilemma.
I finally put the dogs in their crates and left the door open and told Queenie that under no circumstances was she to bring a mouse in my bed.
Guess who's tired today. Yeah, that would be me.
Mice and roaches are absolutely not accepted in my house, and I will not rest when I know we have one of either kind.
I briefly considered trying to run the vacuum hose up under the entertainment center last night, trying to save myself, thinking I could set it out on the back porch and ask Hubby oh so nicely if he would dispose of it this morning. That maneuver works well with wayward roaches.
But I knew if I got the vacuum out that I'd be on my own if the mouse came flying out at me, since both cats and dogs hate the vacuum. Then there'd be nothing but me in my shoes there.
I think we're feeding these animals too much if they won't take care of this for us! Hubby's going to get some mousetraps when he's out later this afternoon, so hopefully I (and he) will get some sleep tonight.
Over and out.
3 comments so far m-lewis - 2007-02-26 15:24:26
Yikes! My cats would be of absolutely NO help to you -- they certainly aren't around here anyway. My youngest cat Bullet (can you imagine? with a name like that)who weighs something like 20 pounds is scared to death of mice. We used to have several of them and couldn't figure out where they were coming from. That is we couldn't until our youngest son enlisted in the army and I dared clean his room. No wonder we had mice. Between disinfecting his room and setting several mouse traps, we no longer have mice -- no roaches either, thank God!
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chocolate "boom boom" chaos - 2007-02-26 17:12:21
no, no mice in this house. its likely there are no mice in a 50 foot radius around our house! but im with you on the mice and roach thing... i see roaches, and i will be moving!!
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Stephanie - 2007-02-27 12:37:00
Our rodent problem comes in the form of bats! I can sympathize with your plight. Good luck.
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