Saturday's Mouse - from April 2007

Saturday night, or about 1am Sunday, I'm asleep. Brian had been saying he couldn't sleep and seemed tense or whatever, so he's on edge, but I'm very much asleep. I wake up to Brian scolding the cat -- hardcore, just screaming at her. I assume she's tearing up the dustruffle again, and try to sleep. Brian will not shut up with the yelling so I ask whats going on, and the cat has a live mouse in her mouth, in our bedroom. IN OUR BEDROOM. A very angular, big eared, tiny, brown, jumping mouse. I barely remember what happened next, but I'm certain Brian would describe my behavior as less than helpful. There was screaming.

We've had about one mouse per year in this house, and it wouldn't be a big deal except that we have a VICIOUS blind cat and a very troublesome Maine Coon. I don't want to step in mouse guts, and I sure as hell don't want one in my bed. This was the 4th time she's physically brought it to us, alive.

Finally I locked the cat up (I do remember suggesting I hide in the guestroom with her) (we don't lock up William. While it would be devestating for a mouse, if the mouse found its way to Will's mouth, the mouse would really have to do that on its own, to find the cat and physically launch itself into his mouth, so its not much a concern. My blind cat is a terrible hunter.) and we pulled these sheets of particleboard out of the closet, created blockades, and trapped the mouse. I'm simplifying, this was an hour and the screaming continued. Brian swore up and down that the mouse was in the shoebox, and took it across the street to a patch of grass. He did not see the mouse exit the box. He now believes the mouse did not exit the box, as it was never in the box. We let Sabrina out to verify that the mouse was gone. She did an inspection and we both thought she gave us the 'all clear'.

So about 9pm Sunday we're finishing dinner and I look over my shoulder from the couch (because we're classless, and thats where we had dinner) and theres Sabrina with a toy mouse and wild eyes. I say "Brian, don't freak out, Sabrina has a TOY mouse, but she's acting a little weird." Brian looks, drops his plate and tells me its real. It is. Its a fat, soft, pretty damn cute grey mouse white belly. It is NOT yesterday's mouse. So I pick her up and she drops it, and I guess she's used to this now beause she let me lock her in the guestroom. We chase it into the kitchen where it vanishes. VANISHES. I watched it go under the desk the microwave is on, and then it was gone. We were really running around, just after eating, and my heart was racing, Brian was feeling sick and we couldn't find any sign of mouse.

We took a break, and then I put Sabrina's leash on her and took her downstairs to search. She did a thorough survey and was sniffing under the desk where the mouse had darted. Brian starts pulling things out from under there...giant cannister for norwegian cookies, toaster oven, serious 'on-vacation' cat feeder and she watches him pull out the feeder and put it aside. First assumption was that she was interested in her own food dish, but no...she looked at Brian and he says she said "Hey, did anybody check that?" He picks it up and way in the top (its like a cannister with a narrow bowl on the bottom) is a little grey mouse. Brian takes it across the street and frees it, Sabrina relaxes.

11:00 we're turning off lights and setting the coffeemaker for the morning. Sabrina comes running down the stairs, brown mouse (saturday's mouse?) in her mouth. I put her in our bedroom (she's very good at "Drop IT!" now) since Brian was inisting that the mouse came from the guest room, because thats where Sabrina spent a lot of the day. We corraled the mouse under the dresser that acts as a sideboard in the dining room, effectively trapping it under the largest and most unweildy piece of furniture on the ground floor, and stared at it for a while. Finally it freaked out and climbed a metal folding chair that was resting aganist the dresser. Once it was at shoulder height I scooped it into a box and ran it across the street.

We let Sabrina out and watched her check the house (she checked the toilet throroughly, touching the water to make sure) and when she calmed down, I calmed down. Brian is calling maintenance today to check for holes.