Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Monday..
So.. I woke up Monday morning to find the shower curtains, and the rod they were hanging on, on the floor of the bathroom. That rod is new, and was very secure up there, so I found this scene.. strange. Both cats were in the bathroom as well, so now things were adding up.
We leave the bathroom light on all night and the windows have been open, so we do get the occasional moth in there, and worst case scenario.. a spider. I cautiously looked everywhere and could find nothing out of the ordinary. No insects/arachnids of any kind. I figured whatever HAD been in there was long gone, or had been consumed. As totally gross as that notion is, it is a perfectly acceptable and sometimes useful cat habit.
I carefully examined the shower curtains (the outer one being waffled cloth) and found nothing. I repositioned the curtains and rod and returned them to their rightful place, making sure the rod was extremely tight. There. All was well. However, as the morning progressed, the cats would not venture away from their guard over the bathroom and were still fixated on the curtain. I thought back to other times that the cats have exhibited this kind of behavior and realized that it usually means that they have located something horrible that needs human intervention.
This time I nervously pulled the outer curtain away from the inner one and peeked my head in. I screamed, rounded up the cats and ran out slamming the door shut behind me. The more I processed the image that had been just inches before my very eyes, the more I had to go back for a second look. I put both cats in the spare bedroom, put shoes on, (that seemed important) and carefully, (bravely I might add) entered the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I again pulled the curtain back slowly, while surveying the whole room. There before me was the tiniest, most adorable infant mouse clinging to the curtain with his little Stuart Little-esque feet. His tiny face turned toward me, he was trembling with fear. He was so miniature he didn't look real. My heart went out to him for the horrible trauma he had been through. How long had he been clinging on? What do I do with him? Do I keep him for a pet? Make him my own, give him a name and put him in a cage with an exercise wheel? We just kept looking at each other.
Normally I would just instruct someone to figure this out for me. I would just ask that they take care of it, and bring it somewhere where it can have a fighting chance. Then blissfully picture the little guys living on happily, romping through the woods. I can deal with that image just fine. A woods 3 miles away from the house has been a drop off point for various adult species of this sort that have been trapped in our house. I'm confident that many of our former residents are happy there. I'm alone and need to deal. What to do???
At this point I really needed to shower and get on with my day as well. I went to the garage and got my trusty Have-A-Heart trap. I made him a tiny sandwich with almond butter and granola, put it inside and set the trap on the bathroom floor. I closed the door and waited. In fifteen minutes I heard the trap door snap shut. I returned the cats to the spare bedroom and opened the bathroom door. Inside the trap is the tiny baby hiding behind the food that had lured him in. While I tried to think of what to do with him I again closed the bathroom door. When I returned with my plan, I found him fast asleep. He was irresistible. I carefully took him out to the far end of the backyard, propped the trap door open with a stick, and l backed away. Several hours later he was gone, and I'm happy with my blissful image of him, happy now, having met a friend, and living out some Stuart Little types of adventures.
We leave the bathroom light on all night and the windows have been open, so we do get the occasional moth in there, and worst case scenario.. a spider. I cautiously looked everywhere and could find nothing out of the ordinary. No insects/arachnids of any kind. I figured whatever HAD been in there was long gone, or had been consumed. As totally gross as that notion is, it is a perfectly acceptable and sometimes useful cat habit.
I carefully examined the shower curtains (the outer one being waffled cloth) and found nothing. I repositioned the curtains and rod and returned them to their rightful place, making sure the rod was extremely tight. There. All was well. However, as the morning progressed, the cats would not venture away from their guard over the bathroom and were still fixated on the curtain. I thought back to other times that the cats have exhibited this kind of behavior and realized that it usually means that they have located something horrible that needs human intervention.
This time I nervously pulled the outer curtain away from the inner one and peeked my head in. I screamed, rounded up the cats and ran out slamming the door shut behind me. The more I processed the image that had been just inches before my very eyes, the more I had to go back for a second look. I put both cats in the spare bedroom, put shoes on, (that seemed important) and carefully, (bravely I might add) entered the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I again pulled the curtain back slowly, while surveying the whole room. There before me was the tiniest, most adorable infant mouse clinging to the curtain with his little Stuart Little-esque feet. His tiny face turned toward me, he was trembling with fear. He was so miniature he didn't look real. My heart went out to him for the horrible trauma he had been through. How long had he been clinging on? What do I do with him? Do I keep him for a pet? Make him my own, give him a name and put him in a cage with an exercise wheel? We just kept looking at each other.
Normally I would just instruct someone to figure this out for me. I would just ask that they take care of it, and bring it somewhere where it can have a fighting chance. Then blissfully picture the little guys living on happily, romping through the woods. I can deal with that image just fine. A woods 3 miles away from the house has been a drop off point for various adult species of this sort that have been trapped in our house. I'm confident that many of our former residents are happy there. I'm alone and need to deal. What to do???
At this point I really needed to shower and get on with my day as well. I went to the garage and got my trusty Have-A-Heart trap. I made him a tiny sandwich with almond butter and granola, put it inside and set the trap on the bathroom floor. I closed the door and waited. In fifteen minutes I heard the trap door snap shut. I returned the cats to the spare bedroom and opened the bathroom door. Inside the trap is the tiny baby hiding behind the food that had lured him in. While I tried to think of what to do with him I again closed the bathroom door. When I returned with my plan, I found him fast asleep. He was irresistible. I carefully took him out to the far end of the backyard, propped the trap door open with a stick, and l backed away. Several hours later he was gone, and I'm happy with my blissful image of him, happy now, having met a friend, and living out some Stuart Little types of adventures.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Highlights from a fun vacation day!
End of the day dinner and duck feeding with Nana. :) Wow Nana is short.
Even the french fries at Ikea are wildly entertaining. They hugged, they kissed and then danced together. :) oops.. different day-
A fun pony ride at Southwick.
She lost total control watching her faves.. the Prairie Dogs.
Unlike the french fries, they actually were hugging and kissing.
An exhausted, happy baby :)
More lose your breath belly laughing on the way home. :)
Feeding the deer was crazy fun! (crazy out of order pics,too)
Back at the Prairie Dogs-
When I stepped into the shade for water, my favorite girl did the same :)Tuesday, August 10, 2010
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