At the time, I lived near a forest and the cats had plenty of mice to get along with. Sometimes, they would bring one home that was still in working order. Cat would throw the mouse in the air, allow it to run away, then catch it again.
One other time, a mouse was found sitting on the doormat. Someone stood on the mouse, then went to get the cat. Cat sniffed at the mouse, looked up as if to say "it's my job to kill the mouse, you whatsit" and walked away. Another time, three little mice were found in a flowerbed. Cat was brought in, who immediately despatched two before proceeding to torment number three prior to its demise.
The best story is about the logfire. A basket of logs was brought in, and a mouse jumped out. Cat went after the mouse and finally caught it. Cat was thrown out the door, mouse and all. Every occasion the log basket was brought in the house, the cat would start sniffing the room to see if another mouse had jumped out.
After one of the cats died in 1988, the mice had a field day. They ate the fruit, including oranges, they gnawed the potatoes. I hate mousetraps ever since I found a mouse cut in two by the infernal apparatus. There was only one thing for it. A new cat was brought into the house, and after it grew up, it proceeded to catch three mice a day, every day for years. I don't know where those tens of thousands of mice came from, to be honest.
Very shiny coat on that beautiful cat. I've almost always had at least one cat. Although I've been brought "presents," our homes themselves have basically never had rodents with cats around.
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful cat. When my daughter was a pre-teen, she had to have a couple pet gerbils. Closely related to mice I'm sure. Anyway, seems we accidently got one of each gender. Next thing we knew...the mom was having 5-6 babies about every 45 days. Yikes!!! Fortunately the pet store took the babies. After about a year of that, mom was found dead. My daughter was so upset. My mother came over one day and she was moaning to grandma about the loss of Betsy. My mom's reply "will if you had 5 or 6 babies every 45 days, you'd be dead too." Shortly after Dan chewed thru his plastic habitrail cage and we came home one evening to find him laying dead on the kitchen floor with our two siamese cats sitting there watching him. Hmmmm did they have fun with Dan or not? By the way, I hate mouse traps too. In my storage sheds I put out De-Con. They eat it and then go off and die somewhere. Linda in Washington
ReplyDeleteMice.........EEEEEEK.....I hate those little bastards(pardon my french) but I live alone and I'm forced to deal with the situation myself...and I'm not very good at it....I fall to pieces emotionally.....June:)
ReplyDeleteWhat clever cats you have had...catching a mouse to order almost !! Mary's Amber does occasionally bring in a live mouse, but always lets it go. Then Mary has to get her neighbour to come and DO SOMETHING..!! It is the one thing I have always refused to have anything to do with, especially if a poor thing is lying there decapitated...seems to Ambers favourite thing to do with the mouse !! Mary has called on any number of folks to help...Postmen, Bin men, delivery men !! you name them in they are invited to dispatch said mouse or occasionally even a wee vole or bird !! Sybil xx
ReplyDeleteLOL... Ahh the meecees... I love them to pieces! LOL (a cartoon quote)
ReplyDeletebe well,
Dawn
http://journals.aol.com/princesssaurora/CarpeDiem/
What a gorgeous cat!!!!!
ReplyDeletebe well,
Dawn
http://journals.aol.com/princesssaurora/CarpeDiem/
He has determination in his eyes...standing guard, ready to get a mouse! Beautiful cat, gorgeous eyes. Every now & then a mouse will get into the cat house...suicide mission. Why would a mouse go into a house with 22 cats???
ReplyDeleteLisa
What a gorgeous kitty! Lord help me when I get older and the kids have left the house. I'm going to be The Cat Lady...LOL
ReplyDeleteMy cats haven't had any mice to hunt but they do pretty well with lizards. ::shudder::
~Amy
ROFLMAO....that was so funny. Cats are smart. You had a good one. :)
ReplyDeleteI freak out on mice so much that I can't even look at a mouse trap on the shelves of the store. It also cured my midnight snacks. I woulnd't dare come down stairs to have a stand-off with a mouse. :)
http://journals.aol.com/lattedah711/lattedah/ Tracy
Loved your mice stories! I haven't had mice problems much, only twice in my life actually. Once, when I was a little girl my cat had caught a mouse, and I sat and watched her eat it. I watched every detail...close up! UGH! I still recall the "crunching" of the bones...and I thought it was fascinating.
ReplyDeleteNow...I'd hurl!! Just the memory makes me sick!
Pam
What a big, beautiful cat! Good mice stories. - Barbara
ReplyDeleteThis is an endearing story and photo, too, about keeping cats to catch mice the natural way. I am all for it. Reminds me our famous rat that not even the cats could catch. Maybe it had gotten so big they were scared of it. It would drag corncobs up to the kids bedroom and gnaw at them on their bed! It was a very bold rat out there in the country, too. It was no starving city rat. It just chose our house for its home. Gerry
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story...only had to deal with one mouse, in my life. What a pretty kitty....thanks for sharing...take care!!!
ReplyDeleteJoyce