May 02, 2006 | A Mouse in the House
I'll start off by telling you that we don't kill things in our house. It's a Buddhism thing. Or maybe a karma thing? Anyhow, we are not Buddhist, but respect the wishes of those who live in the house and are Buddhist. Spiders are captured and placed back outside. Ants are free to roam about the walls and counters. We even have a bugzooka to aid with the displacement of most small insects. So when it was discovered that there were mice in the house, we didn't set any traps. We also figured that cats were probably too lazy to do anything about it. One of them is afraid of cat treats, a live mouse would surely have him scampering in the other direction.
Which brings us to last Wednesday. It started out like most mornings. Shower, coffee, breakfast, prepare for long car ride. Right before we were ready to go, the boyfriend enters the kitchen and mentions that one of the cats has had an accident in the den. While he's trying to gather together things he'll need for work and school, I grab a wad of paper towels, and investigate the den. While I'm cleaning up the 'accident', I notice something next to the floor board at the other end of the rug. In the dark, it was hard to tell, but it looked like a rose bud.
Reasons I thought this thing may have been a rosebud: it was 7am, it was dark, the cats had been playing with the flowers from one of the indoor plants, and I know cats who have fake rosebuds as toys. Oh! And the coffee. It was only half caffeinated.
Yes, I'm really going blame the coffee.
So, I've got a wad of paper towels containing something gross in one hand, and I reach down and pick up the 'rose bud' with my other hand. My bare hand. And it takes me a second to realize that this thing that I've just touched with my bare hand is definitely NOT A ROSE BUD. It's slightly furry, kinda soft, and kind of wet. For a half-caffeinated brain, I'm suprirsed at how quick it was able to piece thoughts together, because I suddenly realized that what I actually had in my hand was a mouse head. I WAS HOLDING A DEAD MOUSE HEAD. It's not every Wednesday that you find yourself standing in then den at 7am with two very gross things in BOTH hands.
Things I have learned from the mouse head adventure: The cats? Definitely not lazy. Coffee? It should ALWAYS be fully caffeinated. Picking things up off the floor? Never again. Not without proper protection, like paper towels, gloves, or a Hazmat suit.
Thanks for commenting everyone!
Ani, I think the other half of the mouse was probably eaten, and possibly caused the accident I was cleaning up in the first place.
Tracy, I'm not sure which cat actually did the deed. I may have call them both Ozzy now.
Paula, I actually did think about a photo afterwards, but decided it was something better left undocumented photo-wise.
Marielle, I blame Cyrus on the half-Caff coffee. He's trying to cut back, and I'm suffering from it! :)
Well, you'll never underestimate your cats again! I bet I could live my entire life without picking up a mouse head and feel very good about it. Sorry you'll have that memory to contend with for a long while. :)
eww...this does however remind me of a story...
i had a dog that was part german shepherd and part wolf. she loved her raw potatoes. she would sometimes help herself and i would often hear her crunching on a snack. one evening i returned after doing something (no idea what it was at the time) i came into my bedroom and started to lay across the bed when i found not only a raw potato on one pillow but also, a dead mouse on the other pillow. my mom often jokes that she was just trying to help me get my meat and potatoes!
Yes, coffee should ALWAYS be fully caffeinated. I certainly hope you've learned your lesson! :)
HOLY CRAP! I just don't even know how I would have been able to cope with that. I'd never use my hand again.
The dead things in the house is NOT fun. I've had dead and not so dead birds and a dead rat in the house and then three squirrels (not at the same time) that were artfully place in the middle of our sidewalk for everyone to admire.
That's hilarious!
I have the same story as Sari - there are three cats at my parent's place who love to leave offerings outside the back door. We all wear shoes outside given the fear of what has been there or may be there now but even then - we've all heard the familiar crunch of a small carcass giving way. There's no sound like it. Eeeek!
Oh the joys of growing up in the country...!
I'd say that this deserved a picture (maybe you could have saved it for Halloween?), but I imagine the urge to get the mouse head far and away was stronger than the urge to chronicle this incident.
Ahhh...that reminds me of the time when I was younger living with my parents who have 3 cats that all like to catch and kill animals...It was dusk outside and I thought I would run inside to put on my socks and shoes. I didn't turn any lights on because I thought I could see well enough with it being somewhat light outside. I went to pick up my socks with my toes, only to realize that I had my foot on a dead bird. Gotta love the kitties!
I, too, blogged about coffee this morning, but I can't say I had the pleasure of groping a dead mouse head. You gonna rename that cat "Ozzy"?
Oh god I cringed reading this. Oh nooo there is still another half to find.