Mouse in the House

We don't have cats anymore to take care of the critters that get into the house. Here, Annie and Leo are tracking a mouse.

 This afternoon, Ward and I were sitting in the family room, where he was showing me how a complicated puzzle box he was making worked. Then he said, "I just saw a floater or a mouse ran under that chair." I said I hoped it was a floater! He lifted the chair, and a little field mouse ran out and under the couch.

I hate to admit it, but I'm a stereotypical female who does not like mice running around her house. I didn't quite scream, "EEK!" but I did put my feet up in the chair when I saw the mouse scurry for cover. However, I got down to help Ward find where we had put the mouse traps. It took a bit, but we found the traps, and Ward baited one with sunflower seeds and peanut butter. I'm dreading hearing the trap snap, but even more, I'm dreading the thought of a mouse scurrying over me in bed tonight. 

I wish we could just open the door and shoo it out, but it's much too scared for that to happen easily. Of course, outside, it could be victim to the many hawks we see riding air drafts, but that's more in line with the circle of life. 

Anyway, there's a mouse in the house, and I feel silly worrying about it. But at least I'm not freaking out like the time we found a snake taped to our wall.

There's a Mouse in the House

or Caution: This involves dead mouse talk 

 'Tis the season for field mice to come into our house seeking warmth.  This is an occurrence we have every year and we've gotten used to. We usually find them in the same place--between a couple of studs in our coat closet. Apparently, they enter from somewhere above and fall into this area. Then, they are the ultimate, "I've fallen and can't get up" victims.  We finally figured this out after Ward followed his nose and cut a couple of holes in the wall where he eventually found a stinky mouse graveyard. After that, he put a plate over the hole so it could be opened and he could rescue any fallen mice.*

This seemed to work pretty well until this week. Then we got a smart and determined mouse. This one chewed it's way out of the graveyard and has been able to elude our four cats for a couple of days--an unheard of feat until now. The longest any creature (bugs, mice, moles, voles) lasts in our house is a couple hours before the cats have taken care of it. Just when we think that this mouse has escaped or is dead, we see the cats very attentively watching under a door or a piece of furniture. And there's only one thing that that can mean--there's still a mouse in the house. And as much as I hate to admit it, I'm scared of this little mouse. So wish me luck that today will be the day that this smart and determined mouse will be gone.



Update: I found the mouse and I think the cats won. Now to put on some gloves and toss it outside.


*We have an ongoing discussion about rescuing the mice or if we should let nature take its course between the cats and the mice. I vote for the cats because one, it is very natural and two, I don't want to handle the mice.