Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Alternative Mouse Catching

Herself is adhament that whatever the weather we must go out to receive the benefits of fresh air and exercise. Yes, I know we have a run-in, but nevertheless the temperatures are such that our breath nearly freezes mid-air and falls to the ground before we have taken the next breath. If Dante's Inferno can be frozen, then we are living in it.

We were lined up at the door this afternoon, listening carefully to the sounds of our dinners being cooked within, when a terrible thumping and crashing burst forth. The woman seemed to be moving large pieces of furniture and exhorting Sally on to greater efforts in...well in what undertaking we didn't exactly know. Finally the woman appeared at the door, out of breath and blotchy of visage. Sally was sitting in the doorway of the tack room, doing some heavy breathing herself.

We filed in in the usual order and got down to the serious business of calorie intake. The woman was busy allocating our hay pittance when she suddenly rose straight up in the air and said "Wahhhh yerrrrgh waugggh"! I assumed she had suddenly begun speaking in tongues - something entirely possible around here - and carried on with ferreting out the peppermint and apple bits in my dinner (more molecular size than actual bits, you understand).

Sally was in the process of standing up and this revealed a rather plump mouse, upon which she had been sitting. It was said rodent's tail that the woman had observed moving as it stuck out of Sally's fur on one side. The mouse took a deep breath, shook himself and stalked off in an offended manner, no doubt to continue his predations on whatever he had been working over when he was rudely interrupted by a gigantic, furry posterior squashing him to the floor.

The woman became even more animated, imploring Sally to chase the escaping criminal but Sally merely watched her with great interest, waiting to see what new gyrations might be forthcoming. Sally then yawned, stretched, and went to the shelf where her Kitty Temptation Treats are stored. "Mmmmmm mmmmmeow?" she said. Which means, treats, please, in feline.

This caused the woman to become quite indignant and to trot out her old lecture about her being the only one doing any work around here. Completely unfair, of course, as Sally had caught the mouse just as the woman had demanded. Surely it was up to Herself to take over once he had been released from Sally's ingenius holding technique.

There's simply no pleasing some people. I speak from experience.

17 comments:

Buddy said...

Oh Sheaffer - what fun you all have at your house.

Tell your woman to check your email - my mom sent a great video she thought maybe could be posted here. Its an Equine Christmas video.

Your fren,

BumbleVee said...

hahahha.... that was funny Sheaffer! I was giggling out loud through most of it... mental images of a pudgy feline sitting on her plump prey....

I think it may be time to put Sally on a diet ... no more treats til she actually kills and devours a mouse...never mind just "catching" one... hahahha...oh, the hilarity of it all.

Your poor "minder" .. she seems to be the only one at your establishment that gets plenty of exercise... you guys are a lucky lot..... and man, oh, man....the entertainment.....

libraryperson said...

What a cat and mouse game!!

So silly!

Dougie Donk said...

Oh my, poor Sally did all the hard work of catching a rodent & got no thanks in return?

Apart from some courtesy lessons, I suspect your woman needs to invest in a Jack Russell Terrier - our Suki cat brings out the tack room rodents & deposits them on the ground, whereby Seth & Milo (the Terrorist Twins) take it in turns to act as the Grim Reaper.

Our woman groans out her thanks & then goes inside for 10 minutes until the remains have gone :))

billie said...

Sheaffer, one time when I came in from the barn, I found 4 cats sitting in a circle around a dazed and confused mouse. Not one of the cats would do a thing except sit there and watch!

Chase the loyal Corgi, who had come inside with me, gave a deep woof, looked up at me, and then dispatched with the mouse in one big lunge/gulp. It was so fast I fancied the poor mouse might still be alive in there!

Sometimes those felines need, as Dougie said, a partner from a different species to finish off the job.

Sending you whole peppermint puffs in thought, Sheaffer. The Woman is obviously caught up in acting out Oliver Twist this week - she simply forgot to inform you!

Gazelle said...

Hmmm, perhaps Miss Violet should come out to the barn and show Miss Sally how it's done. Far better the House Cat should employ her considerable hunting skills dispatching trespassing Mices caught theiving than poor innocent Baby Bunnies and Birdies.

I know, I know I'm showing my species-ist side. Sorry 'bout that. Can't help myself.

ponymaid said...

Buddy, it's complete chaos around here. Thank you for the film - I will have it posted very soon. My word, that donkey is brimming over with energy!

ponymaid said...

Vee, Sally is truly a dear soul but significantly lacking in the predatory arts and sciences. She tries to please but owing to her current over-upholstered state and generally relaxed nature, the mouse population is quite safe.

ponymaid said...

libraryperson - yes, very much of a cat and mouse game, with the mouse holding all the important cards.

ponymaid said...

Dougie, I have heard of the terrorist streak that dwells deep within the heart of all Jack Russells - we definitely need that sort of dedication to rodent control. The sad thing is, we're not entirely sure Sally realized she was actually sitting on the mouse...both she and he looked quite surprised when she finally stood up.

ponymaid said...

Billie, that sounded more like a feline knitting circle or book club! I wonder what goes through their minds as they sit and watch...and watch. Virtual peppermint puffs - how utterly delightful and soothing to one who must make do with nearly invisible provender.

ponymaid said...

Gazelle, how right you are! Violet brooks no nonsense from any sort of rodent, ever. Unfortunately she has ensconsed herself in the house and will not emerge til spring. The rabbits and remaining birds are, I'm sure, most grateful.

South Valley Girl said...

My DaisyCat spent much too much time abandoned on the mean streets of the South Valley before our lives intersected, and let me tell you, no Mousies dare set a toe in our house. She once killed and ate 5 of them in a week - 3 in the same day! - which earned her the title Source of the Mouse Nation. When we moved into town a few years back, I swear I could hear the thunder of little feet as all the City Mousies fled in terror...

I wouldn't wish abandonment and stavation on any creature, but it certainly does hone the hunting skills, and I sleep much more easily knowing that I have such a ferocious predator patrolling the perimeter of my abode, constantly on the lookout for unwary infiltrators...

Christina / SVG

South Valley Girl said...

Ooops - sorry, I meant SCOURGE of the Mouse Nation... although I suppose Source would work, too, as in, "Source of terror and pain..."

C / SVG

ponymaid said...

Christina SVG, Your Daisy was obviously a talented mouser, those talents honed by years of just surviving. Sally was also a feral cat and we just don't know why her hunting and predatory skills are so lacking. She was caught in a small town, along with her two children and we wonder what she managed to find for nourishment. She has the temperament and outlook of a feline who has spent her life by the fireside. Indeed, she is so relaxed in her outlook that when she falls from the rafters she simply goes limp and bounces off the hay bales below. No twisting in mid-air and landing on her feet for our Sally. She even sleeps in her igloo with her back to the opening, allowing Violet to launch surprise attatcks that are invariably quite surprising for Sally. She keeps it simple, looks on the bright side and always puts her best paw forward.

Finn the Wonder Pony said...

Ha ha Sheaffer! Love it! Our Puma would never let a live mouse get away... although he is not above laying the dead mouse on the floor, looking up at the woman and asking, I did my job, now can I have some cat food?!

I'm a little concerned that your woman is not giving you enough calories to keep you warm.. perhaps you should join us in Florida... We are leaving Monday; you have two days to get here...

Your fren,
Finn Pony

ponymaid said...

Finn my friend, hang on, I'm on my way! Florida - yes, I can handle any sort of "winter" they might experience. I have always fancied grazing my way through an orange grove or lounging on a sandy beach. Just let me know which are the alligator-infested neighbourhoods and I will stay clear of those.