Friday Fun #11 – Of Mice and Cats.

Just a short story for today, describing my morning. (When you share a house with 5 cats and a German Shepherd, there is entertainment a plenty.)

Cats are notorious hunters…at least most of them are. And my cat, Pretty, is no exception.

Though I was extremely worried about her when she disappeared 2 weeks ago, she appeared to be in good shape when she finally returned. But still, after worrying so much, I decided at first, that I was not going to let her go back outside.

But to my dismay, she has continually insisted on being free of the 3 stooges and Frodo, at least for short periods throughout the day (they all seem to get on her nerves quite a bit).

So, I’ve been allowing her some outside time during the day, and then keeping her in at night.

Since she returned last week from her 6-day (unapproved) leave of absence, she has been bringing me daily peace offerings of several voles, which are small, 3 to 7 inch long rodents, similar to mice with a short tail.

Though I would prefer a delivery of a Wendy’s cheeseburger, Pretty seems quite proud of her gifts, as she loudly announces each delivery as she places it on the porch or nearby in the driveway.

Last night Pretty discovered a hole in my living room window screen and managed to squeeze through, escaping for a short wandering through the yard.

She was recaptured, and the window was closed for the night.

This morning the window was reopened after Pretty went out for her morning stroll. (I had planned to fix the screen before lock down this evening.)

A short time later, while I was busy working, I heard a strange noise coming from the living room and went to investigate.

Pretty had decided to use the hole in the screen to bring her offering inside, and proceeded to drop it in the middle of the living room floor…AND IT WAS STILL ALIVE AND UNHARMED!

This was the look on Larry’s face as the vole took off across the room…

His sisters, Curly and Mo, needed no prompting as to what to do, along with Frodo, though they lack experience (and grace). And the chase was on!

Finally (after wrecking the house), I managed to put Frodo outside, and the girls cornered the vole, while Larry hid under the couch, crying the whole time. (As I said, MOST cats are good hunters. But Larry apparently isn’t one of them.)

Feeling a little guilty for stealing their trophy, I rewarded Pretty, Curly, and Mo with a can of tuna. (Coal was outside during the battle, missing out on all the fun.) They gladly accepted the exchange, while poor Larry watched their victory feast from under the safety of the couch.

After spending over an hour cleaning up the war zone, I let Frodo back inside and gave him a treat, Pretty went back outside, the window is staying closed until I fix the screen, Larry is hiding in a bucket now, and I’m ready to take a nap.

But, alas, I owe, I owe, so it’s off to work I go…

I hope everyone enjoys a peaceful and happy weekend! See you next week. – Amber