I is for Invader

Something wasn't quite right when I got home last night. After about 32 hours away from home, my two cats were weirdly uninterested in my return. They were much more interested in something under a small space heater that I had stored next to the back door.

Alice and Edgar, my two cats, are often seen staring under kitchen appliances or cabinets. Most often there's a cricket or some other bug holding their gaze. It's not surprising to find a few cricket parts on the kitchen floor in the morning. Apparently, the legs aren't as tasty as the rest of the bug.

Last night's distraction held much greater attention than anything I've seen recently so I wasn't too surprised when I saw Alice flush out a small brown mouse. Sure, I screamed a bit- just because I tend to do that with mice- but I wasn't surprised to see the small rodent darting around the dining room in search of a better hiding place.

What ensued after the initial flush-out was a scene straight out of Tom and Jerry.  Alice, the hunter, crouched, pounced, batted, and swiveled to the best of her ability to get the young mouse into her paws.  Little Mouse eventually found a spot underneath my exercise ball.  The stand-off lasted for about 40 minutes until I decided to give an assist and pick up the ball. I was ready with my plastic trapping device- but couldn't seal the deal after the little furball took an unexpected left turn and ran under the sofa.

I finally gave up around midnight, leaving Alice to work solo with Edgar fast asleep on the couch.

There was no mouse to be found this morning but there was an upturned rug in the kitchen. I can only assume Little Mouse found his way back behind the kitchen cabinet where I hope he will stay.  If not, Alice is more than happy to play cat and mouse another day.

Final score- Alice 0  Little Mouse 1


Life Lesson:  Sometimes the little guy wins the battle!