The uptick in mouse activity started at the end of the summer. I guess it was just too darn humid outside for the little guys. My assumption is that a few found a cool getaway in the crawl space underneath the block of townhouses. From that vacation spot a few discovered a pathway and decided to explore. Think of it as the Brady kids exploring that cave in Hawaii. Although, the vacationing mice didn't quite meet up with Vincent Price on their little adventure.
This 60 year-old structure is full of holes thanks to all the renovations that no doubtedly occurred before I settled in over twenty years ago. Back in August one hole must have been behind the dishwasher because my cats pretty much camped out there every night. It became a real problem when my little mouser of a cat, Alice, decided to gift me a dead mouse in the middle of the night...while I was sleeping.
At least it was dead. Alice really was quite pleased with herself, so I did my best to thank her appropriately and then went about discarding it outside in the middle of the night.
The contractor was called the next day to seal up the hole behind the dishwasher. Once that thoroughfare was shut down the mouse problem was gone.
Until it started getting cold outside...more tomorrow.
A very humorous story of a not so fun problem - love the use of words like "cool getaway", "vacation spot" and "thoroughfare". I can't imagine being given the gift of a dead mouse while sleeping - I would have a hard time recovering from the shock. (I love the name Alice for your cat.)
ReplyDeleteThanks but no thanks to that midnight snack. Looking forward to reading the next chapter of this adventure.
ReplyDeleteA funny twist on a bad situation!
ReplyDeleteOh no! We also seem to be running a mouse hotel. The hotel doorman though, our dog Zeus, is not as efficient or enthused as your cat is.
ReplyDeleteOh Man! I can only imagine what tomorrow will bring. We have mice as well - your midnight story reminded me of the time I stepped on a half-dead mouse in the dark hallway. He was pretty much dead after that! Love your title; how appropriate! You are a talented story-teller.
ReplyDeleteGreat Brady Bunch reference!
ReplyDeleteYes, the Brady Bunch Hawaii episode! I was just thinking about that episode the other day and how bizzarre it was. I’ve been there with the cat and rodent nighttime adventures - not the most fun I’ve had.
ReplyDeleteI had completely forgotten about that BB episode, so thank you for the memory! Your descriptive writing created clear pictures of the mouse trails and the expectant Alice in my head.
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