Sunday, February 28, 2010

The Patience of Cats

When I got up yesterday morning, I noticed both cats intently staring under the refrigerator.  I thought about taking a picture, but there are cedar shavings everywhere, tracked in from the chicken area on the porch and it looks like I don't keep a clean house.  No sense advertising that.

Well, Pancho stayed by the refrigerator all day and finally, at about 10pm his efforts were rewarded.  The rest of us, sleeping (2 dogs and a cat) and reading (me) heard a thump, and over trots Pancho with a mouse in his mouth.

Everybody except Desmond, who is hard of hearing and didn't hear a thing, went over to investigate.  The mouse lasted another 5-10 minutes and was finally dispatched by Maggie.  Then Maggie and Pancho shared the mouse back and forth a bit in the kitchen, batting and nosing it.  When they tired of that, I called Desmond over and he ate it.  No cleanup necessary.

In the background of this picture you can see the thermal curtain keeping the warm part of the house warm and the cold part of the house cold.  Next year I'm going to try something different.  This curtain blocks the light, which I don't like, and it doesn't block the cold well enough because of the gaps between the curtain and the floor and wall. Next year I think I'll try heavy plastic, carwash-style.

It's been snowing up here for several days straight, no letup.  I've gotten about another foot of snow since Friday.  It will be nice to see the sun - but of course I'll be at work then.  I won't complain though, temperatures have been solidly above average.  It could be 12 degrees at night, but instead it's been in the upper 20s.  Sometimes ya gotta find small things to be thankful for!

2 comments:

  1. Interesting story, about our pets.

    When my German shepherd was about three years old, he was resting on the bed in his crate, with the door open. I was on a sofa behind the crate when I noticed my dog was watching something, and I got up and looked. I watched as a tiny baby mouse came up to my dog, and they literally touched noses. My dog didn't move, and looked attentive and calm.

    And there I am -- a mouse!! But I just watched it walk away. About ten days later I found it dead where all mice go to die (3rd in 18 years) -- in a sink in the cellar. A neighbor uses poison that makes the mice look for water.

    I like your cat story much better.

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  2. Three mice in 18 years isn't bad at all! I'm hoping that later in the year I'll be able to let the chickens out to free range (or something like that), and Maggie won't bother them too much. Right now I think she'll chase them, wanting to play. And then I'd have chickens in trees - not so good for egg-getting.

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