Our
Tigger brought a fieldmouse indoors early this morning letting it loose
and alive in the kitchen. Chaos and bedlam ensued whilst Jane was trying to catch it, much clattering, banging and general pandemonium ensued
for about half an hour, Tigger in the meantime had lost interest and
gone outside.
I was in the sitting room doing what the name implies that one does there when Tigger rushed in with another trophy of a harvest mouse. Having deposited it in the kitchen he turned tail and returned to the great outdoors. Now there was poor Jane trying to capture two small live rodents, I courageously offered to help but was spurned, my wife saying that there is not room for both of us in the kitchen, well, it is only three metres square after all.
The second mouse had scurried away under the stairs which we use as a storage space so little chance of finding the thing, in the meanwhile the first had scuttled away under the cooker. A plan was obviously needed, mousetraps were the solution! Originally we had around five or so but Sod's Law decreed that only one could be found and that turned out to be broken.
Off to the shops ten minutes away to restock with rodent catchers. Very impressive they were, shiny black plastic with stout rubber bands as springs. A label splashed on the front of the box proclaiming them to be one hundred per cent effective! Traps were duly baited, set and distributed around the kitchen, concealed safely out of reach of any inquisitive cat's paws.
In the meantime Tigger returned with yet another small rodent which he let loose in the sitting room. This one we were unable to identify because it vanished under the sideboard as quick as flash. The sole remaining trap was baited, set and place at the back of the sideboard. Meanwhile the unwanted visitor popped out at the front, had a look round and returned to relative safety. Hopefully there would be sharp snap and bye-bye mouse.
Back to the kitchen, one suddenly appeared from under the fridge. Jane was drying up breakfast things with a frying pan in hand with which she battered the intruder - one down, two to go:-) When the trap in the sitting room was checked a few minutes later the bait had been taken without the trap releasing, yeah right, one hundred per cent efficient - not:-( Re-baited and returned to the same place the trap awaited, suddenly a mouse appeared from under the sideboard, sat up on its hind legs and stared at me, cheeky beggar. Equally quickly it went back from whence it came.
Now the lone intruder in the kitchen reappeared while Jane was sharpening a knife on a large carborundum stone which she hurled at the creature - strike one! Unhappily the impact on the stone broke a four inch piece from the end. Two down , one to go ...
Back to the last visitor which was popping back and forth from the security of the sideboard. Yet again the trap had been denuded of bait, Plan B needed to be put into action. A tasty morsel of cheese was placed on the floor several inches from the front of the sideboard too hopefully tempt the rodent into the open, thus enhancing the possibility of hitting it with something hard ridding us an unwanted guest. Sure enough it soon discovered the cheese becoming emboldened with each successive foray.
Amongst the washing up from earlier was a large stainless steel barbecue wire brush and scraper which Jane was returning to the barbecue out on the deck at the front of our house When she was jut a pace away from the sideboard the mouse crept up to the cheese to begin nibbling it. That was a fatal mistake as my wife swooped like hen harrier, brush in hand, with one swat the mouse was thankfully no more - a deceased mouse!
Some may wonder at my part in all this. To be perfectly honest I am petrified of mice, usually I am unable to remain in the same room with one. Yes, I know that it is silly and wimpish but that is just me with mice.
I was in the sitting room doing what the name implies that one does there when Tigger rushed in with another trophy of a harvest mouse. Having deposited it in the kitchen he turned tail and returned to the great outdoors. Now there was poor Jane trying to capture two small live rodents, I courageously offered to help but was spurned, my wife saying that there is not room for both of us in the kitchen, well, it is only three metres square after all.
The second mouse had scurried away under the stairs which we use as a storage space so little chance of finding the thing, in the meanwhile the first had scuttled away under the cooker. A plan was obviously needed, mousetraps were the solution! Originally we had around five or so but Sod's Law decreed that only one could be found and that turned out to be broken.
Off to the shops ten minutes away to restock with rodent catchers. Very impressive they were, shiny black plastic with stout rubber bands as springs. A label splashed on the front of the box proclaiming them to be one hundred per cent effective! Traps were duly baited, set and distributed around the kitchen, concealed safely out of reach of any inquisitive cat's paws.
In the meantime Tigger returned with yet another small rodent which he let loose in the sitting room. This one we were unable to identify because it vanished under the sideboard as quick as flash. The sole remaining trap was baited, set and place at the back of the sideboard. Meanwhile the unwanted visitor popped out at the front, had a look round and returned to relative safety. Hopefully there would be sharp snap and bye-bye mouse.
Back to the kitchen, one suddenly appeared from under the fridge. Jane was drying up breakfast things with a frying pan in hand with which she battered the intruder - one down, two to go:-) When the trap in the sitting room was checked a few minutes later the bait had been taken without the trap releasing, yeah right, one hundred per cent efficient - not:-( Re-baited and returned to the same place the trap awaited, suddenly a mouse appeared from under the sideboard, sat up on its hind legs and stared at me, cheeky beggar. Equally quickly it went back from whence it came.
Now the lone intruder in the kitchen reappeared while Jane was sharpening a knife on a large carborundum stone which she hurled at the creature - strike one! Unhappily the impact on the stone broke a four inch piece from the end. Two down , one to go ...
Back to the last visitor which was popping back and forth from the security of the sideboard. Yet again the trap had been denuded of bait, Plan B needed to be put into action. A tasty morsel of cheese was placed on the floor several inches from the front of the sideboard too hopefully tempt the rodent into the open, thus enhancing the possibility of hitting it with something hard ridding us an unwanted guest. Sure enough it soon discovered the cheese becoming emboldened with each successive foray.
Amongst the washing up from earlier was a large stainless steel barbecue wire brush and scraper which Jane was returning to the barbecue out on the deck at the front of our house When she was jut a pace away from the sideboard the mouse crept up to the cheese to begin nibbling it. That was a fatal mistake as my wife swooped like hen harrier, brush in hand, with one swat the mouse was thankfully no more - a deceased mouse!
Some may wonder at my part in all this. To be perfectly honest I am petrified of mice, usually I am unable to remain in the same room with one. Yes, I know that it is silly and wimpish but that is just me with mice.
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