Cat and Mouse
They may not hibernate, but the mice have certainly been quieter over the last month or so.
It was not to last.
Maybe the lengthening days, certainly not an increase in temperature, but their frenetic activity has taken off again. They are back in force under the bird table and other feeders and will, no doubt, be hard at work in the tool shed as well.
Sharpening their incisors on the modified dispenser from a bottle of Fairy Gel.
(Fabric softener bottle tops have started to migrate to the workshop now too, to the point where I am considering a lock for the laundry cupboard door.)
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I’ve started sowing the seeds for this year’s veggie plot, so if we are going to get any green things for ourselves something has to change.
Many of you have suggested getting a cat.
A cat certainly has its attractions; the beautiful pictures all across blogworld are testimony to that. But for various reasons now is not the right time.
Nevertheless, something of a rubicon has been crossed.
If nature is allowed free reign there will be little room for us. Right and proper you might say, but apart from the entry cost of living here we also have a right to grow food to eat. The balance needs to be shifted, just a little, in our favour.
The slug killer was the start.
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If you’ve ever bought anything from Amazon you’ll know just how effective their marketing strategy is. Purchase a book on interior design and you’ll be bombarded with emails listing every concurrent and subsequent release.
And so it is with mouse traps.
The offer to upgrade to a ‘zapper’ first arrived some months ago. But it seems we are not alone in observing a furry rodent population resurgence. Because the email has just reappeared.
The ‘Electronic Mouse Killer’ apparently delivers a fatal shock, near instantaneous and therefore ‘humane’.
I fear that even as we speak it resides in Mike’s basket, just a ‘one-click payment’ away from its dispatch to deepest Devon.
Footnote
We’d tried to return the previous catch and release type mousetraps, which didn’t really work. Not once the mice had discovered how to take out the bait and scarper.
A polite reply offered a refund but stated that, due to the nature of the product, no they definitely DID NOT want the faulty items back..
One click purchase! Will be my downfall. Love it when a parcel arrives which I have forgotten I ordered! lol!
I know. They make it TOO easy…
Hello, Jessica,
Ever seen a chicken eat a mouse? I (unfortunately) have, and ’tis a gobsmacking sight to behold. Ooh, even now it’s making my stomach turn just thinking about it. (Does dramatic shiver to add to the effect.)
I am a great advocate of cats ( three here at MMM) but they don’t catch mice because they are house cats! However, I think if they were allowed outside, Pandora would be an excellent mouser and I’d find all sorts of gory leftovers hither and thither and especially in my shoes.
Hope the mouse zapper is suitably effective – it’s so annoying planting a load of fat pea and bean seeds and finding them chewed up by meeces!
Denise (number 2 of the Rusty Duck Denise’s!)
This is definitely the element of cat ownership I would not look forward too… but chickens as well? OMG.
Wonder what the word is for a gathering of Denise’s? A blessing? lol!
This from the Urban Dictionary:
Do you know a Denise? because if you do. you sure are a lucky citizen! a Denise is one of the most amazing things you can have in your life. Denise’s are very talented, not to mention gorgeous as well. Cherish your Denise for life.
I related this to my hubbie. He laughed! And then he said it was all true. And it had nothing to do with me thumping him on the arm.
Or him wanting his supper?
…now I’m singing Denis Denis by Blondie !
I always smile when Amazon tells me what others bought when I order something !
The thing with cats is they may well catch mice but they also like to make a present of them – usually in the middle of the night !
I confess to still having Blondie on my playlist, being also of the age
A blessing of Denise’s? Good grief!
The recommendations based on previous purchases from Amazon always make me laugh and sometimes have me puzzled. Just after Christmas, they recommended an electric circuit testing kit for cars based on my purchase of the Hairy Bikers’ Pie Cookery book. What’s that all about then??
‘Denis Denis’ was often sung at me when I was at school (being of that age)….sigh….if only I had blue eyes, it could be so true! And my aunts used to call me ‘Sneezy.’ Actually, one of them still does.
If you ever have a car mechanic round for supper at least you’ll know what to cook for him.
Oh yes Blondie – I confess I DO have blonde hair and blue eyes and am of the age ….but LAST NIGHT did you see Helen Miran?????? Dame as well -hmmmmmmmmm well I am going for it! Yes……..woop woop! Move over Dame Helen there is a Denise (or two) on the block now dear! lol!
What, even the pink???
Go on get a cat
….or a Jack Russell, even more of a mouse deterrent, no faffing about playing with poor little mousy, just one shake of the head and it’s a goner!!
Sue xx
I would like animals around here. But cat or dog, it wouldn’t have much fun settling in at the moment. Too many places to fall into, get trapped, get lost forever.
Observing with interest the mouse-get-rid-of comments. Mice not so bad, it is their big brothers who are the problem. It would seem that if you have rats you don’t get mice, would prefer mice, mice will go to a trap here, well, sometimes they do. Rats, never. Looks like we shall be heading for a cat or two. Will have to be barn cats though. Deffo not in the house. Rotti puppies might turn out to be ratters, probably unlikely. Gus and Boolie were keen ratters in the beginning then got bored and now can’t be bothered. Don’t think electric zappers will work as we would have to buy quite a few, which would turn out too expensive for the budget!
The reviewers on Amazon have recommended the rat zappers even for mice, but they are expensive. I think we will go for the mouse + peanut butter option first.
I would be happy to let the mice (or it could be a single mouse – here’s hoping) live happily ever after if only it weren’t living so happily in our garage, which is attached to our house. It’s just one short scurry away from living a life of luxury in the kitchen-diner where there are crumbs a-plenty to feast on thanks to our little boy and his messy eating habits!
And I’ve just realised that a typo in my blog address means that anyone clicking on my name has been diverted to a Bible website; many apologies, I’ve now amended it.
It’s been ages since I’ve popped over to your blog and I’ve spent the best part of the afternoon catching up with your bookcase, your slugs, your pheasants and now your mice. We’re also suffering from a visitation of mice and rats at the moment – the rats are living under the chicken run while the mice are quite at home in the garage. Having bypassed the traditional mouse traps (they take the bait, be it cheese, bacon, whatever, but never set the traps off) we upgraded to a slightly niftier version (courtesy of B&Q) and lo and behold – we are one mouse down. Not so the rat(s); yet…
You’re very welcome back Justine.
This is exactly the problem we had first time around. Mice are not stupid. As with the squirrels, it’s a constant battle to remain one step ahead!
I shall catch up with you too soon.
It is a fact that mice can’t burp . . . http://jabblog-jabblog.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/mice-cant-burp.html
I don’t know if you have a way of leaving Coca-Cola or some other fizzy mouse-attracting drink where you know they won’t be able to resist it. Bit of a long shot but it does work in the right place.
Oh crikey.. As you say in your post, I’m not sure I could do it!
My dog used to enjoy a mouse sandwich now and then although I have never seen my cats catch one.
I’ve seen the pheasant with a dead mouse. And a squirrel. I just wish they would take a few more.
I saw the comment about Helen Mirren’s pink hair ……. I first had pink hair 12 years ago, then I had purple, then I had pink again last year! As for mice, sorry, but I’m a fan of the Little Nipper means of disposal.
Where you go, Anne, Dame Helen can only follow. She looked good too. I once had green, florescent, now just watching the grey coming through..
Ha, the Return of the Rodents. Perishing things. We resorted to poison in the kitchen and a blind eye out of doors so far. No cat of our own but the neighbours half dozen mooch about doing their murderous stuff. I will be interested to know how you get on with the trap.
They had most of my peas, beans and brassicas last year Judith, hence we do need to do something more to control them. No cats round here at all.
I have steered clear of using the one click option on Amazon!!
Very wise!
What a dilema! I can understand you not wanting to have a cat or dog or both whilst you are still working on your house and garden. That Amazon one-click is too tempting by half!
If I have any animal I’d want to look after it properly and at the moment just don’t feel that I can.
Going off topic slightly but when I had hens I watched one gobble down a whole frog!!!
Yuk!!
I thought our rescue dog would be bound to deal with the mice problem, but although he would happily rip bunnies, squirrels, frogs, other dogs (oh yes) to shreds given half a chance, mice he completely ignores – if you do ever go the dog route, check his mousing credentials first!
Anny, it sounds like you’ve got your hands full.
Before this post I’d not thought about having a dog for mousing, or a chicken for that matter! It’s been an eye-opener.
it’s that 3 am –can’t sleep ’cause i’m worrying about ( fill in the blank…mice?)—-shopping that gets me in trouble. it’s so much easier to hit the buy button in the middle of the night. this is the first year our pantry has been mouse-free (maybe I need to get one of those traps for insurance!)
I honestly don’t know how I would get by without the internet now.
It is worth being prepared.. one mouse (or two) can quickly become several, as we discovered last year!
Oooh, an electric mouse……
My Oliver cat would be quite abashed.
It’s the real thing or nothing >^..^<
~Jo
I love your kitty sign off…!!
Having such a giggle at your comments…
I HAVE seen a chicken eat a mouse ( rather like watching snakes on a nature programme swallow something whole. )Our four hens used to run after each other in a line if one got a mouse ( a dead one – present from cat ) We used to sing the diddly diddly tune from the Benny Hill show . If the mouse got dropped, one of the others would pick it up & so the running would continue !
You should get chickens again, they sound such fun. Apart from the snake bit..