We have mice.
This isn’t a new, or a particularly upsetting matter. Until recently, we rarely saw one - only the evidence of their occasional passage. Our apartment is one of four that were sectioned out of an old Victorian house, probably, sometime around the second world war. In all the time of its existence, this building probably has had a more consistent mouse residency than human. Anyway, we know to package things carefully, not leave bread crumbs on the counter or to leave things out.
However, something - the weather, the presence of the landlord and his family (and dog!) in the first floor apartment, something has changed. It’s not that I’m opening the cupboard and seeing a mouse picnic every time I do, but the cats are in hunting mode. Goldie is especially eager in this game and he is very, very good at it. Jade does more of the heavy looking on. She’s interested and she seems to realize that there’s something concerning this tiny creature that she should be acting on but she doesn’t quite get it.
In the last several weeks, the cats have presented us with two little bodies. This is fine. While I don’t really have any problems with the occasional mouse, I don’t really want them running around the apartment either. However, I also don’t want traps, snap, sticky or otherwise, nor do I want poison or any of that stuff. Myria and I have discussed the matter and while neither one of us is happy with the notion of something dying in our place of residence, we agreed it’s better to let the cats go after the mice and catch what they can. We reasoned that either they would catch enough so that there would no longer be a mouse issue, or the mice would smarten up and start avoiding the place where there were two avid carnivores running around.
Right. This was all fine until yesterday when Goldie came running into the hallway with a tail hanging out of his mouth. However, unlike past incidents, this mouse was still alive. Initially, we decided to turn a blind eye on the proceedings and let him finish what he’d started. We don’t want mice in the apartment and Goldie was just doing his job. You’ve heard the phrase cat and mouse game? So have I and understood, generally, what that meant. But I had never seen it in action before. Goldie brought the mouse into the front hall (his standard “play” area) and let it go. And caught it again. And let it go again. And caught it again. And we finally understood this would be repeated many more times before he finally killed it.
I’m not a squeamish sort. I like a good steak, but I don’t want to watch the butcher do his job. Finally, because we couldn’t stand it any longer, Myria caught the little thing, brought him outside and let him go. He sat there, disheveled and stunned for a few minutes and then seemed to gather himself and scurried off, seeming not much the worse for wear.
Sigh…
I’ve been thinking of this as a seeded, watercolor scarf - because of the way the stitch blends the colors and I started another one yesterday. I’m certain this technique isn’t original with me, but I pass along my thoughts on the process for whatever they may be worth.
Oh, and that sort of pea-soup green border in the above picture? Believe it or not, that’s Buttered Toast. I had no idea it had such a strong green component until I put it in with the creams and the brights. Suddenly, it seemed as though I had a whole different color on my hands! Very cool :)
That was the only real knitting I got done this weekend. I did try to start the Rambling Rows afghan, but could muster less than no enthusiasm for the project. I got as far as going through colors and making a swatch with a few seed stitch rows in the center of the mitered square, deciding it looked pretty lame, and summarily abandoning the idea. Just not the thing right now, I guess.
I’ll be watching for your Dulaan Kick-off contest photos (see clickable button on the sidebar for details) - we’re getting down to the wire now - noon EST on Friday :)
There will be no post on Wednesday, but Chatters will definitely be on for Thursday night.
Have a wonderful week, all!
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’this house protected by mousers’- love the idea- our delinquent felines would see a mouse, scream the catly equivalent of *help*, and then take cover behind me- they are definitely more talk than action!
so far we haven’t seen any mice in this house (it’s still fairly new) but years ago the children had pet lab rats and there were many occasions when the little critters would stage an escape (the rats, not the children- although no doubt there were escapes they planned too) and all of us would be madly running around trying to pick up whiskers and tails to save them from other pets-
i am definitely liking the seed stitch scarves and their sudden blasts of color-
stay happy-
Barb - The way you describe your cats? I think if Goldie weren’t there to provide an example, that’s exactly what Jade would do :)
We have had rat pets too - loved them to pieces. So funny and such personality. Silver and Shadow - I miss them still!
renovating an old timber house, we had plenty of mice visit in Winter. I ws told of this remedy to get rid of the without chemicals (never tried it though).
Take an old bucket, and drill 2 holes opposite each other under the lip. INsert a metal rod/ old piece of dowling through the holes, and use vaseline etc to make it slippery. Dob peanut butter in the middle of the rod and fill your bucket with water. Put out at night. The mice are attracted by the smell of PB and will not keep their balance on the slippery pole, and slide into the water.
No more cat and mouse, cause they’ll all drown before morning.
Nat - Sounds pretty ingenious. Let me tell you what would happen here though, if we decided to try something like that.
Both of us would lie awake listening for the splash of a mouse falling into the water. Then one or the other (or both!) of us would get up, fish the little thing out of the bucket and bring it downstairs and outside where it would be released.
I suppose eventually that might take care of most of the mice, but we’d wind up sleep deprived :)
try pepperment oil on cotton balls. its supposed to be an old remidy.and you don’t have the dead bodies to dispose of. pous it doens’t smell bad either.
Lynn - Thanks for your input - that’s a solution I could live with! I might just give that a try :)
hope it works!
I let my cat have the mice - but I take the birds away…
Love the scarf - it is a nice way to blend the colours.
Ruth - The cats are indoor animals as we live in an urban apartment and there are just too many insane drivers out there :) They’ve never had the opportunity to stalk birds, but I gather from what I can see of their reactions when they’re looking out the window, that they would love breast of pigeon for lunch someday!
First of all...I LOVE your Blog. I have learned so much from your How-To’s.
Now...mice. We also live in an old Vitorian, the favorite haunt of wanna be squirrels. My husband uses Have A Hart traps. We put a cracker with peanut butter on it and within hours we have a mouse. We repeat this until they seem to be gone....usually they are only with in October. This trap is ingenous and you don’t have to kill or touch them. Take the trap FAR from home though as they really can find their way back to their nests.
Holly - I’m glad you enjoy the blog and thanks for your kind words :)
We have looked at Hav-a-Hart traps and that’s probably the only kind of “trap” we could use in good conscience :)
Just in October, you say? That’s interesting - I wonder if things will taper off/settle down when November arrives? I’ll let you know :)
