A Mouse In The House

[Vicki]

Two weeks ago my neighbor upstairs told me there were mice on her floor. Lately I have noticed Roxie staring intently at the front door as if she were listening for something. I know she gets excited when she hears people in the hallway because she wants to go out and greet them but she's been doing this when there wasn't anyone around.

Well, yesterday we were visited by a little brown mouse. The space in between the bottom of the door and the floor beneath is just large enough for a tiny mouse to squeeze through. I saw the little rascal scamper across the living room and then run back out again. I yelled "There's a mouse." Roxie had been napping but looked up to see why I was making so much noise. I don't know if she caught sight of it but she was too unimpressed to leave her nice comfy chair.

Later on that evening I saw it return an run into the bedroom. I chased it down but couldn't find it. I am assuming it ran out again. They scurry so quickly it's difficult to see them. Roxie didn't move a whisker.

So my silly cat still sits at the door and peers under the opening. Maybe she wants it to return so she can observe it. Maybe she's afraid of it. Cats! Who knows?

I will give her credit for chasing down bugs though. She a very competent bug killer. She usually winds up sitting on them and squashing them.

[Ann]

You're very sanguine about having a mouse running around, I know several people who would be spending their lives standing on chairs for the duration!

I rescued quite a few when Alexander was around and again when Kotio was younger, but I remember how difficult it was trying to corner them, even when it's for their own benefit. When I used to collect Alexander after he'd been staying with my parents, he nearly always left a small furry legacy behind him as the house was bigger and had far more nooks and crannies than mine. As my Mum had a phobia of mice, you can imagine how well that went down! (Although they never saw it, they knew there was a mouse around after one Christmas visit when the chocolate tree decorations began systematically disappearing!)

Is one of those long draft excluders on the shopping list?

[Vicki]

The draft excluder, or "draft dodgers "as we call them here is on it's way via Amazon. I bought one in which kitty litter, sand or any other heavy materials can be put into it to weigh it down.
I once lived in a place that was invaded by hordes of mice so I guess that's why one little one didn't bother me so much. Hopefully the building maintenance people will take care of the problem soon.