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November 09, 2009
That’s Not Good, or Why I am Blogging Instead of Eating Breakfast
So this morning, I was reading the part in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban where Crookshanks first attacks Scabbers out loud to Lucas.
You’ll see how this detail becomes relevant.
While I was reading, Ella was in the next room, running around and playing. Periodically, I’d say things like, “Good kitty, Ella!” “You get that mousie!” Ella can be kind of a lazy girl, so I was glad she was up and about being active. I caught a glimpse of her toy at one point and thought it didn’t look familiar, but I figured she’d just managed to find a previously lost toy, which, if you have cats, happens all the time.
Anyway, Lucas fell asleep toward the end of the chapter, and I got up to make breakfast. I passed Ella to give her a pat on my way to the kitchen, which is when I noticed that what she had was a real mouse.
Notice how I didn’t say a “live” mouse.
I thought, “Boy, someone is going to have to do something about that.” Then I thought, “Crap. Someone is me.” As if it weren’t enough that I climbed up on the roof all by myself this past weekend to clean the gutters, now I had to get rid of a dead mouse before I’d even had breakfast.
I was glad Lucas was asleep. I might tell him this story, but I think if he saw Ella with that dead mouse, he would have FREAKED OUT. Aside from the mouse’s cuteness and deadness, Ella did not want to give that thing up. As soon as she figured out what I intended to do with the dustpan, she was like, “Hell, no.” She picked the mouse up in her jaws and commenced growling at me. This is when we entered the bargaining phase, where I promised Ella all kinds of things if she would only drop the dead mouse. She just kept backing away. Finally, I came to a place of acceptance and picked my sweet growling kitty up, took her into the garage, and held her over the trash can until she dropped the mouse. Then we went inside and tried to pretend like nothing unusual had happened. At least I’ve had practice.
Posted by adrienne at November 9, 2009 07:55 AM
Comments
"and held her over the trash can until she dropped the mouse."
Brilliant. Calm assertiveness in action. The Cat Whisperer (is there one?) would be extra proud of you. Even if Ella insists that nothing at all happened.
Posted by: Sara at November 9, 2009 01:18 PM
WOW!AWESOME!Biscuit is too much of a sissy to catch a mouse:-( Even so,I'm sorry you had to face a dead mouse and an uncompromising Ella.But that was a great idea.And I'm glad Ella was finally able to let go :)
Posted by: momster at November 9, 2009 02:22 PM
Sara, I'm sure Ella's going to get me for the whole incident when I get home.
Momster, I've always kind of wondered what the cats would do if we had an unwelcome intruder like this, and I'm glad to see that Ella, at least, proves to be a woman of action. Benny, naturally, was just standing on the stairs waiting for it all to be over.
Posted by: adrienne at November 9, 2009 04:07 PM
Oh, ugh. Been there, got the t-shirt, and agree: best if Luc slept through this episode.
Don't you hate it when the cat argues!?
Posted by: tanita at November 9, 2009 04:07 PM
You'd swear I didn't provide her with a number of perfectly sanitary toy mice.
Posted by: adrienne at November 9, 2009 04:42 PM
For real? I would have passed. out. I'm such a lame-o.
You handled it well. The holding-the-cat-over-the-trash-can was a move of brilliance that would have never even OCCURRED to me.
Posted by: Jules at November 9, 2009 11:57 PM
I'm also glad Lucas didn't see this sordid affair.And I'm sorry it happened.But,I'm also very happy to know that Ella is on the job.:-)It was probably a cute mouse and all,but really they should just live outside where they belong.Here's Biscuit wanting attention.I once watched a ladybug crawl over his front paw.He didn't do anything!I'll bet a mouse could take him!Now I've got to brush him.He loves that.
Posted by: momster at November 10, 2009 09:26 AM
Jules, It was really more like desperation.
Mom, I have such a NICE yard for the mice to live in. They should really stay there.
Posted by: adrienne at November 10, 2009 03:12 PM
Our cat Erasmus, who was 12 years old at the time, once caught a bat that got into our house. We were awed by his agility and heroism.
Posted by: Personal Demon at November 10, 2009 10:48 PM
"Erasmus" is a great name for a cat, and he was indeed brave. I kind of like bats, but I still would probably run from one if it was in the house. Ella's caught moths before, but it is not at all the same.
Posted by: adrienne at November 10, 2009 11:14 PM
Adrienne, You reminded me of something I had buried deep in my mind. The image is of my cat having eaten most of a mouse. The tail dangled out of her mouth like a stray piece of spaghetti. "Swallow the mouse, Eloise!" I begged. "Please, swallow the mouse!"
Posted by: Saints and Spinners at November 10, 2009 11:52 PM
Oh. Oh. That's worse than what happened to me.
Posted by: adrienne at November 11, 2009 09:51 AM
Wow, Adrienne. You do have more adventures! Bravo to Ella for taking care of the mouse, even though I feel so bad for poor dead mousies. You know our Katie is an excellent mouser, but I hate the terrified squeaks while Katie plays with them. I think they just have heart attacks, because she never bites them. Then when they're dead, they cease to be interesting to her. Hm...this winter is going to be so much fun....
Posted by: olivia at November 14, 2009 08:07 AM