Cats and Mice

Our barn cat had kittens, as I mentioned before. They are older, maybe 8-10 weeks old. So cute and playful! A couple of weeks ago it got down below 32, and I was worried about them-- they are so small! I found an old feed box around here, pressure washed it, reinforced it, and filled it with old hay. I thought it would be ideal for them to snuggle in inside the barn. My big plan was that they would come in each night, allowing me to sleep peacefully, not worrying that the coyotes were eating them. So, I lured them in with some food, and the first night I was unsuccessful. The second night, the one that got down below freezing, I was successful. I closed the barn before the babies and momma got out! I was pretty proud of myself, left some extra food, and closed the door with satisfaction. Those kittens won't freeze under my watch!!

I slept like a baby, and then sauntered out to the barn, dreaming of sweet kittens rubbing against my leg, suddenly tame with appreciation for my foresight and insistence that they come in out of the weather. Of course, I was dismayed to see that all the babies had escaped out a crack between the door and barn, and that only the momma was left! She was obviously distressed that the babies had gone without her. So much for my plans.

I let her out, and we did not see the cat family for several days. B had me convinced that they hated me and I had chased them off for good. Actually, they are back, but quite leary of me. Can't blame them, really. While my motives are pure, they are correct that I would scoop them up and snuggle with them any chance I could get!!

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The day that I fashioned the kitty compound from the feed box, my son, L, went into the garage and was digging into the toybox for some tonka toys. I remembered that the last time I dug into a box, a mouse came flying out at me, causing me to scream with surprise! I was actually bitten by a mouse as a child (yes, a wild one, outside, and narrowly escaped having to receive rabies shots). I warned L that he should be careful about mice in the boxes. Sure enough, he lifted the lid on the toybox to find a momma mouse and her babies in there. She moved them as soon as she realized she was on display. They were really cute, bald and helpless and so tiny!

B said he had a mouse in his car. This is so poetic becuase B is the only person in Madison county who lives on a gravel road and drives this zippy little foreign sports car. So he babies this machine, and it's really funny that he found a tiny newborn mouse in his car. He said he put it outside, but that another baby was inside, he thought maybe in the dash. It has died, and the most gawdawful smell comes from the vent when you start it up! The luxurous leather smell is no more...