Click on pictures to see them enlarged in a photo stream. Comments: word verification on to allow anyone to comment but try and deter excessive amounts of spam! I LOVE getting comments!

Monday 7 September 2009

Tom & Jerry are alive and well.....


...... and living on Graemsay....... Tom & Jerry (as in the cartoon cat and mouse, not to be confused with "Ben & Jerry's" ice cream - that would be silly). Anyway, there I was one day last week, minding my own business and in pops Button through the cat flap. I noted the slightly muffled "meow" and did take time to glance across the kitchen. Yup, in her mouth was a dead mouse..... she drops mouse on floor and gave me that pleased-with-herself expression that only a cat can give. I stepped over the corpse and cat and reached for the dustpan and brush.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle from behind and I turned to see the "dead" mouse making a break for it, closely followed by Button. There then ensued the usual Tom&Jerry chase led by mouse, closely followed by Button, with me bringing up the rear brandishing the broom. We did three laps of the kitchen before I got the mouse with the broom. Before I hear your wails of outrage - I must clearly state that NO animals (or humans) were harmed in this exercise (well I was a bit out of breath...). The idea was to get the broom in front of the mouse so that it can hide in the soft bristles (yup I've been here before...), whereupon I scoop up cat and deposit her outside the kitchen (this is the tricky bit as there are two doors into the kitchen and she can nip back through before you can say "Jiminy Cricket" - though why you would want to say Jiminy Cricket is another matter.)

Anyway, after scooping cat out of the way, I deftly used a large yellow duster* to scoop up mouse and deposit outside in the field. First remembering to a) close porch door so cat can't get through cat flap, and b) put my shoes on else slippers get soggy. Meanwhile Button is up on her hind legs, front paws against the window pane, look of outrage on face.

I return and give Button a lecture about NOT bringing anything LIVE through the cat flap with her. She's a cat - she'll do as she pleases.......

I needed a strong cup of tea after that episode.........

*Duster - a piece of cloth that is apparently used to collect the dust, I, however, find it just redistributes it so have no use for such an article, except for the rescue of small rodents...

Note on catflaps - in previous posts I've muttered darkly about the cat flap that works with Button's microchip - or rather doesn't work. Anyway I wrote to the supplier complaining about the ineffectiveness of the flap and this morning got a call from the manufacturer's (Sureflap) general manager, apologising for inconvenience and after some discussion and rummaging around the cat flap (by me!), he is sending me a new "improved" version, and will also send me a version that is due out later this year which has an even better mechanism in it. So I shall keep you posted, but at least I'm impressed with their customer service!

5 comments:

  1. Luckily Zebby doesn't hunt - I don't think he knows how!

    Huggles from me and ol' snoreyboy

    ReplyDelete
  2. there is a theory that female (pet) cats are more likely to hunt and bring stuff home as they think their human is their "kitten" and so need to provide food. Certainly Fitzi-cat was very much like Zebby - the only time I *did* catch him with a bird in his mouth he had a look of panic on his face, which turned to relief when I yelled "drop it", which he promptly did and never repeated the incident!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hmm, I'll remember not to bring anything live for you when I come to visit if that is how you show your gratitude!!

    I've had three cats and only one of them has ever actually eaten a mouse, and even then it was only once. So I now believe they are much better for playing with and terrifying than eating.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The only bird Bits ever caught flew into a window an stunned itself first. Instead she was fiecely territorial and would beat up all the local cats and dogs. My folks started shutting her in at night when she discovered possums. Better a highly pissed off cat then a bereft 10 year old Mickle.

    A lot of cats know how to hunt instinctively, and a small percentage are loving and complete wusses like Zebby.

    And we love them because of their very contrariness!

    ReplyDelete
  5. VioletSky - er well if you bring something live that is larger than Button is will be well received! LOL! And - um.... button is not averse to eating her prey once she is done playing with it..... but I spare my readers too many sordid details!

    Mickle - Yeah Fitz was in the same category as your lovely Zebby, Button is in the Hunter category - most definintely! But she IS still a gorgeous cat.....

    ReplyDelete