We've had a problem at our new house with mice. I killed one not long after we moved in. At that point, we hurriedly moved our tomcat Tux to our new house. We had intended to wait until the fence was up and ready for the dogs, but a mouse in the house changes the mind quickly!
We kept Tux in the house for about a week, all that he could stand. And since then, he has been almost nightly bringing us presents of rats and mice.
Tux is also 10 years old - not exactly a young man. So, when a friend said they were having kittens, we volunteered to get one because 1)Tux is old and 2) we were looking for an indoor/outdoor cat as well. Tux doesn't do inside real well, although as he ages, he is more willing to stay inside.
Almost 2 weeks ago, we picked up our little kitten. We requested, if possible, to get a little girl thinking it would make the acceptance of Tux easier to acquire. We finally decided on a name Minnie Molly Mouser. We've kept her inside for the last 2 weeks. After a week, we did take her out on the porch and put her in the rocking chair with Tux. He sniffed her and then licked her head. Acceptance!!!
The last few days, we've seen mouse droppings in the pantry and in the bottom cabinet next to the fridge. We got some glue traps and live mouse traps and no mouse yet. So, last night, I brought Tux inside. He wasn't real happy - he kept meowing at me when we turned off the lights. Then he found the dogs inside, one of whom likes to attack Tux any chance he gets. So, Tux spent part of the night teasing Alex until we put Alex outside.
Then, Tux realized there were mice in the house. I was hoping it was just 1. Apparently not. During the night, I heard squeaks and scratches on the boxes on the floor. This morning, Craig said he saw a mouse run through our bathroom and closet. My 1st thought was Tux played too long and lost the house.
While the kids were getting breakfast and starting to sit down, I heard this cry - "It's a dead mouse and Minnie's playing with it!!"
There was a dead mouse by the dining room table. Who killed it? I don't know. It was small enough, Minnie might have. Tux could also have gotten it and being mad at me for keeping him in, not given it to me as a present, instead hid it. Or, he could have left it for Minnie to find. Whatever the reason, Minnie found the dead mouse this morning and decided it was HERS!!!! She even hissed at the kids as they came around her.
I told the kids to eat in the living room and I headed toward the kitchen. I found Minnie playing with her find and she wasn't going to give it up! If she had been outside, I would have left her alone. However, I don't like the idea of her playing around the house. So, I grabbed her, with S standing nearby. As soon as Minnie dropped the mouse, I passed her off to S and quickly grabbed the mouse and tossed it. We did give her some cat treats which apparently aren't as much fun as a mouse. I'm hoping it won't discourage her.
Where's Tux while all this is going on? He's camped out in my bathroom, right next to the closet door. Any mouse coming in or out will have to go past him. I'm thinking we might have a repeat performance tomorrow morning......
And to round out our animals. The Schnauzer is Jalen. She is an inside/outside dog. She enjoys running around outside, can escape from the fence, and prefers to sleep inside.
And the white one is Alex, a cross between an Australian Shepherd and a Black Mouth Curr. He's the one Tux is having fun teasing. He is still a puppy at 3 months old. We are training him to be an outside dog. Until last night, he was sleeping inside. I'm thinking with Tux inside, it's a good time to transition him to sleeping outside.
We kept Tux in the house for about a week, all that he could stand. And since then, he has been almost nightly bringing us presents of rats and mice.
Tux is also 10 years old - not exactly a young man. So, when a friend said they were having kittens, we volunteered to get one because 1)Tux is old and 2) we were looking for an indoor/outdoor cat as well. Tux doesn't do inside real well, although as he ages, he is more willing to stay inside.
Almost 2 weeks ago, we picked up our little kitten. We requested, if possible, to get a little girl thinking it would make the acceptance of Tux easier to acquire. We finally decided on a name Minnie Molly Mouser. We've kept her inside for the last 2 weeks. After a week, we did take her out on the porch and put her in the rocking chair with Tux. He sniffed her and then licked her head. Acceptance!!!
The last few days, we've seen mouse droppings in the pantry and in the bottom cabinet next to the fridge. We got some glue traps and live mouse traps and no mouse yet. So, last night, I brought Tux inside. He wasn't real happy - he kept meowing at me when we turned off the lights. Then he found the dogs inside, one of whom likes to attack Tux any chance he gets. So, Tux spent part of the night teasing Alex until we put Alex outside.
Then, Tux realized there were mice in the house. I was hoping it was just 1. Apparently not. During the night, I heard squeaks and scratches on the boxes on the floor. This morning, Craig said he saw a mouse run through our bathroom and closet. My 1st thought was Tux played too long and lost the house.
While the kids were getting breakfast and starting to sit down, I heard this cry - "It's a dead mouse and Minnie's playing with it!!"
There was a dead mouse by the dining room table. Who killed it? I don't know. It was small enough, Minnie might have. Tux could also have gotten it and being mad at me for keeping him in, not given it to me as a present, instead hid it. Or, he could have left it for Minnie to find. Whatever the reason, Minnie found the dead mouse this morning and decided it was HERS!!!! She even hissed at the kids as they came around her.
I told the kids to eat in the living room and I headed toward the kitchen. I found Minnie playing with her find and she wasn't going to give it up! If she had been outside, I would have left her alone. However, I don't like the idea of her playing around the house. So, I grabbed her, with S standing nearby. As soon as Minnie dropped the mouse, I passed her off to S and quickly grabbed the mouse and tossed it. We did give her some cat treats which apparently aren't as much fun as a mouse. I'm hoping it won't discourage her.
Where's Tux while all this is going on? He's camped out in my bathroom, right next to the closet door. Any mouse coming in or out will have to go past him. I'm thinking we might have a repeat performance tomorrow morning......
And to round out our animals. The Schnauzer is Jalen. She is an inside/outside dog. She enjoys running around outside, can escape from the fence, and prefers to sleep inside.
And the white one is Alex, a cross between an Australian Shepherd and a Black Mouth Curr. He's the one Tux is having fun teasing. He is still a puppy at 3 months old. We are training him to be an outside dog. Until last night, he was sleeping inside. I'm thinking with Tux inside, it's a good time to transition him to sleeping outside.
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