Mouse in the Kitchen: A Morning Surprise

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In summary, the conversation revolves around the discovery of a mouse living in the speaker's kitchen, most likely attracted by the cat food. There is some humor in the situation, with references to popular cartoon characters Tom and Jerry, as well as the possibility of the cat having a "playdate" with the mouse. Some personal anecdotes are shared, such as finding a mouse in a storage room and dealing with a cat bringing in multiple live snakes. The speaker expresses concern for their cat's exposure to potential parasites and discusses potential solutions, such as traps, if the mouse needs to be removed. Overall, the conversation is lighthearted and revolves
  • #1
Moonbear
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This has me laughing pretty hard this morning (which is quite a feat given how much of a morning person I am...not). I've discovered I have a mouse living in my kitchen. How did I discover this? By the trail of mouse droppings to and around the cat food dish! :biggrin:

So, now I just wonder how long it will be before the cat catches on that there's a mouse with cat-food stuffing in the kitchen? :rofl:
 
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  • #2
Maybe your cat is having a playdate with the mouse. Keep it around and you can rename them Tom and Jerry
 
  • #3
Moonbear said:
This has me laughing pretty hard this morning (which is quite a feat given how much of a morning person I am...not). I've discovered I have a mouse living in my kitchen. How did I discover this? By the trail of mouse droppings to and around the cat food dish! :biggrin:

So, now I just wonder how long it will be before the cat catches on that there's a mouse with cat-food stuffing in the kitchen? :rofl:

I had a mouse twice in my storage room, but I don't have a cat. That was quite a picture, my dad scaring it off away with a broom. :biggrin:
 
  • #4
Well there's no way your cats going to go on a mouse hunt if you're conveniently feeding him with from a dish. Things have to get desperate.
 
  • #5
Aww Ember has a mousie friend! Won't she be suprised when this one moves on its own:bugeye:
 
  • #6
We had a mouse that stole dog food from the dog's dish, and stashed it in the upper part of the washing machine. Every now and then we'd wash a load of clothes and find five or ten pieces of dog food in it afterwards. For a while, we thought we were all going nuts.

- Warren
 
  • #7
mikewashere said:
Well there's no way your cats going to go on a mouse hunt if you're conveniently feeding him with from a dish. Things have to get desperate.

You've never had a pet cat before, have you? My cat is fed from a dish and still goes mice/bird hunting.
 
  • #8
I used to get "love offerings" once a week.
 
  • #9
i have cats at my yard(they're not street cats, they are being well taken care of, just that they don't resident our house).
so, one day, i found my very cute cat playing with a headless mouse, its not hard to imagine who was responsible for the ripped off head. thanks god i did not see the head.
anyway, the cat just played with its headless body, and it appeared he had no interest in eating it, that's just cruel...
so i buried the cat's new play toy, since it started to stink.

those cats of mine are hunters, its often i see bird skeletons and feather in my yard. I am not sure, but once, i think i found a beak alone.
also i remember my cats surrounding a hedgehog , though they did not dare to attack, they just mourned for the unfulfilled potential of his flesh.
 
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  • #10
If Ember is like our cats, she probably let it in when you weren't looking.
 
  • #11
Ivan Seeking said:
If Ember is like our cats, she probably let it in when you weren't looking.

My cat would do that, only to lure it into a trap :uhh:
 
  • #12
One of my other colleagues volunteered the use of his dog if Ember doesn't take care of it. Apparently his cats are good at carrying in live mice, and it's the dog that has to clean up after them and kill the mice in the house. :rofl:

I don't really want Ember to catch the mouse, because I don't want her exposed to the potential parasites mice carry, but since I discovered this as I was getting ready to head out of town and she has the run of the house for a few days, I'm not sure what I'll find when I return (at least if she runs out of dry food before her sitter gets there, I know she has some "delivery" :biggrin:). I just hope the mouse doesn't move in all its relatives before I return.
 
  • #13
Moonbear said:
One of my other colleagues volunteered the use of his dog if Ember doesn't take care of it. Apparently his cats are good at carrying in live mice, and it's the dog that has to clean up after them and kill the mice in the house. :rofl:

I don't really want Ember to catch the mouse, because I don't want her exposed to the potential parasites mice carry, but since I discovered this as I was getting ready to head out of town and she has the run of the house for a few days, I'm not sure what I'll find when I return (at least if she runs out of dry food before her sitter gets there, I know she has some "delivery" :biggrin:). I just hope the mouse doesn't move in all its relatives before I return.

I think the biggest risk to the cat is if you put out poison for the mouse(mice) and then the cat catches them. Traps might be the best option.
 
  • #14
at least she isn't bringing you snakes. Jelly brought me something like 20 little snakes one week. She had found a bunch of them somewhere. She brought them in alive so she could play with them.
 
  • #15
Math Is Hard said:
at least she isn't bringing you snakes. Jelly brought me something like 20 little snakes one week. She had found a bunch of them somewhere. She brought them in alive so she could play with them.
Ewwwww, what did you do? Mice, moles and grasshoppers I can handle, but no snakes. :yuck:
 
  • #16
Evo said:
Ewwwww, what did you do? Mice, moles and grasshoppers I can handle, but no snakes. :yuck:

They were not easy to catch, but I had to grab them and fling them out the door or off the balcony. There was one I couldn't find.. well, at least I didn't until some days later. I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and stepped on a cold squishy little corpse. :yuck:
 
  • #17
Math Is Hard said:
They were not easy to catch, but I had to grab them and fling them out the door or off the balcony. There was one I couldn't find.. well, at least I didn't until some days later. I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and stepped on a cold squishy little corpse. :yuck:
:bugeye: :eek: Ewwwwwww, ewwwwwww. The cats have brought a few frogs in, that's always sad. :frown:
 
  • #18
Math Is Hard said:
They were not easy to catch, but I had to grab them and fling them out the door or off the balcony...

And your neighbors love you. :rofl:

When I was in high school, our cross country coach told us of a prank him and his friends pulled when they were in high school. They had a found a few small snakes, so they put one in a purse and left it on the sidewalk downtown. Great fun and they could replace the snake if it got away. Of course, eventually, a group of about four high school age kids noticed the purse and took it with them in their car instead of opening it on the sidewalk. The car was a good three blocks down the street by time it hit the brakes and they all jumped out in a panic. My coach and his friends didn't even get their purse back.
 
  • #19
BobG said:
I think the biggest risk to the cat is if you put out poison for the mouse(mice) and then the cat catches them. Traps might be the best option.

Most poison nowadays will not cause harm through secondary ingestion. It is simply a blood thinner and the mouse could never eat enough to cause damage to the cat from undigested poison in the stomach of the mouse.
 
  • #20
BobG said:
And your neighbors love you. :rofl:

My neighbors' cats did anyway. :smile:
 
  • #21
BobG said:
I think the biggest risk to the cat is if you put out poison for the mouse(mice) and then the cat catches them. Traps might be the best option.

No sign of the mouse now that I've returned, but Ember looks a little fatter than when I left. :uhh: Hopefully the mouse left the way it came in once realizing it was sharing a kitchen with a cat, but I guess only time will tell if it's still hanging around somewhere.

I have no intention of using poison in the house since 1) I don't want to risk Ember eating it, and 2) I don't really want the mouse to crawl off and die somewhere where I can't reach it. Besides, poison is a rather slow death for the mice. I'd prefer a snap trap where it's a quick broken neck.
 
  • #22
Just don't get the hotels. The poor little mouse just sticks to the floor and either starves to death or dies of dehydration.
 
  • #23
Ivan Seeking said:
Just don't get the hotels. The poor little mouse just sticks to the floor and either starves to death or dies of dehydration.

Yeah, I don't like those either. That's even worse than poison. I still think the old-fashioned snap traps are best, unless you're fortunate enough to corner it in a way that allows you to catch it live (I've done that in the past with a plunger and sheet of foil).
 
  • #24
My cousin used a humane trap once.

She woke up one morning to find the little mouse door had closed, so carefully picked the trap up and went up into the woods to release the furry little bugger. She put the trap down, and opened the door to let him escape, only to find a stiff, scared-looking mouse corpse inside. Poor little thing must have had a heart attack when the door snapped shut!
 
  • #25
One time I found a nest of mice in the barn [It may have been two nests...]. I'm not sure how many now, but I think there were about a dozen babies plus mom. Since I had to kill them, it seemed the easiest way was to let nature take its course, so I took the nest and dumped it in the field while the three dogs were watching.

It was a horrible sight to behold, but it was over quickly, and we had three very happy dogs. :biggrin:
 
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  • #26
brewnog said:
My cousin used a humane trap once.

She woke up one morning to find the little mouse door had closed, so carefully picked the trap up and went up into the woods to release the furry little bugger. She put the trap down, and opened the door to let him escape, only to find a stiff, scared-looking mouse corpse inside. Poor little thing must have had a heart attack when the door snapped shut!
We had the same experience. We tried little 'have a heart traps' to catch the mice and release them. Invariably, the mice must have freaked and worked themselves to death trying to dig out. All the mice we trapped this way died.

As for mice in our house - Misty (our female) is a very efficient mouse killer. Chester on the other hand doesn't seem to know what he should do with a mouse, other than play. Our Yorkie, Sassy, would likely eat the mouse. Sassy goes after any rodent in our yard. We can usually tell when Sassy catches something because she droops her head when walking or hides.
 
  • #27
Moonbear said:
This has me laughing pretty hard this morning (which is quite a feat given how much of a morning person I am...not). I've discovered I have a mouse living in my kitchen. How did I discover this? By the trail of mouse droppings to and around the cat food dish! :biggrin:

So, now I just wonder how long it will be before the cat catches on that there's a mouse with cat-food stuffing in the kitchen? :rofl:

You'd better hope, for your cat's sake, that the mouse isn't named Itchy.:rofl: :rofl:
 
  • #28
Astronuc said:
We had the same experience. We tried little 'have a heart traps' to catch the mice and release them. Invariably, the mice must have freaked and worked themselves to death trying to dig out. All the mice we trapped this way died.

How often were you checking the traps? Mice have very high metabolic rates and it won't take long for them to dehydrate or starve, so even being in the trap 8 hours while you're sleeping or at work might be too long, especially if they are expending a lot of energy attempting to escape.
 
  • #29
I used to have a cat that would catch mice and bring them our doorstep still alive, paw at the door until we came to let her in, then try and bring the mouse in as a present. We always caught her before she made it in so she amused herself by torturing the poor mouse on the deck outside before she ate it. Same cat also loved birds, she would climb a tree, find a birds nest and lay in it until the bird came back, all you could see was this big fluffy grey tail swishing over the side of the nest.
 
  • #30
scorpa said:
I used to have a cat that would catch mice and bring them our doorstep still alive, paw at the door until we came to let her in, then try and bring the mouse in as a present. We always caught her before she made it in so she amused herself by torturing the poor mouse on the deck outside before she ate it. Same cat also loved birds, she would climb a tree, find a birds nest and lay in it until the bird came back, all you could see was this big fluffy grey tail swishing over the side of the nest.

That's part of why my cat isn't allowed outside, and why I really don't want her to catch the mouse if it's still in the house somewhere. I don't like when cats torture wild animals. For mice, I prefer catch and release when I can, but if I can't, then I want them to be killed swiftly with a broken neck so they don't suffer. I feed her well, and she has more than enough toys to hunt without needing to go out and catch mice and birds (the birdfeeder is NOT a buffet for cats).
 
  • #31
Moonbear said:
That's part of why my cat isn't allowed outside, and why I really don't want her to catch the mouse if it's still in the house somewhere. I don't like when cats torture wild animals. For mice, I prefer catch and release when I can, but if I can't, then I want them to be killed swiftly with a broken neck so they don't suffer. I feed her well, and she has more than enough toys to hunt without needing to go out and catch mice and birds (the birdfeeder is NOT a buffet for cats).

Yeah my cat was an outdoor cat so there wasn't much I could do to stop it. If I saw she had something I usually just stepped on it and put it out of its misery, or let the dog in...who could not tolerate the cat having something she didn't. My cat was such a sweetie, but when it came to mice she was vicious.
 

1. What is the main concept of "Mouse in the Kitchen: A Morning Surprise"?

The main concept of "Mouse in the Kitchen: A Morning Surprise" is a story about a mouse who sneaks into a kitchen and causes chaos while trying to find breakfast.

2. Is the book based on real scientific research?

No, "Mouse in the Kitchen: A Morning Surprise" is a fictional story and not based on real scientific research. However, it does incorporate some scientific elements such as animal behavior and food chains.

3. What age group is this book suitable for?

This book is suitable for children ages 3-8 years old. It is a fun and engaging read for young readers and can also be enjoyed as a read-aloud for younger children.

4. Are there any educational or learning opportunities within the book?

Yes, "Mouse in the Kitchen: A Morning Surprise" can be used as a tool to introduce young readers to basic scientific concepts such as animal behavior, food chains, and problem-solving. It also encourages critical thinking and observation skills.

5. Is there a moral or lesson to be learned from the story?

Yes, the story teaches the importance of being resourceful and adaptable in difficult situations. It also promotes empathy towards animals and the understanding that all creatures have their own needs and desires.

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