When we returned from xmas break and were putting away things in the pantry...I noticed that there was a bag at the bottom that had been 'broken into'. Immediately thinking of Petey (because he is the king at breaking into plastic bags that smell good) I thought we'd left the cabinet door cracked or something. Of course, he does have monkey toes so he could have broken in himself. Thief!
However, I went up a couple of shelves to sit away a can of soup and I noticed other things were chewed open too...the granola, a carton of chicken broth, some Homemade Gourmet seasonings, etc. Obviously that was more items than Pete could loot in a night so I came to the correct conclusion that we had a mouse move in (or maybe it was pre-existing?!) over Christmas.
So...we snooped around and found some droppings and I went and picked Pete up and put him the "Mouse was here" area. He got sniffy so Warren and I thought we'd see results...he's brought us presents before! lol (We really did mean to pick up a mouse trap but then got caught up in the fun of watching Pete on the hunt...and it gave him something produtive to do.)
After Pete got a whiff, he went on Mouse Patrol every night. I'd catch him perched up on top of the table keeping an eye out for it.
A couple of nights go by before we saw REAL evidence.
At 4:30 a.m., I was awakened by a commotion coming from the kitchen. I walk blearily into the dining room and there is Warren standing at the entrance to the kitchen holding my good rolling pin (!!!) and the kitchen rug. Petey is sitting in front of the open pantry door on alert, his tail whipping back and forth rapidly.
The rather fat field mouse is up on the highest shelf perched on top of a box of cereal.
Pete decideds that the mouse needs help coming down because it isn't going to voluntarily jump down. So he commences to CLIMB THE WIRE SHELVING!!! I have never seen anything like it! He was griping the edge of the shelving with his orange-cat-monkey-toes and pulling himself up with his body vertical in the air...like climbing a tree but not really...which is why it looked so funny.
The mouse sees Pete on his way to "rescue" it and decides to make his getaway by jumping over Pete's head into the kitchen.
Warren and I of course run screaming from the kitchen and I go stand on a dining room chair, which was right behind me and Warren runs to stand on the couch...about 5 seconds later Pete comes prancing out of the kitchen holding the mouse by the tail! And heads toward our bedroom! We yell, "NO Pete! " At which Grace finally wakes up and comes out of the bedroom which deters Pete from entering and he drops the mouse!!!! OMG! The chase was on!
Mouse and Pete are flying around the living room/dining room, Grace isn't awake enough yet to comprehend what she is seeing, Pete and mouse are just a blur running around and finally end up in the extra bathroom...where I go shut the door. Then I realize it could get out from under the door....which it did.
Into the extra bedroom which had lots of boxes in it.
The next day Warren rearranged the room so most extra boxes fit in the closet.
No mouse.
Pete kept patrol going for a few days.
As of yet we have had no more break-ins to the pantry, we haven't smelled anything, and there have been no "presents".
We think Mr. Field Mouse moved out.
3 comments:
Hilarious! Thanks for the great story first thing this morning!
This is like a scene from a movie! How I wish this was on video and I could watch it everytime I feel blue. How funny!! :)
that was do dang funny. i got a visual of PETEY! he is a thief for sure.......loves him some HARLEY JERKY! hope you and my nephew are doing good. hope the dang mouse didn't go in search of mark's place! he won't ever find it because he is never at home! i don't know if he has spent 3 nights in it since Christmas. the boy has been on the go. love ya'll vickie
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