Twosday...

Christmas music, day 6

The USAF "flash mobs" are a tradition I look forward to every year. So amazingly well done. This one's long, but be sure to stay for the dancing at the end. :)

Rodent adventures...

We have a problem. We installed a cat door so the cats can go in and out in the winter without me having to open a full size door and let out a lot of heat. It's working well, but... Pip (we think) is apparently catching mice and voles outside and bringing them in the house, alive, to play with.

(We know it's not Pepper; she catches them and eats them on deck by the back door, which is lovely because then she leaves the entrails for me to eat clean up. But I've caught Pip waiting at the back door with a live one in her mouth, wanting to bring in her new furry play toy.)

*facepalm*

Friday night hubby and I were quietly enjoying some television when hubby noticed Pip was sitting on the floor intently staring at the end of the couch. We've seen that look before: it means she's spotted a mouse. So we paused the TV, upturned the couch and hey-ho, there scurried a pretty large field mouse who promptly scooted away behind the computer armoire. Hubby stationed himself at one side of the armoire, armed with a broom, and I stationed myself at the other with a large bowl to drop on the beast once hubby prodded it my direction. We switched roles after that didn't work (too many computer wires for me to capture it) and then success! We slid a piece of cardboard under the bowl and hubby took it out into the woods.

Pepper watched the entire time from her cat bed, mildly interested, and Pip simply sat about 10 feet away, clearly highly entertained.

This morning, I heard a lot of odd banging and bumping in the dining room. Investigation found Pip laying on the floor with both front paws wrapped around the cylindrical ceramic umbrella stand in the corner. I looked behind it, and there was a vole shivering in the corner. This time it was far easier to catch him; I simply poked from one side with an umbrella and he slowly emerged on the other and I dropped the bowl over him and lather, rinse, repeat to turn him loose in the woods.

Anyone know how to train a cat not to bring in live entertainment from the great outdoors? *sigh*