Mouse Tails

Posted on September 15, 2020 by TJ

Last Friday we took Hannah Joy to the vet. Nothing was wrong. It was just time for her annual wellness check. We actually should have taken her last Spring, but we didn’t because of the Lockdowns and all. The vet said Hannah is in good health. We paid the bill and as we walked down the short hall toward the door to leave, one of the staff called out that Hannah’s heartworm test was negative. I said to Hannah, “I knew you have a good heart.”<3 Hannah has a good heart, but a jealous soul. She doesn’t like the cats to get more attention than she does.

That same evening, EJ and I were relaxing in the living room when we suddenly heard a banging noise–more like a thud, really. Not loud. Hannah heard it too and she leaped up to track it down. We heard it repeated again. And then again. We couldn’t tell where it was coming from, so we looked out the windows to see if there was an animal outside getting into something. Nope. Nothing. We heard it again. Finally, I recognized the noise as one of the cats trying to open a cabinet door. Timmy was in the bathroom pulling the door, which then slipped out of his grasp and banged shut. When a cat tries to open a cabinet door, it usually means there is a mouse inside and, sure enough, EJ found a mouse when he opened the door. It just sat there staring at him so even though it wasn’t in the trap EJ had put in there earlier, he thinks it had been injured by it.

EJ went in search of something to put the mouse in so he could carry it outside. He finally found a small empty container, and he was going to scoop the mouse into it, but Hannah Joy rushed in and ate the mouse. She didn’t swallow it immediately, and its tail hung from her mouth for a few moments while she trotted through the house. I think that seeing the dangling tail is what makes it extra gross. Eeewwww. An hour or so later, Hannah vomited. I was already grossed out by the mouse-eating so EJ cleaned up the vomit for me.

I actually think Hannah Joy is a better mouser than the cats. They play with mice and sometimes let them escape. Hannah just rushes in and eats them.

Sunday we did some tasks around the house. I had finished my signs earlier in the week so we put them in the truck, along with some tools, and drove down the hill. EJ used the post hole digger to dig out the hole for my “Welcome” sign, put the sign in it, and then packed down the sand with his sledgehammer. Then he screwed our house number and “eggs for sale” sign into the other post.

Because of the position of our chairs in the living room, EJ and I can see slightly different views out of the window. He has a straight-on view and I have more of a side view. So EJ was able to see the large bird flying toward the house. “Large bird!” he exclaimed. “Is it an eagle?” I leap up to look, and we both watched the majestic bald eagle flying toward and past the house. I am never able to get a photo of eagles because their powerful wings take them quickly out of sight, more quickly than I can grab my camera. And, besides, I’m always held motionless by their beauty.

And then there’s the smallest of birds, the hummingbird. I hadn’t seen any for a week or so and t thought they had probably already started their journey south but then I saw one yesterday so there is at least one laggard. I’ll leave the nectar feeder out for a few more days before putting it away until next Spring.

Added to my list of chores is putting our American flag up the pole in the morning and taking it down in the evening. It’s not really a chore. It’s a task I enjoy. Yesterday evening as I walked up to the pole, I surprised–and was surprised by–a deer walking up the hill a short distance away. Behind her were three other deer. It looked like the Mama with her two fawns. We all froze, looking at each other without moving. The closest deer stamped her food in warning. I didn’t move. Then she snorted and they all rain off into the safety of the forest.

We have motion detector lights around the outside of our house. Last night as I was preparing to go to bed, I saw one in the back yard suddenly turn on. I looked out the window. At first I didn’t see anything, but then I noticed an oppossum moving along the side of the house. I watched it until the light turned off and hid it in darkness. I often wonder what animals are wandering through our property at night. Someday I’d like to get an outdoor security/trail camera to record them.

Hannah just found and ate another mouse.
Yuck.