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  It is February 12, the year of the rodent (rat) has made way for the ox, at last!Big Rodent being impeached, and the (still free ranging) rodents (mice) crowding us out and feasting on our supplies now have a formidable adversary! Here is the new permanent helper, which will keep them at bay (we hope, at least). Here pictured in her favourite position, overseeing the manager (with Covid beard), at breakfast. She is called Grace (O’Malley, red haired Irish Pirate 1530-1600) and moved in on Jan 19th. The rodents in residence, safely quarantined, are not impressed. See how healthy their coats are shining.  Cat up big bucketThey have lovely cardboard houses with many openings and lots to play. They are well fed and safe in there. In fact the whole day they are making a racket, playing. When the weather improves they will be relocated back to nature at a big distance from the house. If they still try to  Row inside bucket come back in, then hopefully Grace will scare them off for good. Grace is seen checking them out, here, and they sit in line, looking up like “What’s up?”, fearlessly.She caught her first mouse on the 10th. After half an hour’s cat play it was noticed it was a mouse she was toying with. The mouse was still undamaged. After it played dead (mice leave their bodies when in great distress, and only come back when it is safe, or when the cat lifts her paw – suffering has no function in the animal kingdom) it was picked up by the tail, then a bit later it came alive again, turned out to have no injuries at all and was placed with the other mice, and seemed to have suffered no negative results from her encounter with Grace – save being in quarantine with the others now. |
