The Mouseinator!

As I have mentioned in previous entries, the newest addition to our family, Riley the Cat, is quite the excellent mouse-catcher. Despite the fact that Riley lacks his front claws (again, "de-clawing as cat is a barbaric practice that I don't approve of, but it was done before we adopted  Riley), he has no trouble hunting down and killing the mice that inhabit our home.

The problem is, in our pre-Riley days, we were ignorant of the fact that we had a mouse problem in our house. Some research on my part has found that ALL houses host mice families (even YOURS!). They are so discreet, though, that most homeowners are unaware that they are hosting extra lodgers.

A veterinarian told me that in my area, every home has mice, and they are the lucky ones- Most homes are infested with mice, squirrels, and who knows what else!

News like this makes me glad we adopted Riley. The thought of vermin creeping beneath our floorboards makes me cringe. I have enough trouble getting a good night's sleep without worrying about unseen critters creeping around, inches away from me. Having Riley managing the vermin populace puts my mind at ease. At least a bit.

I would prefer, though, that he "finish the job" and completely dispose of the mice he catches. Unfortunately, he prefers to leave bits and pieces of his "catches" out and about for us to discover. I presume that this is his way of showing off: "Look what I caught!", he must feel. Our enthusiasm for having one less mouse in the house is tempered, at these times, by our having stepped onto a grisly mouse carcass first thing in the morning. Riley seems disappointed we are not as enthused about his latest catch as he is. The look on his face as you wipe dead mouse remains off your foot, while shrieking like a schoolgirl, speaks volumes.

Still, thank you  Riley for keeping our house vermin-free!

If only it was as fun as it looks in Tom & Jerry cartoons... 

Did'ja Miss Me?

Loyal Readers of this blog will recall that back in June I said I was starting a new gig, and it might be a spell before I posted anything new. Well, I was right. I didn't think, though, that it was going to be a whoppin' TWO FREAKIN' MONTHS between posts!!! Truly sorry about that, kids. 

The good news for all of you Faithful Followers out there, is that, thanks to all wacky experiences I had this Summer I have a vast wealth of things to post about! And post I shall...

One thing that happened this Summer, certainly not the biggest, and definitely not the best, is that we have had a new addition to the family! NO! Not THAT kind of addition (Thank Goodness)! Sometime in August, Riley the Terror Cat Swelled our ranks. 

Actually, we do not refer to him by that moniker, but if he could speak, Rocco the Wonder Dog* certainly would. We obtained Riley from a neighbor of ours who has had Riley since he was a kitten.  For various, and far too boring, reasons to go into, they needed the cat to vacate their premises. Since we thought Rocco would like the company, and since our house wasn't covered in cat hair and reeking of cat urine yet, we agreed to adopt Riley.

Well, it has been fine having a cat in the family. Sorta. See, at first we were worried that Rocco would terrorize the cat. We needn't have worried. Riley, from the "git-go", has made it clear to Rocco that he is not fond of dogs, and that any attempts to get better acquainted will be met with a whole  bunch of hissing, spitting and other unpleasant cat-type behavior. Fortunately for Rocco, Riley is de-clawed, so he can't hurt Rocco (Yes, I too, think de-clawing cats is really inhumane, but in this case I am grateful). Rocco,  sadly, is  unaware that Riley is "all talk", so he avoids him as best as he can.

Riley does have his good points: He is he a handsome creature, and  super affectionate. He is also an excellent mouse-catcher, as he demonstrated when he presented us with a half-eaten baby mouse his second day here. The cat being an excellent mouse-catcher is actually a mixed blessing, as, until presented with the evidence, I was unaware we needed an excellent mouse-catcher. I was happy in my ignorance. Now I keep thinking that the walls of our home are crawling with vermin. Not really a thought conductive for a good night's sleep.

I've prattled on long enough about this cat.  Next time, more  of what I've been up to** and,  as always, heapin' helpings of hilarity!

*I thought calling Rocco, "Rocco the Wonder Dog" was witty and original. Lately, I've seen a whole bunch of hacks refer to their dogs with the same title. So, from now on, he's just "Rocco". Unless I can come up with something else.

**For those asking, no, I haven't forgotten that I still owe you all a report on my trip to my art school alma mater. It's coming!