Animal Signs

We have a resident fox. In the fall, I saw the fox (and others) frequently - in the winter hardly at all.  I glimpsed him once running at the shore while I was on the treadmill one morning.  That's it.

His footprints are everywhere, though.  Now, I'm calling our fox a him, but in fact he might be a her.  I really don't know.

This area is prime environment for foxes because of the old farm fields across the road.  At time of year, foxes are denning up and mating.  Happy Valentine's day indeed.

There is also plenty of evidence around of fox food!  Besides my compost, which he has visited, there are plenty of rodents scurrying about under and on top of the snow.  They tunnel about and pop up every now and again, tracing lines across the snow.

Watching a fox work a snowy field is a magical sight.  It looks like playing, and it sometimes is.

A couple of years ago I was at school late for a meeting.  Night had fallen, and I was sitting in my classroom, gazing out the window at the perfect snow illuminated by the moon.  My old classroom windows faced a forest, and one of the kids had left a soccer ball out in the field.  All of a sudden, a fox appeared seemingly out of nowhere, at first working the field for mice, and then playing with the ball.  It was amazing.  He would pounce on the ball and then race around the play structure like a crazed puppy.  This went on for about five minutes and as soon as it had started, he was gone back into the forest. 

I look everyday to see what our fox is up to, and I can't wait to see what spring brings.  Someday soon, if I can manage to sneak away, I'd love to walk the fields across the road and find the den...or dens.

How to Catch a Mouse

We have mice.

We have a cat.

The mice seem to be, disgustingly, everywhere.

Our cat?  Useless.

Exhibit A-

I had noticed Penny paying particular attention to a shelving unit in the living room.  I investigated, and found a mouse cowering underneath.  Poop everywhere.  Super.  I flushed the mouse out and it ran toward the front hall.  Penny ran after it and they spent the next five minutes going back and forth between the front door and closet.

The mouse broke free and made a dash for the powder room.  Penny kept going back and forth between the front door and closet.

Mouse: 1 

Penny: 0

I grabbed the cat and threw her in the powder room with the mouse and shut the door.  I figured it was a good way to show her where the mouse had gone.

Forty minutes later I opened the door, and of course, the mouse came flying out and ran right back to the shelves in the living room.  Penny stumbled out a little while later looking dazed and wandered back over to where the mouse was holed up.  Well, at least she's trying.

Mouse: 2 

Penny: 0

The mouse then darted across the room.  I yelled "Penny, Penny, mouse!".  She looked at me, stunned.  I grabbed her and ran with her at waist level while continuing to yell.

The "chase" eventually ended in my bedroom where the baby (Henry) was sleeping watching a bat-shit-crazy display of mouse hunting.  This is very funny in baby-land, just so you know.

Now I have a mouse running around my bedroom, pooping everywhere, a stunned cat who is half watching/chasing the mouse and half watching me because I am crazy, and a baby on the bed laughing hysterically.  Probably also pooping.

We (I) chased the mouse all around the room, around and around for what seemed like an eternity.  Under the bed, up my legs, in the closet, behind the chair.  I'm yelling like a mental patient, Henry is chortling, Penny is mostly crouching by the door.  I came very close to catching it several times.  Considering I am a human and not a cat, I considered this somewhat of a win.  A plan began to emerge.

Mouse: 3  

Penny: -1

Me: 1/2

Time to get serious.

I took Henry out and put him in his circle of neglect exersaucer and turned on the TV.  Yeah, I suck, whatever.  Penny tried frantically to leave the room, I pushed her back in.  I gathered some supplies.  A flashlight, a long stick, a wastebasket.

Then I did the following about 56 times.

Locate mouse under bed using flashlight.

Flush out toward Penny with long stick.

Chase around with wastebasket.

Finally, finally the mouse is cornered.  Trapped him under the wastebasket using a highly technical maneuver involving the stick, a picture frame and a book.

Mouse: 3

Penny: -4

Me: 2

I slid a piece of cardboard under the wastebasket.  Took the contraption out to the deck.  Flung the mouse over the railing.  Now, I don't know why I did this.   I guess I knew I couldn't physically kill it, but why I thought flinging it was okay, I do not know.  Well, it landed directly below me (I never claimed to be a good thrower of live rodents...and really, who wants to be?), looked up at me and I swear, gave me the finger (claw?).  He shook himself off and scurried toward my house.  Of course.

Final Tally -

Mouse: 4

Penny: -4

Me: 2

Aftermath-

I spent the next hour putting my room back together - somehow the mattress ended up off the box spring...curious, and cleaning up mouse poop.  Penny spent some time sulking around looking defeated, because, well, she knew.   In her sweet little cat-heart, she knows she is just not a mouser. 

But at least she's pretty.