The poor thing was terrified, and quite tidily penned in by the collusion of 'closet door' and 'inexplicable old window screen' that lean up against the corner of my dresser. Lilly had herself a field day smacking at it and chittering before I was able to scoop it into a plastic container and dispatch my roommate to put it outdoors.
(I didn't spare the mouse because I have a soft heart. I understand that the whole 'circle of life' gig very much applies to mice stupid enough to enter cat-infested households. That said, Lilly is an indoor-only cat, and I'd really like to restrict her consumption of California's native wildlife to, I don't know, bugs and arachnids. Things that don't have warm blood and are thus less likely to give her interesting diseases. I know, I know, I'm a lousy excuse for a cat owner. I like my cats alive.)
Because Lilly is one of the most good-natured cats I've ever met, she's already completely over the fact that I took her mouse away, and is now devoting the bulk of her attention to loafing atop my open suitcase and giving me suspicious looks. Methinks the young miss has managed to figure out that I've packed a bit more heavily than is entirely essential for an overnight stay at Kate's.
Ah, cats. They remind us of the important things in life. And, when they're cats like Lilly, they remind me why I don't have children.
Re: Indoor kitty!
October 23 2008, 23:55:33 UTC 8 years ago
Our compromise is to let her wander around outside during the day, then try our best to keep her inside from early evening to morning. (By getting her and the dog inside and closing the dog door when it begins to get dark, leaving the dog door in while we're up, and then closing her in her bathroom and opening the dog door when we go to bed.) She is not overly pleased with this arrangement (She pretty much objects generally to being confined or held for long periods.) Still, we think it reduces the likelihood of her being eaten by a coyote, minimizes the dog peeing in the house (because she was locked in and couldn't get out) or running away (because she was locked out and couldn't get in), and generally seems like the best compromize we're going to manage.
Re: Indoor kitty!
October 29 2008, 15:22:22 UTC 8 years ago