Mouse!

Let me preface this story with, I live in the country folks. 

So I was in my bathroom this morning when I saw something MOVING in the bathtub!  Now I was the only member of my household who was awake, a bit alarmed I turned my attention to the movement and saw a small brown mouse jumping up and down IN THE BATHTUB.  I stopped brushing my teeth and ran to get the cat.  By the time I came back with the cat, the mouse was nowhere to be seen.  The cat was decidedly UNIMPRESSED. 

A washcloth had fallen into the tub and I thought I saw it move.  So I was fairly certain that the mouse was hiding under the washcloth.  I couldn’t reach the washcloth from outside the bathtub and there was no stick in the room.  If I left the room in search of a stick the cat would leave too.  So I gathered up my courage, got INTO the bathtub and with just two fingers, lifted the washcloth.  The mouse ran out from underneath TOWARDS me!  Folks, I’m not sure how I moved so fast but in an instant I was magically out of the bathtub and had the cat in my hands!  I put her in the bathtub and she lazily looked at the mouse.  Then she looked at me like, “What’s the big deal mom?  It’s just a mouse.” “Lyla, CATCH IT!!” I said to the cat. 

Just then the mouse moved.  Now it’s a toy!  The cat went into hyper-focus and chased the mouse all around the bathtub before catching it by its tail.  The poor mouse squeaked in terror as it wiggled with all it’s might to get free!  A few seconds later, it plopped onto the bathtub floor and started to run.  Now the cat is not playing.  Lightening fast, she caught the mouse by the body this time and proceeded to jump out of the tub, mouse in mouth. “Whew” I think, “Crisis averted.”. 

The mouse squeaked again and the stupid cat LET IT GO!!  The mouse ran and got behind the epsom salt where the cat looked for it for a NANOSECOND before walking away.  Thoroughly disgusted with my cat, I move the epsom salt into the tub and move the cat to where she can see the mouse.  The cat just pawed at the mouse.  Tap, tap, tap, finally the mouse moves.  It ran to the other side of the bathroom and hid behind the plunger and toilet bowl cleaner.  The cat, interest renewed, started hunting it.   Her ears twitch, her tail slashes as she laser focuses on her prey.  Pounce!  She missed and the mouse ran under the sink.  The cat can’t fit under the sink so she started pawing at the mouse again.  The mouse, knowing it had won stayed put.  The cat lost interest again. 

So I just left the bathroom and closed the cat in there with the mouse.  Hopefully her primal instinct will kick in and she’ll catch the fuzzy intruder.