It started with this guy.
Captain Kitty
Captain Kitty
(using Pirate Munchkin as a pillow).
We had a bit of a mouse problem, so we got another cat to help out.
(She doesn't have a pirate name yet, so you'll just have to admire her cuteness without a name.)
We were told she was a good mouser, but she just laid around all the time.
We figured we had a "dud" cat.
Turns out, cat pregnancy is much like human pregnancy - very little energy!
When she started showing, we figured our male must have knocked her up as soon as she came to live with us.
Nope. The kittens came two weeks early - Captain Kitty isn't the kitty "Baby Daddy".
Aren't they cute and tiny?
There were 3 originally. Sadly, the solid gray kitten didn't make it through the first night.
The two tiny, newborn kittens quickly stole our hearts!
They've been growing, as kittens tend to do.
They'll be 6 weeks old on Monday, and they're extremely playful now!
Here's our little female, taking a moment from killing my hand to pose adorably.
Our very fluffy and very ferocious little male.
I often say of him "He's so fluffy, I'm gonna die!!"
We were concerned at first with letting Captain Kitty near the babies.
We had heard male cats will try to kill kittens - especially ones that aren't theirs.
As you can see, we didn't need to worry.
He lets everyone just crawl all over him.
He loves the kittens and they love him!
There was the update.
Now I have to tell you a story.
*Disclaimer: The weak of heart may want to skip this part and go back to looking at the cute kitten pictures.
Tonight, I was watching a movie. Captain Kitty was curled up on my lap sleeping, like he usually does at night when the house is quiet. Our little mama cat was hunting something. I figured it was just a fly, but she was really intent about it. At one point, I heard some rather violent pouncing sounds coming from the corner of the room - almost behind the couch. A few minutes later, she ran past me.
I didn't think much of it until I heard the squeaking noise coming from the bathroom!
The sound woke Captain Kitty, and we went to investigate.
Mama cat had cornered a mouse!
I quickly assessed that she had discovered the mouse behind the couch, caught it, and for some reason carried it off to the bathroom.
Thank goodness, because I could shut the door and make sure it was dealt with in that smaller space!
Let's not even discuss how disturbed I was by the concept that the cat had caught a mouse in my living room! Not in the basement or the attic where I knew we already had a mouse problem, but in my living room! Where my kids play! The room right next to my kitchen!
{shudder}
Anyway, I shut the door and stood guard in front of the doorway. The gap under the door was the only place where I could see it having room to escape.
Captain Kitty stood by and watched as our little mama cat chased the mouse back and forth around the room. A few times, I had to scare it away from the door as it tried to head my way {shudder again}. Eventually, the veteran mouse hunter seemed to get annoyed with her that she wasn't getting the job done.
I realized I could almost hear the conversation going on between them:
Captain Kitty: Here. Let me help you. When the mouse holds still, he's hoping you'll think he's dead and that you'll leave him alone. You need to poke him so he'll move.
Mama: Like this?
CK: Yes. Sometimes I little smack on the head is good too - like this.
(as the mouse scurries back and forth across the room)
CK: Okay, now you're letting it go on too long. He's not getting tired enough. So you grab him like this, (picks the mouse up with his mouth) ann holth him tight in yo teef like thith. (puts the mouse down) Now you try.
M: Crud. He got away again. Hang on. (she catches the mouse and holds it gently in her mouth) Like thith?
CK: I don't think you're crushing down enough with your teeth. Put him down and let me look at him.
(she puts the mouse down and it runs off again)
CK: That's what I thought. You need to hold tighter so you can feel his little bones crushing. Let me grab him again and I'll show you. I'll just injure him a little so you can get the idea. You'll want to do it harder than this when you do it next time. (he catches the mouse again) Now. You wanth to squith him with yo teef fo a few secondth. (puts the mouse down). See how there's a tiny bit of blood and he's laying on his side like that? I only hurt his leg. He's playing chicken. He'll run again in a minute.
(mouse runs away)
M: Okay. I see. (chasing the mouse around the room) Even injured, this guy is fast!
CK: That's why you have to make sure they're really hurt before you put them down.
M: Got him! (grabbing the mouse) So I'm squithing him tighter. I thee whath you mean! I can feelth hith bonth bweaking. (dropping the mouse) How's that?
(mouse is alive, but clearly very injured)
CK: Very good! So now you can play with it if you want or just eat it right away.
Captain Kitty sits by and watches Mama play with the mouse for a while, tossing it in the air, kicking it, biting it for - I'm not kidding - a good ten minutes! I've never really witnessed a cat killing its pray before, but I'd heard what it was like. It was really brutal. Once I knew the mouse wasn't going anywhere, I debated leaving the room, but I was afraid she would take it out of the bathroom and leave it somewhere. If she wasn't going to eat it, I wanted to be able to flush it. Plus I was morbidly fascinated. So I stayed.
Meanwhile, Captain Kitty was still watching her play with the mouse, and started looking annoyed again.
CK: Seriously, are you ever going to eat that thing?
M: (growling) If you're going to act like that, I WON'T save you part like I'd planned.
CK: I'm just saying!
M: (growling again) No. Get out. This one is mine.
And that's when I took Captain Kitty and left the room - closing the door behind us.
I'm proud to say when she started meowing at me to let her out of the bathroom, I was surprised to see that she hadn't left a single trace of that mouse anywhere in the room! Good girl, not making me clean up mouse guts!
And who says living in the country is boring?
