It was midnight and I'd fallen asleep on the couch. I heard the cat door. "Flap." One of the cats had come through it. "Meowrrff." Most likely it was Purrcy, who sometimes announced his arrival with an "I'm back" meow. Somehow his meow didn't sound quite right.

Purrcy walked in, stopping near the couch. Something was sticking out both sides of his mouth. It took only a few sec­onds to realize what it was. Now I've never regarded my­self as the 'Eeek, a mouse!' sort of person, yet that was exactly my reaction. I screamed. Purrcy was so startled, expecting high praise from me, no doubt, that he dropped the mouse and ran off. The very-much-alive mouse disappeared under the couch.

Distraught and wringing my hands, I wondered how in the world I'd get that mouse out. Then I noticed Crystal, my little snow white huntress, nonpareil, over in a corner still sound asleep even after my scream. Aha, I thought, as I grabbed her, positioned her in front of the couch and tipped it back. Her whiskers twitched once, she pounced on the hapless mouse cow­er­ing there and dashed outside with it.

Quickly I closed the cat door before she could return with the mouse. You see, she brings all her trophies into the living room where she devours everything except the little ground snakes, which are strictly for her amusement.

Later on, deciding it had been long enough, I opened the cat door again. The next morning I found the remains of the small mouse carcass on the carpet. It was Purrcy's first and last mouse offering.

Copyright © Betty Craiglow
April 10, 2004