Mouse Rescue

It all started innocently enough. I was simply going downstairs to do some laundry, that cat following faithfully in my wake.

I was enjoying the quietness of the house, being home alone for most of the day and was looking forward to getting some of my "to-do's" done.

Laundry being one of them.

I'm filling up the washer when suddenly Lyon the cat starts darting around the boxes on the floor. I didn't really pay any attention, thinking the noise of the washing machine had just made him hyper, when he pounced on something and stalked quickly out of the room.

Uh oh. I thought. I wasn't afraid of mice and I hadn't even seen it in his jaws, so it must be a little mouse, even if it was a mouse.

I followed Lyon to the family room and getting a bit closer I noticed a mouse tail. So it was a mouse! Lyon looked up at me triumphantly, and I was about to leave him to his meal - he did catch it after all, and if he ate it, it would mean less clean-up for me - when suddenly the little mouse darted away from Lyon and straight at me.

Ashamedly, I did what I always mocked women for doing - I screamed bloody murder and tried to climb the nearest bar stool.
Lyon was quick though, and in no time he had the mouse back under his paws, and giving me a condescending look.

I made a face back at him and watched for the next 5 minutes as he played "catch and release" with this tiny mouse who couldn't be more then 2 inches long, including his tiny tail.

Finally, more out of worry of Lyon losing the mouse, then killing it - I decided to finish the job myself.
I walked back to the laundry room thinking: Why is there never a man around to do this stuff?? and tried to find a small box to trap mouse in.

The plan was simple, catch in box, bring outside, smush with Jeremie's work boot. Done.

I couldn't find any small boxes, so I ended up grabbing an old-school pencil box. It was small and plastic, should work right?
Bravely, I crouched near Lyon and after a few mis-fires had the little mouse under my box.
My triumph lasted very shortly however, when I realized I had no idea how to pick the mouse up! The pencil box had a hinged lid - I couldn't close the box without letting little mouse out.

So! I ran back to the laundry room and ripped off a piece of cardboard, figuring I could slide the cardboard under the pencil box and little mouse and carry him outside.
But no matter how I tried, mouse would not get on top of the cardboard.

I lifted the box up just enough for a peek.

That was my undoing. I saw little mouse, cowering in the corner shaking, his little beady eyes looking right at me, blinked once, then he let out the tiniest little squeak.

Oh, SO not fair! Don't look so cute at me - you're vermin! But no matter how much mean-talking I did, I knew I couldn't kill little mouse anymore.
Sighing, I told little mouse that if he stepped on the cardboard, I'd take him outside and release him...beside my neighbours house.

Well, he stepped right on and we made a quick jog to the front door, where I went out into the front yard, in my pajama's and crouched beside a shrub fence.

He was a little shell-shocked, all of a sudden being in the sunlight and fresh air, but after a little nudge with the box he darted off into the grass.

"And don't come back!" I told him.

- Jenny :)