Casey at the Bat

The mouse problem has continued, intermittently. I really thought we had the problem solved when my parents came down and we found some small holes in the closet under the stairs. But low and behold, about 10 days ago, my favorite feline brought me a dead baby mouse. In the middle of the night, of course.

I thought I handled that one well. She carried it down the stairs for me, and I was able to use some cardboard in the trash to dispose of it. And I only let out a minor scream once. And it only took me three tries to get the mouse on the cardboard and into the trash can. I then forced myself not to deal with the thought again.

Until the past few days....when she's been suspiciously nosing around the closet under the stairs. In fact, upon my return from Richmond/Baltimore on Sunday, she wouldn't leave the bottom stair. I broke down last night and called my landlord.

That sweet 78-year-old man walked over in the rain and helped me empty everything from the closet (bins, the Christmas tree, small boxes, etc) and what did we find? Absolutely nothing. So there he stood, in the middle of my kitchen, scratching his head, flashlight still in hand -- when what do I hear? Casey scratching at something.

I looked in the closet and she was digging at the wall. Tony crawled back in, and found it. You couldn't see it if you were standing in the front of the closet, but down on his belly, with his head under the bottom stair, he saw a small hole. Clever kitty.

He used foam filler and filled the hell out of the hole and the areas around it. He sealed stuff that didn't need sealing. And now I feel much better.

Of course, the contents of my closet are still in the middle of the dining room and living room. I wanted to wait for the foam to dry. I'll deal with putting it all away tonight. Or tomorrow. Or over the weekend.

And so the mouse mystery at 105 #3 is solved, thanks to a very clever kitty, and a very understanding and patient landlord.