AMBER LOVE 17-MAY-2021 This work is supported by the generous backers who adore my cat stories at Patreon.com/amberunmasked and they also get first access to what’s happening with my books and podcast.
Since one commentator on YouTube was upset with one of the videos of Gus killing a vole, allow me to have this disclaimer:
Gus is a domestic feline who still requires stimulation, play, hunting (real or pretend), rest, food, and veterinary care. He gets all this in a loving home in the suburbs. We have pests. As his human companion, I would much rather have Gus on the job hunting the rodents than allowing the elder human to capture them in painful, torturous ways such as glue traps or poison. Poison is even more uncontrollable because any animal including insects and scavenging birds who eat a rodent killed by poison will then also have to digest the poison which could be lethal to them as well. I’m vegetarian and believe in non-harming (Ahimsa), but I also believe animals are meant to have instincts. I don’t agree with the “circus” style training that goes on unless an animal is in show biz and has a relatively good life. Elephants don’t need to paint or perform tricks. Skunks shouldn’t be de-scented. And domestic cats are not meant to use toilets instead of litter boxes. Gus and Oliver live extremely pampered lives with humans who care for them and love them deeply.
Where We Left Off:
The Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency celebrated a momentous visitation by a bobcat.
Hickory, Dickory, Dock:
The Sun was in Taurus, the Moon in Leo, and the Fourth House — where we lay down our roots and that which we consider our concept of “home” — was in Pisces. Perhaps none of that means anything. Or perhaps it means that the beings within the walls of the physical home structure (in this case, a house in NJ) utilize the walls as barriers to block out other people and things. Sadly, due to industrialization and urban sprawl, inside the walls is no longer a quiet sanctuary for anyone. Oliver and Gus do their best in keeping small intruders out. This is such a case:
On April 21, 2021 around 3AM, Gus delivered a house mouse to the bedroom. I got out of bed and gave the necessary “good boy” whispers. I reached for the empty jar next to my dresser in order to begin the process of trying to get the still living rodent away from Gus. He kept it clenched in his jaws, did a lap around the room, and then made me pursue him down stairs. We ended up in the dark dining room.
I had to kneel on the uncomfortably hard slate stones of the floor and crawl under the table. Gus stayed against the stone wall on the far side. Every time I inched closer, he moved away. We ended up back at the bottom of the staircase. I asked nicely, “Gus, please put it down so I can catch it.” He sat up on his hind legs and boxed the mouse while it was still in his teeth. Oliver was next to him watching with a mesmerized gaze.
Naturally, Gus ran up the stairs and we had a repeat of the pursuit. I can’t even remember how many times we did this. Eventually Gus released the critter in the bedroom and I was able to scoop it up. The mouse was wet with cat saliva but otherwise appeared to be okay. It was stunned and confused obviously, probably wondering what this giant was going to do to it.
The mouse was willing to give some details about its identity and what it had been up to for weeks before being caught.
His name is Nigel Chapman and has lived an upper class life in the basement annex with friends. They have easy access to the outdoors (he would not divulge where this egress is located). The mouse friends also like to challenge each other with games much like the outdoor voles and their unsanctioned sporting activities. Nigel was trying to gather three items to win their scavenger hunt. We were not privy to the list of items during this interrogation. It didn’t seem important so the cats and I moved on with a plan to release Nigel away from the house and hope he find new quarters somewhere else.
I slipped on a pair of shoes and fumbled to find the flashlight setting on my phone because I didn’t feel like carrying the Maglight outside. I walked the mouse across the street and released it at the edge of a parking lot which borders on preserved county land. It also happened to be next to a camping trailer and BBQ food truck so if the mouse found its way into a gluttonous heaven, it would be someone else’s problem.
I took a couple photos to see if there were any distinguishing features of this particular intruder. What stood out the most was the slender length of the snout and pure black glossy eyes like polished obsidian. It had adorable pink paws and oval ears. Gus managed to avoid causing serious injury. Its tail was approximately two-thirds the length of its body. Its belly fur was lighter in color and appeared white at most glances.
The Cook had spent a couple weeks cleaning out her amassed treasures in the basement annex. She found plenty of evidence of mouse activity from their scavenger hunt. Some items had to be thrown away.
Case Findings:
Nigel Chapman, a relatively average sized house mouse, was caught and captured by Guster Nabu under the supervision of Oliver Winchester. Nigel confessed that he and his friends were having a scavenger hunt which involved stealing items from The Cook’s storage boxes and bags. Nigel was successfully released in the middle of the night and we hope he stays away.
Case Status: Closed