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Where We Left Off:

Our last case revealed that the neighbors may have even more unique animals than we were initially led to believe.

**WARNING: this case includes photos of an injured chipmunk, but it survived.**

Catch Me If You Can:

Gus and Oliver have been much more energetic now that it’s not a steady 90ºF. It’s still quite warm at points in the day, but not without a break at night. I still need my air conditioner sometimes so it’s not quite chilly enough for me. Nonetheless, we had reached September and thus, it was declared by all witches and pumpkin spice lovers to be Fall!

To be honest, the day this actually posts, it will be the day after the Autumn Equinox—or Mabon. Therefore, as you read this, it technically is Fall anyway.

With the abundance of energy that the cat detectives have had, they put some of it to good use. On August 31st in the pre-dawn hours, Oliver caught a mouse inside the house. Three days later, Gus caught one at 2AM. The Butler was here that night and he took custody of the rodent. He placed it in the “Transportation Unit” and released it into the Witness Protection Program. I didn’t have any opportunities to footage of those events.

Ollie has been doing a stellar job on both indoor and outdoor surveillance. He’s been enjoying patrols again which is truly nice to see. It sucks when strange cats come by and ruin that for him. He’s also back to spending more time on the balcony where he can get a 180º view from the formal section (Gus and I can get even more of the vista by climbing onto the roof).

‘Tis Hunting Season

This deer shown below is why I was distracted from watching Gus more closely.

Felines—whether feral or domesticated adventure cats—do not succumb to any calendar dates for their hunting activities. Oliver, Gus, and those intruding strays are on the prowl. This only becomes a problem for us when Gus gets an off-limits critter like a chipmunk or squirrel.

What Are the Rules?

The Grumpy Old Man will do just about anything to get rid of mice, voles, moles, shrews – things that cause some kind of damage to the house, trailer, garage, cars, or his lawn. What I try to do is get critters away from Gus if it looks like he hasn’t hurt them. I have a jar called the Transportation Unit to release mice caught in the house and send them to the Witness Protection Program. The mice really wrecked our mobile command unit though. It’s been in a facility in another state for repairs. The damage is probably half the cost of the entire trailer because everything has to be customized.

Squirrels and other critters can, of course, create damage. They’re kind of infamous for it. It’s how pest control businesses make their money. Hopefully, those companies will do their best to trap and release animals these days, but I was reading some horrible methods allowed by New Jersey to eliminate what humans consider a threat. Squirrels haven’t been on The Grumpy Old Man’s radar that I’m aware of.

What Happened This Time?

You’ve seen what mice can do and why there are on the Most Wanted list.

By now you know how seriously Ollie and Gus take their jobs at the estate. It might not appear to be so when they sleep for 20 hours a day. Thank you for reading this far. The nitty-gritty version is: Gus caught another chipmunk.

Don’t panic!

Victimology:

Information Take-In:

• Species: Eastern Chipmunk
• Name/Street Name: unknown at the time of capture and release
• General Age/Stage in Life: Adult
• Residence/Frequently Spotted Locations: Roadside border from the woods to Oliver’s patio which includes Gnome Grove

The Investigation

Gus caught the chipmunk once. Lost it. Then caught the same poor chipmunk for a second time within 10 minutes. It gets stunned but runs away. I wasn’t able to put on gloves and catch the chipmunk for an examination. Based on the running after being in shock, I think it’ll heal up quickly.

After all these years, I’ve learned how sturdy they are. Not just cute. Also mighty tanks with fur. They are resilient. I’ve seen them with that dopey, dazed wobble before, and it’s wild how quickly they bounce back. There’s something unique about them. I’m sure she’s out there. I put apology seeds and peanuts down the hole.

In the video you’ll be able to see why I couldn’t help as quickly. A deer was approaching and I didn’t want to scare her. Maybe that was stupid of me and I should have run to help as soon as possible. Maybe then she wouldn’t have sustained the injuries she did. Despite my delayed reaction, the road bordering chipmunks have been back since that fateful day.

Gus managed to snag one of them yet again, but on September 19, 2024, I was walking back from snack distribution to find Gus standing in the grass with something in his mouth. He was looking around for a human to impress. Instead, he found me and I made him release the chipmunk. It darted directly into the tomatoes. I don’t think it suffered any injuries at all other than being squeezed a bit hard. Gus likes to play with his prey so that’s why they normally stand an excellent chance of being released alive.

Sadly, Tami Sneakers was murdered by Gus in July this year. That leaves Ada Holestein, Callie Thorne, and Pipi Lansbury as the most likely chipmunks on our victim identification board.

Case Findings:

Oliver conducted an Internal Investigation by reviewing the footage and questioning his partner, Gus. Based on the description, scent profile, and vocalizations, Ollie came to the conclusion that Gus had captured Pipi Lansbury.

Gus and Pipi have gone head-to-head and toe-to-toe many times. I’m personally grateful that she has been a resilient little critter.

Pipi has never asked for compensatory damages, but she’s always been left with “apology peanuts” and birdseed after an attack.

Case Status: Closed