Through the Cat's Eyes

Through the Cat's Eyes:
A Ca(u)tionary Tale
A Mouse in the House, Part 3

I stared at the shaking bundle of fur through my large green eyes. You know, everyone always comments on my eyes. They say my eyes are my best feature.

There ARE those who disagree-- those who think my little round face and snub nose are adorable. But then, again, there is the school of thought that thinks that my white whiskers stand out so well against my velvety black fur, but most people do tend to like my very large, very green eyes.


It is through these very green eyes that I viewed what happened the day a field mouse entered my house and my life, leaving an indelible mousy gray imprint on me:


There I was, sitting in a closet, next to this very nervous, little gray mouse. As I stared at it, I pondered what I should do next. Well, I KNOW what Nature wants me to do. The mouse and I, after all, are supposed to be natural enemies...mortal enemies. But I don’t feel that way. I’m a friendly, shy little cat.

My ideal lifestyle is one where I can settle in on a soft pillow or cushion on a screened-in porch with just the hint of a breeze to cool me as I dream of sleeping on a screened-in porch with just the hint of a breeze to cool me. Getting the picture? Not only am I not a mouser, I am not in any way aggressive towards any
other creature, large or small.

Oh, sure, I swat half-heartedly at a moth now and again, but that is mainly to keep my Humans, Donna and Walter, happy. They need to see me do something cat-like,(besides sleep, that is!!) once in a while.

The occasional, never-on-target moth-swatting is just for show. I don’t really mean anything by it. I know that, and so do all the moths!


I know what you’re thinking. If I’m so passive, how have I managed to allow myself to get into the situation I found myself in? I’m not quite sure, either. But, this is how I remember the events of that day:


It all started out innocently enough, one day last April. Early, in the wee hours of
the morning, I had just awakened. I was prowling around--looking for another place to nap. I don’t like to spend too much time searching for a new Nap Zone because anything more than 15 minutes of solid awake time can result in Nap
Deprivation, or so I am told. I’m not exactly sure what happens with Nap Deprivation, because I’ve never experienced it. Napping is more than just a part of life for me. It IS a way of life for me.


Anyway, as I was in my “Nap Search” mode, walking from the kitchen to the living room, a small object darted in front of me, rounded the corner, brushing past Lucky, my fellow feline and sometime-sparring partner. Lucky, sound
asleep, grumbled a little bit, but luckily (!) for the “small object”, he was too groggy to do anything about it. It was now all up to me. I took up the chase.


Across the room I bounded, steering the chase towards the steps going to the bedrooms on the next floor. As I drew closer, I realized the “object” was a field mouse. Imagine! A mouse! I recognized it because of the times I’ve played with store-bought, catnip mice. I have a purple one and a green one that has a bell
on it that rings as I toss it about the room. I always knew that those minutes of playtime would come in handy someday!! Except that this mouse was a lot quicker and resisted the idea of being tossed in the air more than its catnip counterparts did. This was not my first encounter with mice, not by a long shot.I’ve even had a couple of run-ins with a computer mouse or two. But nothing I’ve ever done could prepare me for this.


The chase was on, and up the stairs and down the hall we raced. I really dislike high-speed chases, and this was beginning to take on some serious overtones.

The thought flashed through my mind about what action I would take should I happen to catch this intrepid interloper. I decided that as long as the chase didn’t turn into anything more serious, it would be OK.

Turning right, we headed right into my Humans’ bedroom. Wait! The mouse quickly veered to the left. The wall is coming right at me! Before I could react, I slammed into it at full speed, leaving me a bit dazed and with a large headache.


The noise from me crashing into the wall awakened Donna and now she began to scream as loud as she could. I don’t know what SHE’S screaming about--I’M the one in the midst of a pursuit that I really don’t want any part of. Her screams are doing nothing to help me, or my headache, for that matter.


Now in the bathroom, the mouse and I were running back and forth, just like I’ve seen in cartoons on TV. Does Life imitate Art, or what????!!!

Walter is coming towards the bathroom! Gee, I hope he can help me out here...my heart is really not in this. Chasing the mouse was only a passing fancy. And now, it’s developing into a...situation! It was never meant to showcase my hunting instincts. Which is a good thing, since I never really developed any!!


Walter stepped in between the mouse and me, trying to close the bathroom door! Ohmigosh! Apparently, he wants ME to take care this... by myself!! What is a peace-loving cat to do?


Whew! The mouse escaped--back into the bedroom, where the screaming is louder than ever. I think I’ll hang back, and pretend like I’m checking to make doubly sure that the mouse isn’t in here, although the renewed round of screams almost is a guarantee as to where the mouse has retreated.


I have “pest-controlled” the bathroom, and rid it of the mouse. This is kind of a victory
for me. Victory-- one room at a time. I’m pretty proud of myself.


In the other room, there was much confusion, much screaming, some shouting. I heard hurried footsteps, so it seemed as though there was some chasing going on.

I assumed all this, because I was too afraid to look. Everyone’s doing something. Everyone but me. Maybe in the midst of this confusion, I can sneak out of here, and pretend that this never happened. No, that won’t work. Maybe I’ll come back, and act as though I just happened upon the scene for the first time. No, that won’t work, either. I’ve already been seen. I’m not thinking clearly.

Panic is the driving force behind me now. I’ve got to calm down a bit. If I do compose myself, I’ll be the only calm one here--besides Lucky, that is.


In the meantime, I heard Walter trying to cajole Lucky into coming up here:
“Come on, Lucky... Lucky...let’s go catch us a mouse!..” I guess he doesn’t have much confidence in me. That spurred me on to do more than anything else could have. Lucky proved to be a no-show, so I still had a chance to redeem
myself.


Somehow, I suddenly found myself in the second bedroom. From what my Humans were shouting, the mouse apparently sought refuge somewhere in here.

It was time for a nap, so I decided that, after a little shut-eye, I would look around and see if I could find the little gray troublemaker.

Scanning the room quickly, I don’t see the mouse, and I don’t see any way for me to get out of this situation. Perhaps some sleep would provide the solution. Having decided upon
a course of action, (or inaction, if you will) I searched for a spot to lay low until
this whole thing blew over. Hmmm. There was a spot behind the shoes in the closet that looked as though it would be an ideal place for such a welcome interlude.


Jumping over the shoes, and into the back corner of the closet, I figured I’d settle in quietly until I could deputize Lucky. We could then team up for a search-and-rescue mission and perhaps escort the little rodent out of the house
without anything resembling violence taking place.That was the goal: to end this nightmarish episode as peacefully as possible.


Imagine my surprise when, after my leap over the shoes, I was almost face-to face with my little tormentor. I was sharing my secret hiding place with none other than the elusive mouse!! Our paths continued to cross,despite my best efforts to avoid such confrontations.


The poor mouse was shaking badly. I felt a strong sense of camaraderie with him, since I was pretty scared myself.

What to do next? I couldn’t think. First, I thought I should take stock of my situation. But, there was no time. Everything was happening much too quickly for that. Right now, taking stock was not an option.


Walter returned to the room, but still without Lucky. Instead, he carried a shoebox. I fervently hoped that that would be my mode of transportation out of this room, and out of this predator-vs.-prey predicament.

My thoughts were interrupted by my Walter’s voice, who was again narrating his every move throughout the room to Donna, who was still screaming, but not as loudly, in the other room. Thank goodness, she was running out of scream!!


“I haven’t found the mouse yet, or Poker, either, for that matter,” I heard Walter reporting. “They’re not under the bed...or the dresser..........or the shelves.”

I looked over at the mouse crouched down near me. He was really as shaken by this whole cat-mouse experience as I was. But, who says we have to be foes?

Maybe we can forget thousands of years of natural animosity and begin anew. After all, every problem can be resolved one step at a time.


My plan was flawless in its conception, but less so in its implementation. My Humans ruined everything. I was just about to extend my paw in friendship to the mouse when Walter stuck his arm into the closet and pushed aside the clothes.

I sat straight up and looked directly at Walter, trying to look self-possessed, and calm, as if everything was going according to some sort of planned-out timetable.

Yes, I needed to appear calm, even though a million thoughts were tumbling around inside my head, such as: Should I bolt? Maybe the mouse and I can work this relationship thing out later. Should I stay? Maybe this will look
like I cornered the mouse...even though I’m the one in the corner!


Too late! Walter not only found us, but he found us to be a source of humor. Laughing almost too hard to speak, he found it difficult to describe the scene in the closet to Donna. But, soon, too soon, he found the words.


Naturally, he had it wrong, all wrong. He said that the mouse had cornered me! That was not
only incorrect, but it was also impossible--mainly, because the mouse was in here first!

And, not only was it impossible, it was implausible, mainly because everyone knows that cats chase mice. It’s just in our nature. We can’t help ourselves, we can’t help our ancestral lines that link us directly to the likes of the Big Cats and Saber-tooth Tigers. It’s just that my ancestral lines are more
directly linked to the Cowardly Lion of “Oz” fame.


I was sitting up straight and tall, looking proudly and directly at Walter. My chest puffed out, I looked for all the world like the Cat Who Caught Her Prey.

At least, that’s what I thought I looked like, and what I now wanted to portray. My Humans thought it singularly funny how I handled this whole mouse situation--not that they did anything to help! But I won’t go into that right now. Suffice it to say that Walter scooped up the mouse and took him away, laughing all the while.


There I was, left behind, all alone and with nothing much to show for my day’s adventures. No mouse. No dramatic ending. No pats on the back for me. But that’s OK--as far as the mouse catching goes, there will be a next time. And I’ll prove myself then...well, I can dream, can’t I??

After all, I still have my very green eyes that I can close, and my cushion upon which I can dream, on the screened-in porch with just a hint of a breeze to cool me.