I was so busy this weekend that I don’t feel like I really had much of a weekend. I went to war with the mice in the kitchen, which involved emptying three cabinets, washing most of my dishes, washing said cabinets, and then stuffing the holes I think the mice are coming through with steel wool. I also had to run to Target and the grocery store and do a bunch of research at Special Collections and then, as you know, I’m also trying to get a very rough draft of this story together so that I can see where holes are and where I need more research. Plus some out of town friends were in town and I got to see them.
Also, the stupid orange cat bit me on Friday and I yelled so loud that he exploded off my bed and hid from me for two days. Then, on Sunday, when he finally did come out–though let me also be clear that his “hiding” still involved sleeping with me. He just left my bed when he realized I was awake.–and he seemed kind of stiff and sore and wobbly and I was like, Christ, if that dumbass cat hurt himself leaping off the bed, I’m going to feel so damn terrible.
But he wouldn’t let me touch him to feel if he was in any pain.
So, I sent a text to the Butcher asking him to come by when he got off work. That damn cat was fine. “Oh, hi, The Butcher. You want to give me some head rubs? You want to see me scampering across the house? You want I should leap up on your lap?”
And then, after the Butcher left, the cat came and sat on my lap, like now that I saw how things were, we could be friends again.
I’m like, dude, I’m the one who texted the Butcher! You didn’t bring your big mean man over here to put me in my place and teach me a thing or two about loud yelling. I brought my soft-hearted brother here for a second opinion about your squirrelly behavior.
But you can’t convince him of that.
Tiny Cat Pants 
Cat, they’re so special. One of mine peed right in front of me this morning (with bonus points of managing to pee on a dog too!), but it was my fault. Sigh.
How is it that with 2 cats, you have mice? Lazy, lazy. Also, steel wool is indeed the answer.
I’ve had a cat be the cause of a mouse problem. He came in for supper and carefully spit out the live mouse which ran away. It must have been pregnant or else put out ‘come live here!’ vibes, because it took months to get rid of them.
My cat brought in a mouse too? Why do they do that???
NM, it’s even more insulting than that, because they’re two cats who I know are good mousers. I guess they just assume it’s not their job in the house? I don’t know.
Have you tried telling them, reasonably, that it is their job? I had a cat who cleaned out a 3-story mouse-infested house in half a week, but she started by leaving me dead mice to step on when I got out of bed in the morning. So I told her I didn’t like stepping on dead mice in my bare feet, and the next morning she had left the dead mouse but pulled the rug over it, out of consideration. Sometimes a little suggestion is all they need.
I had to make the opposite request-‘Please do not hide dead mice under the rug because I don’t like the crunching sound/feel when I step on it’. It did work along with ‘don’t eat birds in my bed’, ‘don’t eat squirrels in my bed’ and ‘don’t bring me half a squirrel as a present in the middle of the night’. Cats are very reasonable about some requests.