Of Mice and Men

So Loki (short for Locutus, for those of you who are unfamiliar with this particular feline), Brent's cat, drives me crazy most of the time. Maybe once a week for two minutes he will be adorable, but the rest of the time he is just ANNOYING.

That being said, he is also the most interesting cat I've ever known, and I like him better than any cat I've ever known. I suppose I'm being educated in the ways of cats and I shouldn't be so irked by their elitest attitudes, being rather stuck-up myself ;).

We live next to a rather large empty lot that is overgrown with weeds and whatnot and has become a haven for mice. I'm not sure how many mice live out there, but they are plentiful enough that Loki has no trouble capturing them and bringing them indoors.

Whenever he does this, I feel the urge to curse, and sometimes do. He acts all proud of himself, like he's bestowing a great honor upon me by bringing these things into my house. I get mad at him, and lock him up so I can deal with the mouse without his interference.

Sometimes Loki has played with the mouse enough that it is rather limp and you can tell it's suffering. I feel bad for the poor little thing, but at least that makes it easier to catch. Usually, however, the mice are more than lively and either Loki is very stupid or mice are smarter than we give them credit for, because they usually evade him and me for quite some time.

I'll spare you all the details of my many mouse-catching escapades, but today was the final straw. Today's mouse was quick, but injured, as he left bloody smears all over my kitchen floor, baseboards, and spots of it all over my living room carpet. I spent my morning catching the injured mouse, removing him from my house, then searching all over for bloodstains to wipe up and scrub out of my carpet.

Today I lay down the law! No more open-door policy for the cat! If he goes out, he stays out, until he meows to be let in and can prove to me he's not carrying something wriggly in his mouth! Yuck, yuck, yuck. I'm still slightly wretching at the memory of this morning.