Midnight surprise

[Mumsgirls]

Nearly asleep, felt something on my hair, then a nip on my finger. Jumping up in alarm, saw a small mouse run across the bed. Much too fast to catch, I locked it in my room and departed for a night on the couch. The presumed guilty party, my twelve year old boy Eric, is snoring on his cushion, oblivious to my trauma.
He will be earning his keep in the morning!

Oh no haha that must have been a shock! I'm not afraid of mice but would have jumped out my skin!! If I had been a spider I'd have passed out😅

Oh I'm sad, I thought it was going to be newborn kittens

The last feline 'midnight surprise' I had was when my elderly cat had done a poo on my pillow.

@VampireTheBuffetSlayer

Oh I'm sad, I thought it was going to be newborn kittens

One of my cats once gave birth to 4 kittens on my head/pillow whilst I was fast asleep

I was hoping for kittens too 😀

I would have preferred kittens lol. Have shut Eric in the room while it is still dark to see if he will do the business. I cannot sleep in there till I find it. Think I am going to have to take everything out until I find it and there is a lot in there, both winter and summer stuff and spare bedding. That’s my lazy Saturday gone. Thanks Eric.

Poo on the pillow would be pretty bad, but easy to get rid off. I am not that scared of mice, but the thought of it running on my face in the night! The little blighter was quite bold. Off to check progress

I was also hoping for kittens! 1

My cat likes to wake me up to the sound of crunching as he eats his mouse next to the bed...

I have two other cats who aren't so good at hunting and let their live prey go in the house...

Things I've learnt about catching mice:

1. Mice like to stick to 'cover' when moving. They'll run under furniture or along the skirting boards where it feels safest. You can take advantage of this by putting boxes in strategic places (edge against a wall so they can't slip past) and shooing them towards it.

2. A small towel is invaluable for cornering and picking up if you can. I've caught many mice with this technique.

3. Don't rely on the cats to help. They're usually useless!

Eugh, yuk! That would be my worst nightmare. I got woken up by Cheddar puking on my bed the other night.

One of my cats likes to catch mice and hide them in my work boots. 4 times I’ve only discovered them when I’ve felt them with my toes.

I should have learned by now 😂

I thought you had stepped in cat puke on the way to the lav.

What evidence do you have that mousie is Eric's doing?

Eric could actually be rescuing you.

I thought you had woken up to a cat next to you even though you don‘t own a cat ☺️

Eric producing kittens would have been an even bigger surprise imo.

Poo on the pillow must have been horrid. Put Eric in the room this morning and he fell asleep. Trying again when it starts to go dark as he should be alert then. Otherwise have to try traps. Spent ages moving stuff out, this has precipitated a big spring clean. Chief mouser has spent the day on a cushion. Have told him there will be no treats if he does not help out.
Life with a cat eh! He is 12, thought the had slowed up.

Your dcat is very cunning op.. He has just bagged himself a double bed for the foreseeable future!!

Thanks for tips Poppins, Will need them. Eric may be blameless, but I had no mice in ten years here before I got him. He has brought them in before, but luckily saw him and took action. This week due to a family crisis he had to be fed and left, for the last year I have been here. 24/7.
Thinking he has got bored and made his own entertainment. Don’t think I can sleep in my bed until I or Eric get it.
Joys of being a cat slave

Yes a neutered male birthing kittens would have been something. I have put him in my bedroom for the night on mousing duty. I think a mouse in a boot would have freaked me out. See what tonight brings, spare room for me with a towel behind the door.
Eric was named for the great Eric Morecambe and is quite a character

Laughed at the double bed! He is quite clever! Bit of a split personality, purring and cuddles couple of times each day, yet can lash out. I took him on a couple of years ago, when family member had to move into a flat. He settled immediately and seems to have a perfect cat life and with covid I have been mostly here. He has got me trained up, so outbursts now rare. Think latest mouse event was boredom and cat nature when he had to be left alone. He really does love to be with me ,

Has Eric successfully re-captured his mouse, yet?!

No sign Poppins, have had a word. Meanwhile I am in the spare bedroom. Daughters have named the mouse Fivel after the film mouse when they were small. Lol. Everyone most amused at my trauma.

I hope that Fivel is being fed little morsels?

You can also get humane mouse traps.

I suspect though that Fivel did a runner before you bricked up your room.

That's an excellent name.

If you try humane traps (or, umm, the alternative), peanut butter is brilliant for tempting mice.

I hate to say it, but I'm in agreement with @YetAnotherSpartacus, Fivel is probably no longer in your bedroom!

Thanks all. No sign of Fivel, so think he must have departed. Just need the courage to move back from the spare room now. Might let Eric sleep on my bed to guard me. He is usually locked downstairs, as he can be a pest at silly o’ clock. Think I will be sleeping with one eye open for a while.

Ds called me to his room one Xmas night. A mouse was trying to drag a Twix into a hole in the skirting board! 6 of us lay on ds's bed and watched!!
Then it appeared in the front room when we were sat watching TV. I bought a humane trap after our dcat legged it... Never saw it again!! Humane trap with choc spread in.. May put your dcat out of a job. But let's be fair he is ruddy rubbish!!

He is rubbish, he is twelve though, so I thought he might be slowing up. He brought in two dead mice last spring then nothing since. Will try to post a photo as I know litter trey people can it have enough cat pictures. He is a handsome old boy. Despite his performance failure as a mouser, he has kept me sane during lockdown