.Every time we are about to leave town for any amount of time, something always seems to happen to make the going a little more interesting and difficult. This has previously shown up in the form of crayons in the dryer while trying to finish laundry before a trip. This has shown up in the form of pickles and sick little girl before a trip. This time it involved squirrels and a cat... before a trip.
About a week ago we added a couple new members to our family (given to us by our friends Alta and Kevin)- a couple of degus squirrels (http://www.erodent.co.uk/DeguInfo.htm) by the name of Mike and ChiChi. The are cute little critters, although Mike is the only one the kids really want to hold as ChiChi has a reputation for being a biter. We all like them, but one of our family has gone beyond "liking" them. Anikan, our cat, has REALLY taken to them. He watches them like the food network. He lays there for hours- it's really a little disturbing to see him transform into such a heavy breathing stalker. Thankfully their cage (aquarium style) has a screen on the top, so any ideas of squirrel kitty snacks have not been attainable up to this point.
I noticed yesterday that the side of the screen had a small hole in it. This did not surprise me at all since Anikan has taken to laying on their cage to peer down at them and salivate at any opportunity (which is whenever we aren't around to scold him). Very naughty kitty. Most of the time my first indication he was laying on the cage would be Mike squeaking indignantly at him. Anikan has gotten extra fat this winter, so that also probably added some extra strain to the screen. The final straw happened last night. I missed the whole drama- for once I was the heavy sleeper, and Derrick was the one being annoyed by the cat. He said he heard crashing around in the kitchen, and Anikan making crazy noises. When he went into the kitchen, Ani had broken through the screen finally and was looking for his midnight snack. Derrick foiled his plot at the last second, I'm sure much to Anikan's chagrin.
This morning I found Mike and ChiChi safe in my bathroom with a large book and my bathroom scale on top of their cage to keep them in. The screen is pretty much toast. I figured they were pretty safe in the bathroom, so I left them in there. I got the kids up and ready for school, and then did my hour on the treadmill. When I walked through my bedroom to my bathroom, I noticed a little movement out from the corner of my eye. It was Mike, creeping into my closet.
I freaked out a little- Alta and Kevin had warned us about the Degus skill at chewing through pretty much anything. I had visions of returning from Maui to a closet of chewed up clothes and dead squirrels. To add to the stress of the situation, I was already running late for work and this was sure to put me over the time limit. I checked the cage in the bathroom- sure enough, ChiChi was also missing. Mike was actually pretty easy to catch, but ChiChi was IMPOSSIBLE. She was under the bed, then behind my shelf, the behind the dresser. I chased her around and around. I found a longish stick, so I started poking it at her, trying to herd her towards a corner. It was me versus squirrel, and the squirrel was winning. Then she disappeared. I continued poking around with my stick, under the bed, behind the dresser for another five minutes or so before deciding to try to take a quick shower and also her to feel safe again before another game of pursuit. When I went into the bathroom, there she was waiting by her cage. I am hoping that when I get home from work they haven't escaped again and found there was into our heating duct or crawl space.
OK. So, before we leave tomorrow, add trying to find a cage strong enough to keep our massive cat away from our escape artist squirrels. We'll figure out something- one way or the other we are OUTTA HERE (To Maui!!!)!!!
About a week ago we added a couple new members to our family (given to us by our friends Alta and Kevin)- a couple of degus squirrels (http://www.erodent.co.uk/DeguInfo.htm) by the name of Mike and ChiChi. The are cute little critters, although Mike is the only one the kids really want to hold as ChiChi has a reputation for being a biter. We all like them, but one of our family has gone beyond "liking" them. Anikan, our cat, has REALLY taken to them. He watches them like the food network. He lays there for hours- it's really a little disturbing to see him transform into such a heavy breathing stalker. Thankfully their cage (aquarium style) has a screen on the top, so any ideas of squirrel kitty snacks have not been attainable up to this point.
I noticed yesterday that the side of the screen had a small hole in it. This did not surprise me at all since Anikan has taken to laying on their cage to peer down at them and salivate at any opportunity (which is whenever we aren't around to scold him). Very naughty kitty. Most of the time my first indication he was laying on the cage would be Mike squeaking indignantly at him. Anikan has gotten extra fat this winter, so that also probably added some extra strain to the screen. The final straw happened last night. I missed the whole drama- for once I was the heavy sleeper, and Derrick was the one being annoyed by the cat. He said he heard crashing around in the kitchen, and Anikan making crazy noises. When he went into the kitchen, Ani had broken through the screen finally and was looking for his midnight snack. Derrick foiled his plot at the last second, I'm sure much to Anikan's chagrin.
This morning I found Mike and ChiChi safe in my bathroom with a large book and my bathroom scale on top of their cage to keep them in. The screen is pretty much toast. I figured they were pretty safe in the bathroom, so I left them in there. I got the kids up and ready for school, and then did my hour on the treadmill. When I walked through my bedroom to my bathroom, I noticed a little movement out from the corner of my eye. It was Mike, creeping into my closet.
I freaked out a little- Alta and Kevin had warned us about the Degus skill at chewing through pretty much anything. I had visions of returning from Maui to a closet of chewed up clothes and dead squirrels. To add to the stress of the situation, I was already running late for work and this was sure to put me over the time limit. I checked the cage in the bathroom- sure enough, ChiChi was also missing. Mike was actually pretty easy to catch, but ChiChi was IMPOSSIBLE. She was under the bed, then behind my shelf, the behind the dresser. I chased her around and around. I found a longish stick, so I started poking it at her, trying to herd her towards a corner. It was me versus squirrel, and the squirrel was winning. Then she disappeared. I continued poking around with my stick, under the bed, behind the dresser for another five minutes or so before deciding to try to take a quick shower and also her to feel safe again before another game of pursuit. When I went into the bathroom, there she was waiting by her cage. I am hoping that when I get home from work they haven't escaped again and found there was into our heating duct or crawl space.
OK. So, before we leave tomorrow, add trying to find a cage strong enough to keep our massive cat away from our escape artist squirrels. We'll figure out something- one way or the other we are OUTTA HERE (To Maui!!!)!!!
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