Last night's 'adventure' with a rat...

So I was just about ready to go to sleep last night, when I hear a cat come in through one of the cat doors. Obviously Charlie, from the amount of noise he's making - Leon doesn't have nearly as much to say to the world as this guy! I ignore it to start with, but he keeps on talking, responding when I talk to him quietly from where I am (trying not to wake himself who is sleeping in the next room) but not making any progress otherwise.

Eventually I get up to see what his problem is (being the neurotic little sole that he is, it could have been anything...), to find that he's brought a rat in, and he wants someone to come and take a look. The rat is moving slightly - I've never had to deal with a live rat in the house before, they've always been dead by this stage!

It looks near death's door, so I grabbed a pan and brush from the laundry to scoop it up and chuck it outside, but in that time it has started to come around and move a bit more... I panicked and pinned it down with the brush - but what do I do now?

I'm ashamed to say (not really, but it makes for a better story), I resorted to calling out and waking himself to come and help, while I kept pressure on the beast. He grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and took it outside.

Meanwhile, Charlie is ever-so pleased with himself, and we tell him what a good boy he's been and go back to bed. This is, I might add, after he has eaten his own and half of Leon's dinner earlier in the evening, making up for not showing his face the day before (quite normal for him), so it's not like he was short on food. He had a munch on a few biscuits before also going to bed.

I am *so* tempted to lock the cat doors tonight, LOL!!

 

Originally posted to Facebook 09 March 2018 

There's a possum in my bathroom!

 I told this story in Facebook yesterday. Repeating it here for posterity...

Monday 06 March 2023 

4am - there's a possum in my bathroom! 

I was woken a little while ago by noises out there. Assumed it was one of the cats, but thankfully there was enough light to show me the outline before I got too close - it was hugging the doorframe of the toilet like it was a tree, trying to get away from my approach. 

I closed the door between the bathroom and the rest of the house, and left it to it. Of course, by this time I needed to pee! 

Went back to bed, tried to go to sleep, but that full bladder put a stop to that. There had been no more sounds from the bathroom, so I got brave, got a stick I keep handy, and made lots of noise as I approached the door and opened it. Still no sound of movement, it must have found its way out, either through the cat door or the open window in the toilet. 

All looked fine, except for the door to the toilet being partly shut - I keep it wide open. Checked out the bathroom, then went to deal to the door, figuring the pack of toilet rolls that was in the corner had probably been knocked over behind the door, and that was why the door wasn't opening all the way when I pushed it with the stick. 

But no! When I get closer and turn on the light in there, there's a face looking back at me from on top of that knocked-over pack! Quick retreat, closing the toilet door as I go. 

But at least I now have access to the bathroom, and I'm not too proud to pee into the bath. Relief!  

With that dealt to, my brain could now think a little further... it's time to employ the Timms trap, which I haven't set in the 7 months since he left. I go to fetch that, thinking I'll put it in the bathroom, and am met by Charlie at the back door, wanting to come in - I'd locked the cat door there when I found the bathroom empty, so he couldn't let himself in.  

Charlie knows something is up, so he's under my feet as I go outside to get the trap, then into the kitchen to get an apple. Bloody hell, that's all I need!  

Brain continues to process ideas as I go, so the end result is that the trap is set on the back doorstep, rather than in the bathroom, and I left the back door open, before opening the toilet door a crack (and yes, it's still there watching me!) and closing the bathroom door as I retreated. If nothing else, the possum now has an easy exit, and with luck it will try for the apple on its way out. 

I've heard a few noises while I've been typing this. Haven't heard the trap yet. 

Now Charlie is settled at my feet on the bed, and has the hiccups. Time to try and get back to sleep - there are at least a couple of hours before I want to be awake.  

4:45am - still awake. Still hearing noises, including the sound of biscuits being eaten out of a bowl - and those are on my side of the door! That made me get up to check, but it was Leon, he must have come in the other cat door. Took the stick with me, banging away as I open the door to the bathroom - and see that the toilet door is closed again. The bloody thing is still here! Push the door open a bit with the stick. Can see that things have been disturbed in there, toilet roll off the hook, magazine a bit shredded. Retreat again. 

5:15am - hadn't heard anything for a while, so went to see what I could see. Greeted by Bam, which I hoped meant the possum wasn't there. Toilet door still half-open as I left it. Don't know if it's still there or not! Wasn't prepared to get closer to look behind the door. 

5:30am - there is no possum in the house now. Bam was howling at the closed bathroom door to be let in, so Charlie and I went to investigate. Leon stayed in bed. Couldn't see any changes from the last time I looked. Got brave enough to look behind the toilet door, and there was only the packet of toilet paper there, unlike last time I looked there. The poor thing has peed and pooped in the toilet - at least it was the right room for it, and they poop pellets kinda like sheep and goats, so it's not messy. Back door now closed, cat door is still locked (sorry Bam!), and I'm back in bed. All thought of trying to go back to sleep gone, I'm wide awake

 [Added notes for clarity: Charlie, Leon, and Bam are my cats. Possums are Australian natives and protected in that country, and a pest in New Zealand.]