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Registered: ‎04-19-2010

Cat owners too!  I have found dead birds, dead mice and chipmunks, and one horrible day, a mouse head and what I think was the heart.  My two now don't go outside.  


-- pro-aging --


Rochester, New York
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@Shanus. I started blocking my dog door at night when I had reason to believe mice were coming in.  I've had no trouble since I started blocking the door.  It also occured to me that a skunk, coyote or raccoon could also come in.  Had a friend who had a roaming opossum come in the dog door and get in the mechanism of their sleeper sofa.  They had quite a time getting it out.

 

In this part of the country, we worry about pets bringing home something with bubonic plague, primarily prairie dogs.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment
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A friend of mine has a doggy door that she would leave open at night.  One morning she woke up to a raccoon sitting in her kitchen.


The Bluebird Carries The Sky On His Back"
-Henry David Thoreau





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@gizmogal wrote:

Most doggie doors have a some kind of lock for the flap to keep it from swinging in or out. That way  you can decide when the pet has access to go outside. Why not lock the door at night so Molly stays inside. 

 

I like your theory that the rabbit died of fright. No doubt, Molly will not be confessing to any complicity. 

 

I doubt if the rabbit was ill or infected. No likelihood of rabies, but ticks or fleas are a consideration. Rabies shots maintain immunity between booster intervals. The vet’s inoculation certificate should tell you how long until the rabies shot is no longer effective. But have the vet check Molly so you have peace of mind. Dispose of the rabbit well wrapped and in a closed container or feral animals might try to get at it. 

 

I would have had a hard time seeing that surprise on the floor. You’re remarkably calm in your narrative.  Block or lock the pet door is my best take on this. 


 

@gizmogal   Somewhat calm. Coming off of a house break-in last weekend, finding a dead rabbit on the kitchen floor is disgusting, but certainly not as stress provoking. 

 

Honored Contributor
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@Kachina624  Molly’s door has a tough plastic-like material that swings in and out. It is rather difficult even for her to push it open or come back in. She used to have to help dear old weak Sadie in her later months. Molly rarely goes outside at night...She “potties up” before bedtime and sleeps with us most nights. Rarely jumps down since it’s a high brass bed. She must have had a lot of water before 11PM. That’s happened to me, too. 😜

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@Shanus    I have a doggie door also. I lock mine at night. Krypto is too old to jump through it but Snickers has the option in daylight. 

   A friend had a schnauzer killed at night in their fenced yard by a raccoon. There have also been coyotes that can jump fences. Horned owls are in the woods and huge buzzards. The night is alive with animals!

     I put rat wire inside my dog fence so small critters can’t come in, but found a small snake inside this summer. 

     My Basset got a baby rabbit in the woods but carried it to me with a soft mouth. I took it to the animal rescue vet. 

He used to get frogs also until I told him they taste terrible and he would shake his head. 

     

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Shanus, I am sorry you found a "gift" critter in the house.  I hope none of it's insect "passengers" crawled off it inside, but rather that it had been deceased for some time outdoors, so it was parasite-free before Molly brought it inside!

 

I've had doggie doors since I got my very first dog on my own in 1985.  My dogs have only ever brought someone home once, a little garter snake one summer.  The poor thing was so cold it just curled into a little pile in the hallway, when I got home I thought it was dog poo, stepped over it, went to get paper towels, and only discovered it was an almost dormant snake when I turned a light on to clean up.  I picked it up and took it outside and put it in the sun, once I determined it was un-injured.  (Peggy Sue always had a nice "soft" mouth, bless her.)  Now the cats?  The most vicious little murderer was a little 6 pound calico who regularly left me parts of cotton-tails, like heads and hind feet!  Those poor bunnies were nearly as big as that cat, didn't matter to her!  She even brought in dead mice for the dogs!  She'd sit on the pantry counter, "call" to her favorite Scottie sister, and drop the mouse into the dog's open mouth as she sat on the floor below the counter!  I had to de-worm regularly back then. 

 

Anyway, I hope this is the first, last, and only episode of Molly bringing a critter into your house, it is never ever a pleasant experience!

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@1Snickers   Thanks. Getting more clear that door may have to be closed during the night and Molly will just have to hold her little back legs tightly together until daylight. 

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@CamilleP    Ewwwwh! A snake? 

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It was just a tiny little garter snake, the poor thing was immobile with cold from our A/C.  He or she sat for a good full minute in the sun before it warmed up enough to even flicker it's little tongue out and lift it's head, then it sort of shivered, and unwound itself and crawled off into the tall grass and vinca minor beside our driveway.   With all the mice around our forest home, I want anything that eats them alive and hunting!