Pet Lovers

[J Town Girl]

When I had my first apartment many years ago I had a cat named Missy.   She was a stray who showed up and even though I posted found pet signs no one ever claimed her.   

One night I noticed her sitting right by the refrigerator and thought how strange that was because she never did that before.     Over the next few weeks, she continued to man her outpost.    One night I heard a commotion and Missy came running into the living room with a mouse between her teeth.    I can't stand to see any living creature killed so naturally, I tried to get it away from her.     With all of my yelling, she became confused and dropped the mouse.  He took off running down the hall.  Oh, what dirty looks I got from her.   

A few days went by and one morning I got up and went into the bathroom.   I lifted the seat on the toilet and there swimming in the bowl was a mouse.    Luckily I looked down before I used the facilities.    I have no idea how the mouse got into the toilet because the lid was down.   I guess he just squeezed himself between the seat.  

In a panic, I just grabbed a small glass and scooped him out of the bowl.   I had a small travel cage I had used once when I was treating an injured robin.   I put the mouse into the cage and drove out to a nearby park and released him there.   On the way to the park, he kept looking at me almost as if to say thank you.  When I opened the door to release him, he gave me one last look and then shot across the grass.

That was the one and only time that Missy got to exhibit her cat-like behavior and I  completely ruined it for her.   I did feel very good that an innocent mouse got a second chance and hopefully lived out whatever remaining days he had in that park.