Nancy Howell
Well-known Member
Since I don't allow the barn cats to stay in the tack room, I have a mouse problem in there once in a while. I'd been seeing the telltale signs and had started setting a trap.
When I got home this evening I changed into some "barn clothes" - old britches, a t-shirt and since the weather is cool and damp, a long-sleeved shirt over the t-shirt. Then it was out to the barn to feed the horses and check the trap.
I opened up the tack room to check the trap and the trap was gone.
I started moving things around to look for the trap and heard a rustling in a small paper sack on the floor. Barn cats heard it too and came running in the tack room.
I picked up the sack and it was full of mice which were not happy about being picked up. The mice started jumping trying to get out of the sack. The barn cats heard the mice and had gathered around my feet wanting to get a hot meal.
One mouse jumped real hard, made it to my hand and proceeded to make his way up my sleeve. I dropped the sack to deal with the invader and when the sack hit the floor, mice went every which way with barn cats in hot pursuit.
One cat nabbed one and ran, another cat was pursuing a mouse trying to hide behind a bucket and the one running around my shirt got launched across the the tack room and out the door.
Whew! More excitement than a three ring circus!
The dust settled, the excitement was over and now to find that trap. Finally located it under a box fan that was sitting partially on a large outdoor extension cord. Gap was maybe 3 inches tall. The mouse had been half eaten.
Since the cats are not allowed in the tack room and there was only about 3 inches of room, what could (or would) have eaten the dead mouse caught in the trap?
Hmm, interesting. I disposed of the remains, reset the trap, and put it back in its spot. I left the tack room door open so the tack room could "air" a bit and started filling the hay rack with hay.
More commotion from the tack room. Looked in and the trap had got another mouse. My big black barn cat, Speedy, had the trap and mouse. When he realized the mouse was already dead, he lost interest.
Disposed of the mouse, finished feeding the horses, and decided it was time to head for the house.
Enough excitement for one evening!
When I got home this evening I changed into some "barn clothes" - old britches, a t-shirt and since the weather is cool and damp, a long-sleeved shirt over the t-shirt. Then it was out to the barn to feed the horses and check the trap.
I opened up the tack room to check the trap and the trap was gone.
I started moving things around to look for the trap and heard a rustling in a small paper sack on the floor. Barn cats heard it too and came running in the tack room.
I picked up the sack and it was full of mice which were not happy about being picked up. The mice started jumping trying to get out of the sack. The barn cats heard the mice and had gathered around my feet wanting to get a hot meal.
One mouse jumped real hard, made it to my hand and proceeded to make his way up my sleeve. I dropped the sack to deal with the invader and when the sack hit the floor, mice went every which way with barn cats in hot pursuit.
One cat nabbed one and ran, another cat was pursuing a mouse trying to hide behind a bucket and the one running around my shirt got launched across the the tack room and out the door.
Whew! More excitement than a three ring circus!
The dust settled, the excitement was over and now to find that trap. Finally located it under a box fan that was sitting partially on a large outdoor extension cord. Gap was maybe 3 inches tall. The mouse had been half eaten.
Since the cats are not allowed in the tack room and there was only about 3 inches of room, what could (or would) have eaten the dead mouse caught in the trap?
Hmm, interesting. I disposed of the remains, reset the trap, and put it back in its spot. I left the tack room door open so the tack room could "air" a bit and started filling the hay rack with hay.
More commotion from the tack room. Looked in and the trap had got another mouse. My big black barn cat, Speedy, had the trap and mouse. When he realized the mouse was already dead, he lost interest.
Disposed of the mouse, finished feeding the horses, and decided it was time to head for the house.
Enough excitement for one evening!