Cat and mouse

We had a nice thaw last Friday, but the cold has returned. We woke up to 0 degrees yesterday and today it was 5 degrees at 7:00 a.m. I think this prolonged cold brought on the problem last night (or early this morning since it was 2:30 a.m. when I heard the noise).

Remember in my last entry I wrote that Otis (the cat) had received a mouse look-a-like catnip toy that he chases around upstairs. I've heard him scrambling around during the night and assumed he was playing. That is, until last night when I heard him running around again. I listened for awhile and then noticed that the sounds weren't quite the same - there was a chewing, slurpy sound (sorry if this is too graphic). I found the flashlight and shone it on Otis who was on the carpet at the foot of the bed. To my dismay, he was not playing with the catnip mouse - he was playing, (actually eating) a real, dead mouse. How disgusting!! As I'm standing on the cold floor, flashlight in hand, freezing, I hear a voice from under the warm covers, saying, "pick it up by the tail and flush it down". Thank you very much. Of course, Otis doesn't want me to take the advice from the voice under the warm quilt, so I have to pick him up with one hand, carry the flashlight in my other hand and go to the bathroom to get some toilet paper so I can pick up the mouse by his tail. I accomplish this mission, go back to the bedroom with a squirming, mewing Otis under my arm, pick up the mouse by the tail, and follow the instructions given by the voice under the warm blankets.

I think the cold weather brought the little fellow into the house but maybe all those nights when I thought Otis was playing with his Christmas toy he was really playing with the real thing. I also think Otis doesn't have to sleep so close to me at night. Two nights ago, he curled up on my pillow and started to lick my face. I wonder if he just got done playing with a mouse....

Cold, cold, cold!!!

We are experiencing a cold spell here in Pennsylvania. When I went outside this morning, I was surprised to see a reading of 4 degrees on the thermometer. If I would have known it was that cold, I probably would have stayed in bed with the heated mattress pad turned up to high. That gift from the kids last year was the best...it is so nice to climb into a warm bed at night. We enjoy it so much we decided to give some away as gifts for Christmas. Grandpa doesn't mind Grandma opening the window at night anymore - he's nice and warm in his heated bed.

With all the snow we have been getting lately, we have been feeding the birds regularly. Any old bread gets tossed out and I love to see their tracks on the snow on the porch. I held Otis (our cat) up to the window to watch the birds, but he wasn't as interested as he used to be. For Christmas, Otis received some catnip filled toys, one of which is shaped like a mouse, including a long tail. Dad and I have both stepped on them in the dark and are relieved when we realize it is only a toy. I'll see the mouse and have to look twice to make sure it is not real. Otis still has energy - he bats the toys around and chases them from room to room. He's lost them a few times but we have managed to find them. We have Grandma to thank for Otis' Christmas gifts.