Memories of going batty and the catch-and-release program

Meadow Vole

Get me outta here!

Yesterday, Dorah brought me in a field mouse. "Look what I found, Mummy!" She meows to celebrate her catch.

At this point, I've caught more rodents with my butterfly net than butterflies!
She brings her prey into the house, still alive, to play with it. She isn't hungry, well-fed on her big sister Sadie's hypoallergenic, vet-prescribed, expensive cat food. Just sayin'. They come and go during the day from the cat door in the Muskoka Room. She's brought us a chipmunk, duly released, but mostly her favourite field mice.

"Mommy!"

Buster brings his prey into the Muskoka room, or on the back or front porch to eat it. He is our nocturnal hunter, happier outdoors away from the
deerflies of the daytime. He'll leave the kidney or liver or something, the part they don't like to eat! They are good mousers outside. Unlike the fearmongerers who cite that cats catch billions of birds, mine catch very few birds, preferring to sit in the grassy fields and watch for mice. The older cats watch the feeder, but they don't bother running, experience tells them the birds will fly off before they get there.

Meadow Vole are big guys!

 Even with a house full of 4 cats, we get deer mice in the attic. I've got a cat carrier, baited with peanut butter, and I've been catching the mice at night, usually around 9 p.m., once dark falls.

Putting the traps in the cat carrier means that I don't have to worry about catching any cat paws in them.

I put a spot of peanut butter
 in the doorway to lure them in.
I've trapped 11 this way.

I've never seen the mice in the kitchen, only climbing up the brick wall to the attic. So far, I've caught 11 mice in the traps.
It's a shame they cannot stay outdoors!

Bats

Yesterday, there was a bat in the house. Again. They come in through the chimney, escaping the heat of the night to get into the cool dark safe spot.
This time I opened the sliding screen door, and it made its way out.
Last year (2013) I wasn't so fortunate. The bat went round and round the bedroom ceiling fan.
I went on Twitter and had some helpful suggestions. Eventually, it landed and I used the butterfly net. In 2012 one landed on the chimney brick in the dining room. I caught it with the butterfly net.

The 2012 Bat event

I'd forgotten about the video. It really was quite an event. Daisy hung in there, watching it go around. The poor bat was exhausted. I did release it.

2013

As I was sitting doing my blogging, a bat flew into the room. They come in through the chimney, when a hot night changes into a hot morning, around dawn. It went into the bedroom, where Buster was happily sleeping off his midnight carousing. It promptly began to fly in circles. It became tired and reversed direction!


Bat in the bedroom from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Now, having turned off the light, it has gone behind the painting on the wall. I'm not sure what to do next! Daisy and Buster are intrigued.
The dilemma: | The rescue: |
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Saturday's Critters #36