mouse n the house

So a few days ago, late one evening, my cat was acting strangely.
The porch door was open, so she can come in and go out as she wishes.

She came in, went to the back of the couch, and seemed to be smelling or watching. Then she ran around to the front of the couch, and tried to get her paw under it. Then back around - you get the idea. Suddenly I realized that she was hunting something. I may have already mentioned that she brings me small gifts from time to time. Always before, they were non-moving. I went over and raised the couch so she could get it. She missed. It ran under the loveseat. I lifted the front of the loveseat, and it ran back. We did this a couple of times. It's a big, heavy couch, and I was getting madder.

Finally it ran to the fireplace and climbed up a few inches. My stupid cat now COULDN'T SEE IT, although it was only about 4 inches above her head, so I pointed it out. I was beginning to feel like a Keystone Cops episode. Then it jumped and ran over under the tv stand. The cat was running from one side of the tv stand to the other, again, doing the ineffective clawing the air trick. Again I tried to help her, because it was beginning to look like I was going to have a live mouse in the house otherwise.

I got on one side of the tv stand, trying to scare it over to her. But there are a lot of wires back there, and she seemed even more ineffective. The mouse, tired, now, probably having heart palpitations, scuttled into the corner on MY side. I realized that this could go on for a while if I didn't intervene. My arm was JUST long enough, and to my total surpruise, I was able to grab the mouse's tail, and whip it out from under the tv upside down.

My catwas beside herself, and beside ME, and she just about tripped me trying to get to the thing. I headed straight for the porch door, and flung the mouse out into the garden. I have no idea if it survived, but I didn't see any evidence that she got it again. (See note on entrails)

I went straight to the bathroom and washed my hands for five minutes solid, shivering every now and then. I'm not afraid of mice, but this one was either stupid, rabid, or wounded, and I TOUCHED IT!!! Erggggh!!

I no longer leave the porch door open.
And, yes, I was too busy to get a picture!!