Lately, Napoleon has brought in about a dozen mice, some dead, and some alive for him to play with; it's not very nice, but mice I can live with, they're only tiny. Over the last week or so, there have been four large frogs; I woke up yesterday morning (4am!) to the most unearthly noise, and found Napoleon with his latest catch - when frogs are scared, they don't croak, take it from me! He killed it, I chucked it away, move on...

So, I got back from work at 6pm this evening, to find another dead frog, dead and spread-eagled on its back in the kitchen. *Sigh* Into the bins. Then, an hour later, there was a god-awful commotion in the kitchen, where the catflap leads into the garden. I assumed there was a spat going on with a local cat, but as I walked to the kitchen I heard the tell-tale squeaking - but much louder than I have heard before. Both boys had cornered a mouse, and so I just waited for the inevitable chase and kill.

I had the shock of my life when a bloody great rat made a break for it and ran into the bathroom - it was about the size of my hand with my fingers spread out. It must have been old because it wasn't very fast, but by god it had some fight in it - in a corner it was screaming at the top of its voice and freaking out the boys, and they didn't want to get too close. Just what I needed - a rat loose in the house, with a pair of cats that seemed to have met their match! It was farcical - the rat had nestled into a corner in the bathroom behind some pipes, and the boys were just looking at me as if to say, "You deal with it, the damn thing's got attitude!"

Just as I was looking around in the kitchen for a saucepan and lid big enough to catch it, it ran into the kitchen with Sinbad and Napoleon in hot pursuit; more handbags at ten paces, until I thought to open the back door and try to chase it out. That worked, but the sodding thing ran into a cavity under the fence between next door's garden. The boys are still out there, waiting, and occasionally thrusting a paw to try and tease it out.

I think it's going to be a long night.

Oh dear they really are putting you through the mill as they say. We have had live birds and mice and once Scamp had a toad, should have seen him frothing at the mouth Looks like it will be a long night, cats hate to give in

unfortunately that is what happens when cats can go outside. i always worry about birds being caught.
my friend's cat cornered a mouse once and my friend tried to save it, so the mouse ran up the inside of her trouser leg and held onto her knickers. so funny

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I wouldn't mind quite so much if these things didn't sh!t themselves out of fright when they get brought in. Napoleon caught several large pigeons at my last flat - very alive they were, and I really didn't appreciate cleaning the bird poo off the walls!

OMG!!!!!!

as for the rat eeeekkkkkkk! Hope they don't manage to catch it again

All this is putting me off letting mine go out.................when the time comes.I'm hopeless at dealing with this stuff-I even hate it when they catch flies and chomp on them as if they're enjoying a really nice meal.

They are little beasties at heart, it's the rough you have to take with the smooth. But not every cat is a hunter - unfortunately, you only find out when you find out!

They have given up and gone for a snooze - for now...