OMG - Moose just brought us a present!

[bertha katzenengel]

Mighty hunter, he is: he brought us a vole!





:bounce:

[Heidi]

1. Is t like a mole?

Ginger's scared of moles, and I'm _glad_ cuz they look big enough to bite through my elbow-length "rescue gloves." :scared:

[bertha katzenengel]

2. I think it's more like a mouse, but it acts like a mole

it burrows, and it can kill trees by eating through the roots.

I bet they could bite through - but the one depicted is much larger than the one he brought us. Moose's is less than two inches long and can't weigh more than 3-4 oz.

[sakabatou]

10. Supposedly, they can get through concrete...

I can't remember where I heard this.

[evlbstrd]

3. I just heard a loud squeaking.

Right next to my sleepingg cat.

[bertha katzenengel]

4. Heh heh

:bounce:

[bertha katzenengel]

5. i know i'm kicking this, but i forgot to write in my OP how very

cool i think this is. Poor vole. But cats hunt. And they bring their loved ones their treasures.

Moose is wild but becoming more tame every day. Last night he joined our less jealous cats and slept on the bed with us. I was so thrilled I kept waking up to see if he was still there.

Only problem is that tonight I'm going to have to cut his claws. He is definitely wild in this: any motion under the blanket is instantly attacked and shredded - he grasps with his front claws, rakes with the back, and bites and tears. :scared: So the claws get trimmed.

I've been pining for a kitten, but I think having Moose in the house sometimes is enough.

When the summer comes, Harry will probably start bringing me lizard tails again. :rofl:

[skygazer]

6. Voles are neat critters

My son had a pet vole when he was in kindergarten. We cleared out some heavy bushes near our house and must have disturbed a nest. There were a number of them out there and he just picked one up - it never offered to bite or anything. It was very cute (and VERY soft) so we kept it for the winter, in a fixed up aquarium type of rig. Jon brought it to school as the class pet for most of the year and in the spring, we let it go. It was a nice little pet and a neat experience for him (particularly the letting it go part).

Funny vole story - our Oops can open our screen door if it's not fully latched. One day, he came in and we glanced into the living room just in time to see a flash of grey that looked like it might have gone under the rug. My SO corraled Oops and I carefully peeled back the rug to find a tiny, tiny little baby vole cowering under there, trying so hard to keep perfectly still. Poor little thing. I scooped it up and let it go - Oops was furious but them's the breaks. I have no objection if he brings them home dead but if they're still alive, I have to try to rescue them.

Moose is lovely. :loveya:

edited because I can't spell

[bertha katzenengel]

7. what a charming story, skygazer

Thank you for posting it

For me, if they're still alive but badly hurt, I'll have to do them in. I haven't had that happen yet and I hope I never do. Of course if they're alive and not hurt - of course they get scooped up and put outside.

Once long ago, Harry brought in a live, unharmed mouse. This was a surprise as all he'd ever brought me before was lizard tails. Well, he was crowing with his mouth full, telling me "Look mom, look, look! It's for you! I love you mom, look what I brought you!" He was SO cute. But what was I going to do when he dropped the mouse? I petted him and he finally opened his mouth. The mouse dropped to the floor and started to run when Harry *smack* slapped his paw down on its tail to stop him and it worked! :rofl: I thought that only happened in commercials. He picked him up again - so I picked up Harry, took him outside and put him down, and petted and praised him again. He opened his mouth again to speak, and the mouse ran safely away. And Harry got a can of tuna. Sigh. :)

edited to add this photo of my Harry

[skygazer]

8. Ooooh, and Harry's beautiful too

Yes, I'm with you on the whole injured/non-injured thing. I don't generally see them unless they're fully intact and just scared to pieces or... well, in pieces. :( I've stepped on my share of partial rodents - Oops likes to leave them on the welcome mat. ~sigh~

[Sanity Claws]

13. He looks more like a Siberian Husky

than a cat

[bertha katzenengel]

15. a lot of people tell me Harry's a very handsome fellow, and I can't

help but agree. But you're the first to say he looks like a Siberian Husky. :rofl: I am pleased with the comparison! I'm sure Harry will be less so... :thumbsup:

[elshiva]

18. AWWWWWWWWW!

[Scruffbunny]

9. Fanfiction.net is often refferred to as...

The mighty pit of voles.

In a livejournal community.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

11. Moose, we do not eat family members!

:D
Poor hungry kitty...

[bertha katzenengel]

16. That's just it - we've virtually adopted him, so I know he is not hungry!

When it warms up I'm sure he'll be happy to stay outside for weeks at a time, living "off the land." But right now he doesn't lack for food. I felt bad, as I do at witnessing any part of the animal food chain, but I was still charmed to know he feels part of the family. He was bringing his catch home to share with us. :aw:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. I love it when they do that...

My cats catch the occasional mouse that tries to sneak in to make a winter home here.

I'll never forget the first one Waffles caught. He plopped it on my chest in the middle of the night with a "MRROWWWWRrr!!!". I thought he'd hurled a hairball at first.

[bertha katzenengel]

19. I'll bet you wished it was a hairball!

eeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

[Whoa_Nelly]

12. Moose is ADORABLE!

What a perfect pic!

[bertha katzenengel]

23. he's quite photogenc, and I got lucky

:bounce:

[ET Awful]

14. I have to admit to feeling sorry for the Vole, but hey, that's Moose's

nature, so I won't hold it against him.

Poor little vole, those little things are so damn cute.

[bertha katzenengel]

20. this poor dead one is the first one i've ever seen

very cute, very soft fur. :(

[ET Awful]

24. Awwwww. Make sure to give it a decent burial.

And keep that mighty hunter of yours in check :P

[bertha katzenengel]

25. um...

does wrapped in a paper towel, sealed in a ziplock baggy, and put into the trash can, qualify as a decent burial? :shame:

[ET Awful]

26. Well, it's more decent than giving it back to Moose

:P

[bertha katzenengel]

27. He wouldn't have taken it. It was for our dinner!

He was feeding us. He was taking care of us. It's one of the sweetest things on earth (albeit gross and inconvenient).

[Shell Beau]

21. I watched The Most Extreme-Cat hunters on Animal Planet

the other day. The domestic cat beat out the lion, jaguar, cheetah, tiger, etc. as the most extreme hunter b/c they kill more species than any of the others and they kill for fun (not for food). I was amazed for some reason. I just thought for sure the big cats would have won out, but the title went to the little domestic ones.

[bertha katzenengel]

22. Moose is vicious.

He doesn't know how to restrain himself in play. I have the cuts on my feet, knees, and mostly hands to show for it.

So I'm not surprised!