CLOSE CALL at Chez Xema!

[XemaSab]

Lately there has been a small rat hanging out outside our house. The neighbor's apples are ripe, we've got our birdfeeders up, and it's really no big deal, as far as I'm concerned. The beast looks healthy, and while the dogs are interested in it, it's not bothering anything.

Meanwhile, we're bringing the new dog home today.

I went to go get the sky kennel out of the carport and bring it in the house. It had an old pink blanket in it left over from who knows when.

I wrangled the kennel out of the carport and put it on the back steps. I went to go open the back door wider before bringing it in the house, and I saw a little bit of gray behind the blanket.

YES, THE RAT WAS IN THE SKY KENNEL! :scared:

I gently dumped it out and let it run into the bushes.

But if it had gotten in the house! :wow:

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. Why not put out a small nest for it somewhere away from the door?

Sounds like it wants to stay warm, and is partly domesticated. It might appreciate a fluffy towel in something similar but smaller than the crate.

[XemaSab]

2. I'm hoping it will move over to the neighbor's place

Our dogs would kill it if they caught it. :(

[Fire Walk With Me]

3. The dog where I'm currently living once killed a rat.

While not a huge fan of wild rats, I'm less a fan of dogs killing rats, so I hope you get your wish.

[davsand]

4. That is Free Range Dog food! It can be the start of the XemaDogs' RAW diet!

Sorry, I grossed myself out with that one...


Laura

[Bertha Venation]

5. Yipes!

:yoiks:

[AlCzervik]

6. Eeewww.

rats are icky, when i worked in Boston part of the floor i worked in leased storage space to an Au bon pain, needless to say i spent more then one morning jumping on top of my desk screaming and calling for security to come upstairs and kill the rats, big disgusting greasy sewer rats.

[arcadian]

7. Creaming?

oh, nevermind.

[greendog]

8. Rats, snakes, black widow spiders, raging infernos.

Never a dull moment. :P

[XemaSab]

10. .

:P

[Schema Thing]

9. "but if it had gotten in the house....

...the lounge would soon become a place for cutesy rat pictures, and cat would be the new dog".

[hunter]

11. They eat snails and slugs and feed the birds of prey.

Our dogs see them as pets, because on an off we have pet rats.

But the wild ones have to stay outside, and when they get too cocky around the bird feeder I spray them with the hose or try to catch them. Don't know what I'd do if I did catch one, but I want them to think I'm very dangerous.

The rats moved in after our neighbor killed off the ground squirrels. If it's not one thing it's another. Where's the bobcats when you need them?

[XemaSab]

12. My mom's last house

They had a little METROPOLIS under the bird feeders.

I suspect to this day that there may have been HUNDREDS living under there.

:scared:

But this guy, I just want to tell him, "Don't you like pecans? The neighbor has pecans. Go there." :P

[Danger Mouse]

13. What were you thinking??? You let dinner escape!!

[datasuspect]

14. RATatouille?