Monday 26 March 2018

NEWS FROM THE ISLAND

LIFE ALWAYS SEEMS TO GO A LITTLE CRAZY  around birthday time.


90 HOUR DIARY


Thursday

9.10 pm. I’m talking on the phone and Cat 1 arrives late, and with my mind on the conversation, I open the door and let her in.

Cat 1 has a big rat in her mouth.
Cat 2 jumps Cat 1 to get rat.
I say I'll call back and put down the phone.
Cat 1 drops the rat
Cat 1, Cat 2, Cat 3, dog and myself chasing rat.
Yes. No. Yes. Ummn - whose got it now?.
I trip over the dog. 
Yes! Cat 2 has the rat and I chase them all outside.
I put Arnica on my elbow and knee.

9.30 pm. I let Cat 1, Cat 3 and dog back inside. Cat 2 is nowhere to be see.


Friday

7.00 am It’s dawn at this time of the year.

I let Cat 2 inside.
There are rat droppings in the kitchen!!

I talk to Cat1, Cat 2, Cat 3 and the dog and say, “get that rat out of here!” and put four ‘Temptation’ Cat treats just under the fridge so they can hook them out. They think there are more under there and haunt the fridge hunting for more. I believe the rat is hiding under there.

9.30 pm. I have pulled out my old cage rat-trap and bait it with a piece of bread.


Saturday

7.00 am. There are more rat droppings in kitchen.
The bait has gone but the trap is empty.
I check the trap. Yes it is a bit old and the springs and hinges have rusted up a bit. I clean them up and oil them.
Cat 1, Cat 2, Cat 3, and the dog haunt the fridge.

9.30 pm I bait the trap with a crust of bread spread with some dog food.


Sunday

7.00 am. There are more rat droppings in the kitchen.
The bait has gone but the trap is empty
I put four more ‘Temptation’ cat treats just under the fridge to keep the animals circling it. Plus one or two words added about their competency.

9.30 pm. I bait the trap with a piece of unripe pear. I think the bread was too soft to trigger the hook/door release system.


Monday

7.00 am. There are more rat droppings in the kitchen
The bait has gone and the trap is empty.
The animals have lost interest in the fridge – I think they can count.

9.30 pm. I re-bait the trap.


Tuesday

12.15 am  I re-bait the trap

3.00 am – I wake with a start. I’m damned sure that was a rat I heard on my dressing table – yes it’s knocked my sunglasses onto the floor.
I re-set the trap with a really big bit of pear. It’s so heavy I’m having trouble not setting it off.

3.15. I go back to bed, but keep the light on and the heavy torch is right next to my pillow, just in case…
No, I don’t want to think anything about rats, other than being caught in the cage. I’m reading my book.

6.05 I can’t believe I actually fell asleep and there in the cage trap is a Very   Fat   Rat.

6.10 am. This rat has survived being chased, caught and re-caught, been fought over by 3 cats and a dog. But escaped only to have his bolt-hole hour after hour constantly invaded with multiple reaching paws. Then nightly escaped again and again the cage that would trap him as he gently eased away and devoured the food put there to tempt him in to his death.

You can’t help but admire him for that.

I reckon after all his trauma – if a cat can have nine lives, then this rat can have his 90 hours – and I took the trap outside and let him run back to the bush.

7.00 am. Cat 1, Cat 2, Cat 3 and the dog are circling the fridge.

Saturday 17 March 2018

NEWS FROM THE ISLAND

SUNDAY AFTERNOON 4 PM.

Morning tasks done - time to have a lazy afternoon,
.


Friday 2 March 2018

NEWS FROM THE ISLAND

FULL MOON BROUGHT A LITTLE CHAOS into our lives last night.

I make a point of making sure my animals are inside before dark each night, but Mum Tara decided last night that she would ignore the call of 'biscuits' to come inside and it was really dark when I heard her calling out that she wanted to come inside. Her kittens heard her too and as I went towards the door to let her in, they found their cage door wasn't properly clicked shut so they were out, exploding everywhere and over a very startled dog. Meg, the  5 month old kitten decided she was going to be in on the act, so first, she was scooped up and put into her cage, then catch the kittens - done !! - open the door to let yelling Mum in, but what the...!!!

Tara brings gifts 
She has a rat wriggling in her mouth. Time to teach/wean her babies, she has decided. 'No, no , no - take it outside,' and I am shushing her through the house towards the lounge door away from dog, kitten and her babies all trying to reach her....getting her through the lounge with a couple of oops on the way of rat being dropped, it running, being caught again  ( I think it was encouragement I was saying through gritted teeth ) and finally I get Mum and rat back outside.

It took until midnight with her going back and forth, from door to door calling her kittens saying that she had yummy food for them, and the kittens calling back that they wanted their Mum, before she gave in. Ratless she was allowed inside and was given her special treat biscuits as promised. Time now for me to go out and turn on the electric fence..

which by the way - (crossed fingers) that "mickey-mouse" electric fence is working well and after 3 days the possums have given in and it seems most of the rats have found the bait station as well.