Friday 19 June 2009

Table manners and the art of mouse chomping


Millie loves these teeny toy mice more than any other toy, except for a larger strip of fur with a bell on. But after months of playing nicely with them, she has suddenly taken to chewing them up, probably inspired by the dog, who will steal and chomp them whenever she gets the chance - although the dog's chomping involves a lot of laborious gum work rather than the use of teeth, resulting in a soggy, flattened mouse that is then hidden in her bed.

But Millie is evidently a more refined creature than the dog, because she takes the mouse to her dish to chew it up. If I remove it, she will just retrieve it and put it back in her bowl, along with her biscuits, and carry on demolishing it. Clearly, this cat went to finishing school in a former life, whereas, obviously, I didn't.

Next: Millie teaches me how to use a finger bowl.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Obviously anal retentive tendencies? Fortunately may be.

Susan said...

Shut ! Up !

it's Oliver's favourite toy as well. He doesn't chew his though, he carries it around up and down the stairs and up onto the bed making that "my mouth is full of mouse" wailing meow that cats do when they really "do" have a mouse. When he gets bored with carting it around in his mouth he will dramatically begin to fling the mouse around - bringing it magically to life ... and this new live mouse will provide "catch and release and catch again" entertainment for minutes and minutes on end. The retrievers (Jake & Em) stole "all" cat mice, much like "the dog" - Miss D prefers muskrats.

Another of his most favourite activities, developed in France, is a combination dance/gymnastics called "parkour - free running" (youtube example below) and he has great hopes to be in an up and coming Madonna video.

We all are tres impressed with Millie's manners. xo, S & les Gang

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jquXcwooV6A

Susan said...

It's just me again.

It just occurred to me where you might move to ... Jersey aaaahhhhh !!
or any other Channel Island.

While doing an off campus exchange at Chelsea School of Art in London (years ago) I had the most idyllic 2 week holiday on Jersey. I dream about it still. How does that work, could you live there, do you just need to be A British citizen ? It is tres warm there and just a hop & skip to Paris. I know it seems far from the dutiful and handsome son - but maybe not?

Now I'm curious and off to "google" Jersey. Did you receive the paternal twins photo ? or maybe they could be long distance beaus.

rachel said...

Hmmm, I sometimes get the feeling that I'm a bit young/poor for Jersey or the other Channel Islands. Great for tourists, but living in these feudal places, I dunno.....

Susan said...

Off to google "feudal"

We Canucks are far too young a country to grasp that term clearly and you might wonder why packages are not ready to post. Comment much?

Big Shamu said...

Has your cat been watching Martha Stewart while no one else is around?

Linda said...

Re the toy mice, Rupert as a kitten only showed interest in one toy, a fluffy mouse. For a while, mouse lived in Rupert's bed, or was carried around a bit. Then I started finding mouse in his milk bowl - in the milk. Wash mouse, dry mouse, return to Rupert. Again and again and .....eventually I got fed up with the smell of wet fluffy mouse and he went to the home of unwanted cat toys in the sky.
We don't stop loving them, though, do we?

judy in ky said...

I must echo Susan's comment about Oliver and the tiny mouse. My cat Tiger does exactly the same thing with them. All my cats love those little mice. I buy them in a package of five. All I have to do is leave the unopened package out on the counter and they break into it and get the mice out.

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