Guess who caught a mouse in their house?

Not my 2 kittens, Minnie and Finnegan, or even my squirrel-and-chipmunk-chasing dog, Yogi Bear.

I did 😻!

Let me explain.

I recently found a mouse in my utility closet.

Or, more accurately, mouse deposits.

Yuk!

Then I discovered my unwanted guest had moved across the hall into the dog and cat food closet.

Not cool.

As I inspected the mouse droppings, I looked Minnie and Finnegan in the eye and said, “What’s up with you two? How could you let a mouse into the house?”

They just stared back at me and shared, "We’ve been having a great time watching the mouse scury between closets."

Great.

They're in cahoots with the little visitor.

I briefly considered letting the kittens into the closet.

I swiftly thought better of it as I pictured Minnie and Finnegan proudly tossing it around the house with Yogi Bear in the mix.

Not at all what I wanted.

I realized that I needed to take matters into my own paws.

With the curiosity of a cat, I figured out where the mouse had entered and sealed off its entry point.

Then I baited a plastic humane catch-and-release mouse trap with almond butter and set it in the back of the closet.

The next morning when I opened the closet door, Finnegan ran in and started pawing at the trap.

Wee-hoo!

Mouse in the trap!

“Thanks, Finn! I appreciate your help.”

“No problem," Finnegan replied with a smirk on his face. "Can I play with it now?”

"Absolutely not," I responded as I gingerly removed the trap.

Then Yogi Bear and I took a walk out to the woods, opened the trap, and wished the mouse well as it dashed off.

Honestly? I felt proud.

And while I didn’t lick my paws, I get why cats strut around after a good hunt.

But later that day, I realized something.

Minnie and Finnegan had been on the case and not slacking off.

They just couldn’t catch the mouse in a closed closet.

My unrealistic expectation of them clouded my perception of what they were actually doing.

I realized that I was projecting my own feelings onto my kittens, expecting them to deal with the mouse, because I didn’t want to.

This wasn't fair to them.

You see, I’m not immune to projecting. We all do it.

That’s one reason animal communication can be such a valuable tool in helping us understand our animals.

It gives us a way to pause and step back from what we assume should be happening, and instead hear directly from our animals.

Our animal families love sharing their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives with us.

We just need to ask them and be open and receptive to whatever they have to share.

If your animal has been acting differently or if you're wondering what's going on with their behavior, emotions, or energy, then it's time to schedule an animal communication session and have a heart-to-heart chat with them.

Happy Trails,

~Cathy "Cat" Malkin

​www.animalmuse.com​