PEAR TREE LOG

pear tree log: I started this blog to keep my younger son, Jonny, in touch with life in Lincolnshire, while he spent a year working in China. That year turned into five! Now he is home and training to become a physics teacher. This is simply a patchwork quilt of some of the things I enjoy - life in rural Lincolnshire, our animals, friends, architecture, books, the gardens, and things of passing interest.



Monday 21 November 2011

eeek!

I just watched a large rat meander through the garden, down onto the patio and round to the conservatory area.  I thought our new dynamic duo, Feral Cats inc. were going to sort that problem out!


Needless to say they were both lounging around on a sofa - well one of them  has an excuse, she damaged her leg somehow last night, and has to rest.  The other one though was picked up and 'shown' the rat, then I opened the door and popped her out.  The last I saw said rat was being chased by the cat.


I feel a bit guilty now, but that was why we rescued them from the cats home.
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13 comments:

  1. The Owl Wood21 November 2011 at 14:48

    I understand that it wasn't so much the rat that bothered you but the monkey riding on its back.

    They build 'em big here in Aby.

    Have you seen the cat again since?

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  2. Moving with Mitchell21 November 2011 at 15:10

    Well, they sound at least more cat-like than the two we used to have (and miss terribly). One day, I pointed out a large moth in the dining room. Both cats looked closely and then ran down the hall to hide under the bed until I caught the moth and set it free outside. They came back out, with some extra coaxing, once I told them the coast was clear. Fortunately, we never had a rodent problem.

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  3. Chris21 November 2011 at 15:39

    No need to feel guilty Elaine - that's what they're for!

    And for bringing dead rats into the house as gifts too of course...

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  4. Elaine21 November 2011 at 17:23

    Hello Owl Wood: They certainly do. It wasn't the biggest rat I have seen - that was the 'blonde' one down by the summerhouse, but this one was almost as big as Sparky..

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  5. Elaine21 November 2011 at 17:26

    Hi Mitch, They sound rather sweet - a bit like my dog Toby, he adores me - but he's no hero. Wouldn't swap him though!

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  6. Elaine21 November 2011 at 17:26

    Hi Mitch, They sound rather sweet - a bit like my dog Toby, he adores me - but he's no hero. Wouldn't swap him though!

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  7. Elaine21 November 2011 at 17:32

    Hi Chris, Funnily enough Sparky does normally bring back her trophies - she carefully eats their heads and the liver and leaves the rest as proof that she's done the job. Fortunately she leaves them outside.

    When she returned this time she was trophy-free - more's the pity.

    The guilt crept in because she isn't a large cat and the rat was almost as big as she is.

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  8. Chris21 November 2011 at 20:29

    Size doesn't matter Elaine.

    At least, that is what I tell myself...

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  9. Anonymous21 November 2011 at 22:13

    Ugh, rats! Did the cat catch it? Hopefully it didn't get brought back to you as a "gift"!

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  10. Knatolee21 November 2011 at 23:34

    You know, I'm all "Mrs. Lovey-dovey" to mice, but we had rats at our farm a couple of years ago. We tried humane traps but they are way too smart for that. So I left hubby to it and the rats mysteriously disappeared...

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  11. Elaine22 November 2011 at 06:17

    Chris: You are quite right, a rat is a rat!!

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  12. Elaine22 November 2011 at 06:22

    Nilhuanwen: Unfotunately Sparky came back ten minutes later, without the rat. On this occasion I would have been delighted to receive the gift.

    So Toby and I went on a hunt, around the gardens and the wood, looking for rat holes - without success.

    We were inundated with them last year (outdoors!) especially after harvest - horrible.

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  13. Elaine22 November 2011 at 06:28

    Knatolee, I couldn't agree more, the rats do have to be dealt with much more strongly - they are very smart. We tried setting humane traps too - I think we caught one (and that was probably blind and sick, but that was a few years ago.

    I don't let my husband use poison, so I guess we will have to get in some target practice and then set to work.

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