The "Raccoon Wars" have been over for quite some time. The porch has been closed off to the outside, so the raccoons have not been seen since. All has been peaceful in the Rizzo household. Yet, those of this household could not imagine the underground war that would be started by the small infiltrators known as "the mouse."
When we first occupied the home, we knew the mice were already inside. But so far, other than leaving their turds in various spots, not much activity was seen. One mouse was caught by me after the cats had worn it down. After that, there was nothing new to report. Nothing was out of place. There was harmony. Until a few weeks ago.........
The first sign was the return of the turds. This time, they were found in the kitchen cabinets, around the silverware, Tupperware, and other utensils. It was getting out of hand. My wife and I sought a means of properly disposing of the mice without killing them. However, no humanitarian traps were immediatley available, not without a high price. Peace would inevitably come with a cost.
The raids then began to get worse. The spices in the high cabinet were getting ransacked. The paper labels were getting torn off, and plastic tops were torn into. Only the chocolate sprinkles were effectively opened and eaten. Every time we heard noises from the cabinet after, we immediatley opened them, hoping to catch the spy. But all we would see was a glimpse of the mouse's tail as he crawled back up the duct work for the hood fan. The mice were becoming more than a mere nuisance. My wife and I knew they had to go soon.
The last instance where the intruder was almost caught happened today. As I watched television, the quiet essence of the house was disturbed by a bumping sound. I went to investigate the back bedroom, thinking our refugee cats were causing the ruckuss. They were relaxing, and seemed to be making no trouble. While visiting them a second time after a repeat of the noise, I heard it coming from the kitchen. The infiltrator was in the cabinet. I rushed to the doors and opened them. What I saw stunned me just a little. The mouse was right in front of me. So was the overturned bottle of vanilla extract. It was almost as if he didn't notice me. He stood there, reaching one paw into the bottle, pulling it out and licking the extract. The smell of the vanilla was strong. When I regained my wits, I reached out for him. But he was to fast. He crawled back up the duct, and all I could do was stand there in defeat.
What must I do to end this threat without it coming to violence? It's almost impossible to fortify that duct so nothing can get in. The rest of the cabinets even more so. Glue traps, snap traps, and rat posion are unexceptable according to my wife. The only alternative I've seen is an attachment to a soda bottle in a catalog, but it doesn't seem plausible. What can be done to end the mouse's menace? I must find a way before more damage is done. We may not be in this house for long, but dammit we will make sure there is peace!
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