Carol, list,
I've got a new barn tom (OJ) who likes his mice dipped in milk. At first
I thought he just dropped one in the bowl by accident, but he does it with
every one. He's got the big feet you mentioned, and like my last big barn
tom, he's got no neck and a great big head.
The most awesome paws I've ever seen on any cat are on my mother-in-laws
two calico's. The old mother cat has SEVEN functional claws on each front
foot and one of her kittens had six per foot. It looks like they have
mittens on, complete with a thumb. To a mouse it must look like Freddy
Krueger's version of a catchers mitt! Apparently something genetic about
calico's, since my vet said he's seen six clawed calico's, but never seven.
I never caught a thing in the sticky traps I tried, but always worried
about having some rabid rat in one as I felt around in the dark attic for
them. Trying to be humane didn't help either. I think several of the mice
I caught in a live trap beat me back into the house. (I finally started
driving them across the river.) I can tell you that my summer mouse
infestation ended shortly after OJ drifted into town. He's much more
pleasant to have around than a family of gnawing, scratching mice any time.
Chuck Rothfuss
Pole Cat Hollow, NC
At 07:03 PM 12/7/2000 -0600, Carol wrote:
>BTW, there was a discussion on cats/barn cats/mousers here awhile back. I
>got to paying attention to why Sarah is such a lethal feline. It's her
>feet! She's a very small cat, but she has proportionately HUGE feet.
>Anybody looking for a good hunter might keep the 'feet thing' in mind...
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