There's a Critter in my House!!!!

5/15/2015

For the last two mornings, strong evidence, i.e., muddy paw prints too big for a mouse and too small for a dog, have dotted my kitchen counter.  And, I don't like it - at all.

The first morning when Jeff came down to go to work apparently the kitchen was in completely disarray.  We had had chicken for dinner and thinking nothing of it, but the bones in the kitchen sink for disposal the next morning.  Apparently, our critter liked the bones enough to gnaw on them before throwing them on the floor.  He also, in no particular order, tasted a bagel (must have been too tough for him to chew), ripped open up a new bag of trail mix which was on the counter.  The critter is fussy, he tossed the raisins all around the counter!  

After the first morning of destruction, I was hoping that this was a "one off" kind of visit from some vile little garden creature.  Before bed last night, Jeff set two mouse traps with peanut butter.  This guy must be quick, because on the traps was sprung, but there was no body.

This morning, I had to wash down the counter tops to get rid of the muddy paw prints.  We had also left a pork chop on the counter hoping I guess that it would lure him to the trap.  Instead, he carried or dragged the pork chop over to the window and apparently liked the meat enough to eat some of it.

I have a theory that this guy is coming up through the garbage disposal, since there are no holes in any of the window screens and there are no paw prints on the floor, just the counter.  I think tonight I will put the disposal plug in the sink and see what I find in the morning.

I frankly don't know why he's come into the house, but after the first morning he must have decided that our kitchen was like a Thanksgiving feast to him.  Some suggestions on the internet say that you should fill a bucket half full with water and have a "plank" going up to the top of the bucket adorned with peanuts.  Then the animal gets to the top of the plank and down he goes.  I suppose it could be worth a try.

Say tuned for tomorrow's exciting update on the battle between us and the "critter"!!

P