[mitchntx]

A little background for those of you relatively new to the site ...

http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/index.php?showtopic=8664

[sgarnett]

I think Chester may have been reincarnated here. The cats will periodically catch a mouse in the basement, and release it in the living room so they can play with it until it reaches something light and portable like a piano, refrigerator, and so on. As a result, I've become pretty good at grabbing mice by the tip of the tail and lifting before they can turn and bite. Then I lob them out into the field.

Anyway, Chester II had already made several runs into the kitchen, only to be recaptured by the cats each time. Apparently all that running takes a lot of energy. As the mouse was running for his life, past the cats' food dish, he suddenly stopped and picked up a piece of dry cat food. He sat back on his haunches and started eating, very squirrel-like. The stunned cats just stood there watching him, confused.

He bolted again when I made a grab for his tail, but he kept the piece of food. As one of the cats was batting him around the floor, he kept dropping the food. At that point, he would run back toward the cats to retrieve it.

Several times in mid-run, the mouse stopped, turned, sat up on his haunches, and lunged at the cats.