Me vs. My Cat

[Moke]

Train her to put the carcasses in a Deposit Box?

Would be a popular solution if it caught on.

I never dreamed that cats like to go swimming, or run alongside owners who are x-c skiing, or ride on a SUP, but videos show that some cats do. A search on “adventure cats” yields a lot of fun cat videos.

Kitty got a bath this morning,.... readying her for a round of Flea dope meds that will be applied tomorrow.
Giving a cat a bath is an interesting experience.

Kittys boyfriend, Walter:

[Hoosier Daddy]

[Moke]

Kitty, the Mouser - this morning

[airgunaut]

A helmet cam on her head would yield interesting videos. I doubt she would tolerate wearing one.

[Moke]

I've watched her fly through the Oak, and, Eucalyptus trees here, extremely high up. Seeing that on video would be,... frightening?!
I've also seen her reaching into Gopher holes up to her high shoulder point as deeply as she can reach; just down in there with her paw, rooting around.
Me,... I wouldn't even put the tip of a finger in there, for fear of losing it to those Gopher teeth.

A tale of me , and a gopher, that she brought onto the patio, while still alive.
I got it away from her, (the still live Gopher), and thought that I would just stomp it out, and, pitch it back up slope, where it likely came from. So I approached and stomped, not remembering that I had some foam beach slaps on.  The Gopher bit out, and caught the very end of the sandal, just a tiny fraction of an inch from my big toe.  It easily and quickly bit through that foam, and left a bite hole clean through the sole.  If it had bit a long 1/16" deeper, it would have been through my toe. And, Kitty,.... she reaches in blindly, up to her shoulder, and has a root around.

I totally agree, a video of her day would be quite entertaining.

[Moke]

Cataract surgery updates:
Left eye done, and 20/20 result. Amazing.
Right eye YAG laser surgery done.  Some improved clarity. But not that much better.
It was a rather powerful laser cutting lens that shot through a repeated use centered hole into the outer most eye surface of the lens sack. That hole was a horizontal dead centered shot.  Then the laser changed positions and entered again via that same first hole, but, at different cutting angles, up/down/sideways, which punched a thru-hole through the newly implanted lens.  How deep that went beyond the new lens is a bit of a mystery to me, but I think it also went through the rear, posterior lens sack.
The doc suggested a 3 month followup exam, and that improvements should come in that time.

The Laser,....
There was a zap within the eye with each laser pulse that felt a bit like a static shock discharge that made me involuntarily blink, and, jerk. The doc said I did really well. But, dang, those impulses were a bit shocking.

So, that laser zapping was wednesday 05-01-24, and I needed to talk to the doctor about a somewhat newly developing irritation in my left eye. It had just started to feel a bit dry and irritated on that same morning.
Well, i went into the pre-op exam room w/ the docs assistant, and I mentioned my eye irritation, which was slightly more than just noticeable.  Then he dosed me with an eye numbing drop, multiple times, in both eyes, as he wanted to do a pressure test in both eyes. that led to me totally forgetting about the eye irritation, and, for me to be back to totally anxious about the laser procedure.
Well, i clean forgot to talk to the doctor as the anxiety of the Laser, and the eye numbing before the laser treatment was such an impacting event.

OK,... things changed, drastically, in the course of this same evening, and trying to sleep. -> sleepless
The slight irritation of earlier turned to agonizing pain, and, feeling like I was getting hit in the eye, repeatedly.  It was like getting a thumb into the eye, and, a severe muscle spasm combined. And, my eye was flowing like a river with tears, uncontrollably streaming.  Any source of light was agonizing, as I found out by turning on my MiniMag flashlight (2x AA battery version). Just that tiny light, even from behind it, was like getting clobbered deeply into my head.
When I got up the next morning, and walked out into the main house, just the 5:30am overcast morning sun was pure sheer torture, even from inside the house.
So, Sarge went into panic mode, and started into calling all numbers that we had been given, declaring Emergency!
The docs office was great in responding, and got me a late morning appointment, but, in an office that was twice as far away; because of the doctors schedule, he was there for the day.
Diagnosis,...
I had run out of Steroids/Antibiotic eye drops perhaps 36 hours before the eye pain began.  The doctor looked into my eye, and determined that i had developed an inflammation in that eye, that did not happen in the first eye. So, i got a new' script for three more weeks of eye drops. Ewww,... they burn so good.
My eye had become addicted to the steroids and was screaming out for a fix (my diagnosis - not professional).

You'd think that with the laser zapping of the right eye, and, with some slight reddening-bleeding in the white-of-the-eye around the pupil, that this right side would have been irritated. nope.

[Sqrl Klr]

The local huntress here barfed up a gopher the other day. Had to wash it off the patio but was glad she got it.

[Moke]

The local huntress here barfed up a gopher the other day. Had to wash it off the patio but was glad she got it.

I got that same pleasure this morning. ewww!

[Moke]

this morning,...

[Moke]

She is leaving me in the dirt for rodent count.

this mornings Gopher(?)

[Moke]

I got some of the action this afternoon. I lifted the lid to the gen.shed, and there was momma mouse feeding a bunch of babies.
I took aim with my Beeman P17, and took out momma and two babies with one Q-Tip prepared as two darts, for a two-fer in one shot.  I popped a second baby with another piece of Q-Tip (cut in half as darts).  I then ran out of prepared Q-Tips and quickly grabbed a pack of CPHP's  .177's, and took out the rest of them with pellets.
Who knew you could get a two-fer with a Q-Tip, ehh?

img. 0559 is the momma. You can see the q-tip right at her hip.  I aimed at the chest, but she moved away just as I shot. That resulted in the Q-Tip pinging a baby, and her together. Look for the white spot near moms rear hip.

img. 0560 is a different camera angle of the first image.

img 0561 is one of the babies that got hit by the q-tip. The q-tip also dug into the grain of the wood, and stayed put.

[airgunaut]

Who will be first to kill a pregnant mouse, you or your cat? JACKPOT!

[Moke]

I'm pretty sure that I had a chance at that momma mouse a few days ago.  I lifted the lid to the gen.shed, and saw a mouse exactly where this one was sitting. I went to grab my P17. But by the time I returned it was gone. So, I kept looking, and, then,....

[Moke]

Sarge, she who must be obeyed, was out on the back patio. She is not exactly a cat lover; but Kitty has changed her mind about cats, a wee bit.
Suddenly, Kitty comes running down the cat path with something in her mouth. She runs right up to Sarge, right to her feet, and Sarge ID's it as a mouse.  Before that micro-second of time passes, Kitty suddenly opens wide, and consumes the mouse, whole, but the tail was sticking out of her mouth. Kitty looks up at Sarge, and wanted to get petted - fuggetaboutit, it ain't gonna happen.  Then she suggests again,... You choose to sleep with that thing?
And, yesterday, I got to clean up more Gopher guts, this time from the front entry. Well, it was Gopher guts and the severed head.

[Moke]

And, there was another Gopher gut pile and head on the rear patio, this morning.

[Moke]

I got me a Rat tonight, at just about zero-dark:15
Crosman 1322 Backpacker (Pyramyd Air Bug-Out kit) w/ 14" barrel, aluminum breech (Baker air guns breech), Winchester scope (cheapie)
I popped it, and it thrashed around, doing flips, and ended up in the bushes.  Because of rattlesnakes here, I don't go digging around in the bushes that late in the evening.

[Moke]

I was out working in the yard, eliminating weeds. Truth: Round-Up spraying with my 4gal backpack pump sprayer.
I was working a steep slope that I hate trying to weed whip; too tall/steep.
Suddenly, right at my feet, a Gopher kicks dirt out of its hole.
So, my only weapon was the Round-Up sprayer. So I stuck the sprayer end down into its hole, and pulled the trigger, and let it fly with full pumping furry with my other hand.
What happened next?
It came blasting out of the hole, with a face full of foamed-up Round-Up. It was a direct head shot of foaming goo all up in its face (don't know why it foamed, but it did).
So, maybe in like 10 years from now, it will die of cancer?

Then, I shucked my boots off, ran into the house, and grabbed a tin of CPHP .177, and my Beeman P17, and I went back to see if it was still above grade. But, it had retreated to its hole, and backfilled it. 

So, I took my P17 over to the gen.shed, and popped the lid open, and there were two mice in it. Well, they both got dispatched in short order. Both were plinked with standard pellets.

Me:
one Round-Up frost-faced Gopher
Two mice from the gen-shed

[airgunaut]

I was out working in the yard, eliminating weeds. Truth: Round-Up spraying with my 4gal backpack pump sprayer.
I was working a steep slope that I hate trying to weed whip; too tall/steep.
Suddenly, right at my feet, a Gopher kicks dirt out of its hole.
So, my only weapon was the Round-Up sprayer. So I stuck the sprayer end down into its hole, and pulled the trigger, and let it fly with full pumping furry with my other hand.
What happened next?
It came blasting out of the hole, with a face full of foamed-up Round-Up. It was a direct head shot of foaming goo all up in its face (don't know why it foamed, but it did).
So, maybe in like 10 years from now, it will die of cancer?

Then, I shucked my boots off, ran into the house, and grabbed a tin of CPHP .177, and my Beeman P17, and I went back to see if it was still above grade. But, it had retreated to its hole, and backfilled it. 

So, I took my P17 over to the gen.shed, and popped the lid open, and there were two mice in it. Well, they both got dispatched in short order. Both were plinked with standard pellets.

Me:
one Round-Up frost-faced Gopher
Two mice from the gen-shed

It is turning into a bad weed year here, too. I’ve been hand-pulling that scourge of the west—or ONE of the scourges—called cheatgrass. Can’t deal with the denser infestations of it in some places, so those sites will have to get sprayed with the anti-germination coating in autumn.

For pop-up varmints while you’re on task, you could carry some pepper spray. No toxins, and if the blinded gopher gets snatched by a fox, foxie gets chorizo seasoning on his snack.

[Moke]

I was out working in the yard, eliminating weeds. Truth: Round-Up spraying with my 4gal backpack pump sprayer.
I was working a steep slope that I hate trying to weed whip; too tall/steep.
Suddenly, right at my feet, a Gopher kicks dirt out of its hole.
So, my only weapon was the Round-Up sprayer. So I stuck the sprayer end down into its hole, and pulled the trigger, and let it fly with full pumping furry with my other hand.
What happened next?
It came blasting out of the hole, with a face full of foamed-up Round-Up. It was a direct head shot of foaming goo all up in its face (don't know why it foamed, but it did).
So, maybe in like 10 years from now, it will die of cancer?

Then, I shucked my boots off, ran into the house, and grabbed a tin of CPHP .177, and my Beeman P17, and I went back to see if it was still above grade. But, it had retreated to its hole, and backfilled it. 

So, I took my P17 over to the gen.shed, and popped the lid open, and there were two mice in it. Well, they both got dispatched in short order. Both were plinked with standard pellets.

Me:
one Round-Up frost-faced Gopher
Two mice from the gen-shed

It is turning into a bad weed year here, too. I’ve been hand-pulling that scourge of the west—or ONE of the scourges—called cheatgrass. Can’t deal with the denser infestations of it in some places, so those sites will have to get sprayed with the anti-germination coating in autumn.

For pop-up varmints while you’re on task, you could carry some pepper spray. No toxins, and if the blinded gopher gets snatched by a fox, foxie gets chorizo seasoning on his snack.

Ughh,... weeds.

You had mentioned about getting a pregnant rodent.
Well, Kitty, who has been on a terror streak,... She brought home a Rat this morning, and, left it right by my shoes. I guess this one was for me?
When I went to pick it up (with trash picker-upper tongs), its belly was quite round and felt plump. It might have been pregnant.


Kitty, yesterday: gopher cleanup on the back patio aisle one; gut pile, and head. No pic taken.
Today: see image of the fat preggo rat. She chewed off the top of its head, and brain bucket.

[Moke]

Me:  i got myself!

It bites!

The Beeman P17 bites like a mad dog, and, won't let go until you get your spazz hand over to the hammer to try to release it. Because it had completed the full cocking/pump stroke, I needed to shoot it off first to release the hammer for re-cocking/opening, with the off-hand of course.

I know it, and it still got me.