Thursday, July 7, 2022

In-and-out at night

Rascal likes to spend most of the day in the house.  Mostly sleeping.  Lately, with the better weather, he wants to spend lots of time outside after dark.  But this being Rascal, often that means he wants in-and-out of the house quite a lot.   Usually he wants in to get something to eat or drink, then wants back outside.  My previous cat, Daisy, seemed only to eat two or three times a day.  And when Daisy came in, he stayed in for a while.

I don't have a cat door.  So Rascal comes in the bedroom to meow to wake me up and tell me he wants outside.  He knows at night which door to go to.  My bedroom window is nearby and he then can meow and wake me up to let him into the house.

Lately he wants in-and-out quite a few times in an hour or two.  Usually every 20 minutes or once a half hour.   Last night he went in-and-out every 5 to 10 minutes.  Each time he would wake me up from sleeping.  After the fourth time I left the door open. 

Now I am not keen on leaving the door open.  That is because a few days ago I heard noise in the kitchen or entryway at night while I was on the computer.  I think it may have been a mouse.   Some years ago I "mouse-proofed" the basement walls, and the floor.  That stopped mice from finding a way into the house.  Apparently those mice could squeeze through the small openings around the water pipes in the floor.  I placed wire around those openings, and no more mice in the house.

Since that night, a few days ago, I haven't heard any sound of a potential mouse in the house.  I don't know if Rascal got the mouse, or the mouse went back outside when I had left the door open.

Rascal does spend time outside.  Often when I am outside.  I tried to take a photo of him, but each time he would flop over to lay down next to me.