The Visitor

Great news today!  We were able to rescue the two kittens that I posted about yesterday.  The little guy that was hit by a car, and the one that was thrown out of a car - we've lovingly named him "Grease Monkey".

The other guy that was hit by a car is going to be named "Crash".   We don't know what kind of medical care Crash will need, but he's being examined by the vet as I type this.  Poor little guy. 

We had a crazy day yesterday.  I kept hearing what sounded like a small bird *chirp*.  I couldn't find the source of the noise until I walked into the kitchen and found 4 cats surrounding the oven - their noses pressed to the floor.

Never a good thing. 

I shoo'd everybody away and called my son to help me.  We started to dismantle the bottom of the stove.  No, we didn't know what we were doing, but SOMETHING was freakin' chirping under there and was at the mercy of a house full of predators. 

We took a flashlight and laid flat on the floor.  At first, all we could see was a ba-zillion cat toys that had slid under there over the years.  But then we saw *it* when it blinked.  It was a very frightened little chipmunk. 

"Now what?"

My son and I must've looked like something out of the Three Stooges.  We started dumping out Tupperware bowls, and getting soup spoons to try to scoop up the poor thing.  We had a Tupperware bowl fortress set up in the kitchen!!  Looking back, it's hard to believe we actually thought that would work.  Because as soon as we came at that sweet chipmunk with a spoon, it darted out from under the stove with 4 predators fast behind it.

I'm screaming and trying to scruff cats!   My son is screaming and scruffing cats!  Tupperware bowls are flying all over the place as we run after the little thing who promptly finds temporary solace under our family room couch. 

My son and I look at each other, knowing that we're fast losing control of the situation.  If the chipmunk goes into the basement, we're done.  So in a last ditch move, I open the back door to the backyard.  My son takes the soup spoon and taps on top of the sofa to flush the little guy out.  Like magic, the chipmunk bolts!!

I start screaming again and hold up the doormat to the back door and start waving it like a bullfighter.  I cursed the housekeepers as cat hair flew all over the room as I shook the doormat.  The chipmunk stops dead in his tracks in the middle of the family room.  We look at him.  He looks at us.  I wave the cat hair laden rug as the chipmunk scurries politely outside. 

We shut the door and can't believe what we just saw.