EEEEEEEEEK!!!!

Also, ICK!!

(By Mike Brinkerhoff - from Keeping Up With The Brinkerhoffs)

If you've Kept Up With The Brinkerhoffs over the past year, you've more than likely seen a picture of Jasper, our newest cat. Despite kinda being bamboozled into adopting him by my clever niece Alicia and her husband Daniel, we've accepted him into our pride, and have decided he's pretty cool to have around.



Though he is almost always pictured curled up on a chair, couch, or warm body, he is actually a highly skilled, bred-for-success hunter.

He's demonstrated his skill from time to time - we found a ratsicle outside last December, and early this Spring, he brought a dead mouse or bird (sorry, I can't remember the specifics) into the dining room while Cindy was having a lunch with some of her friends from church.

But we'd never actually witnessed the hunt in action. For all we know, he just had a subscription to the "Dead Vermin o' the Month Club".

Now we know that's not the case.

Last night, Jasper was hanging out by the couch in the living room, but rather than sleeping on it, he was howling at it. On top of it, next to it, in front of it, howling, howling, howling. I was starting to get annoyed by him, so to give him the benefit of the doubt, I peeked behind the couch.

As I suspected, nothing there. Crazy Cat!!!

Then he repositioned himself at the side of the couch, crouched as low as his feline body could get him.

And howled.

I thought, "Man, that cat has lost his mind!" but to have a clean conscience when I scooped him up and tossed him outside, I got down on the floor in front of the couch and looked under it.

Nothing.

Then, just to show that I really was giving him the benefit of the doubt, I put my hand under it and pushed up the bottom fabric.

And saw an outline. A distinctly mouse-shaped outline.

I didn't go all '60s Sitcom Crazy and jump up and start screaming, but I was stunned! A mouse... INSIDE our house... I called to Cindy in the next room, and told her what I had found. After confirming that THAT was why Jasper had been acting so psychotic, she suggested taking the broom and scooping Mr. Mousey out toward our waiting hunter.

Brilliant plan!

As I pushed the broom under the couch, I looked at Jasper and said "This one's for you!"

What happened next was a great example of the circle of life... ya know, the death part of the circle of life!

Jasper became a blur of teeth and claws, there was some squeaking, some scuttling, and in about five seconds, he came strutting into the living room with his prize dangling from his jaws.

It took a little convincing to get him to go outside with his new plaything, and when he did, it seems he found another one, because he spent the next half hour playing cartoon-style Cat 'n' Mouse with it, at one point even holding its tail while it ran in place...

Yes, being a Western Washington Native, I felt a tingle of guilt. But then I remembered that it was IN MY HOUSE, and I started rooting for Jasper again.

Hey Alicia, thanks for the great cat!