CSI: Columbus

I spent most of Sunday running errands. I brunched at Waffle House with Simon (yum!). I got my hair done. I shopped. I went to the grocery store.

When I got back to my apartment, I learned it was a crime scene.

Discovering the Body

I walked in the door and stopped to pet the kitties for two seconds. I had to use the restroom, so I ran down the hallway. Then, I headed to the cat room to replenish food and water (They're always dropping food and toys in their water...ugh!)

As I turned, I saw it out of the corner of my eye. It was a fuzzy thing in the hallway. At first I thought it a cat toy. Then, I saw its mouth hanging open. My cat toys are all smiley. I turned on the light for a better look... it was a dead baby squirrel (or chipmunk - if chipmunks have tails - or flying squirrel)!

The Reenactment

While I had been gallivanting around town, my two lovely cats had been torturing and killing some poor squirrel. All those games I've played with them using lasers and strings and fake fish have prepared them for this exact moment: the day I would leave them alone in my apartment with a live rodent. Had I known I was a feline boot camp leader, I would've taught them to hug, not pounce.

The only saving grace was the fact that they had not chewed off the squirrel's face or pulled off its tail or anything gross like that. They probably thought they were playing with the coolest toy ever ... until it stopped moving.

I always wondered what they'd do if they found an animal. I should have known. I've seen them tag team moths and flies and gnats.

The Horror

Of course, I'm horrified. Heck, I'm the girl who embarrassed herself at work rescuing a cricket that got into one of the command centers. Someone was going to step on it - and I hate that crunching sound. Plus it's bad luck to kill a cricket. I rescued it and carried it outside. (I even rescued a different squirrel that got in my apartment!)

Which begs another question, how do these squirrels keep getting into my second floor apartment? I have a small gap under my front door or maybe they're getting in through my attic? Whatever it is, it's freaking me out!

Calling in Reinforcements

Every time I looked at the squirrel, I wanted to cry. Thankfully, Simon only lives 10 minutes away so I called him for a rescue. He came and disposed of the corpse for me. What a guy!

I hope that's the last of the rodents in my apartment. I suspect that it won't be. I guess the downside to having cats is dead furry creatures.