Cats, Rats, and Traps

I got the news that Addison had died a horrible death.  Addison was my guitar students neighbors cat, my absolute favorite amongst many guitar students neighbors cats.  A different neighbor had left out rat poison.  I was sad when I got the news that Addison had died a horrible death.

-----

The Highlight of Summer 2014 is our vegetable garden.  The process of growing vegetables is amazingly fun.  When animals began eating bits we decided it was for certain the cute bunnies who were here first and that there was enough vegetables to share.  When my old lady saw a small scurrying something we decided we did not feel the same way about rats as we do about rabbits.

------

I had a six dollar plastic trap all baited and set and ready to go when she mentioned the idea of Rocky, the neighbors cat, Bubba, the landlords dog, a baby bunny or neighborhood child stepping on it.  Up on the shelf it went. 

------

The next morning I was watering and saw a beautiful baby cucumber but when I turned it over in my hand it had horrifying bite marks on it.  Rat teeth.  I am not a bite mark expert but I am short tempered so I went back to the shelf and retrieved my trap.  I placed it right next to the hole and set it when I realized it had no bait.  Internal laziness prevailed. My placement of the trap was so perfect that the lack of bait would not be a factor.

-----

The lack of bait was a major factor.  I did not catch anything for two days as the vegetable carnage continued.  I tried to gently pop a fresh piece of banana into the bait section, which set off the trap, rendering it useless.  I brought it inside and threw it away.

-----

This is the not the end of the story.