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Where We Left Off:
We’re still curious about how many monsters are in the woods and what kinds they are.
Behind Locked Doors:
I hate to keep Guster inside because of weather or if I’m too exhausted. He loves to work! So does Oliver, but his outside work is quite different. Mousing is a primary assignment of the cat detectives here because of this old house which offers a vast system of nooks and tunnels in between the floors and walls. Unfortunately, this building is not the only one susceptible to infestation.
I am disappointed to admit that the once beloved mobile command unit has not been well cared for due to serious health issues with the humans on staff. It hasn’t been a priority since before the pandemic. The Grumpy Old Man has made some quick fixes trying to keep the destructive squatters at bay. He’s filled gaps around pipes with steel wool and sprayed some kind of mint solution that’s supposed to repel the mice. Based on our recent inspections of the mobile command unit, these tactics are not working well enough.
In the videos, you probably can’t hear the clattering of tiny claws, but Gus and I were listening to them. You can see how alert Gus gets when he knows the mice are right overhead somewhere in that ceiling. I never know what Gus has on his agenda. We often don’t get to the inspections portion of our patrols until we’ve already been out for over an hour (and I’m tired). If I knew where some of the gadgets in the garage were kept, I could come up with other ways to make our inspection more efficient. For instance, I know that The Grumpy Old Man has a type of camera that’s on a flexible wire to fit through engines. If I could find that and thread it up into the ceiling of the MCU, I wonder if we’d catch the intruders on camera.
You might ask, “What about mouse traps?” Basically, Gus is the mousetrap for inside the residence and detective agency. I’ve used humane traps before Gus came to live here. They work okay. Inside the MCU is a different story. The Grumpy Old Man bought glue traps in bulk. He knows how much I hate them and how torturous they are, which is why I think he stopped using them. There’s a stack inside the trailer, but I haven’t seen any baited for over a year.
As far as damages and repairs: the stove and oven were replaced; the awning was an expensive clusterfuck to replace because of the motor (there should be a crank backup option, for fucksake); there’s minor work to be done to veneer and moulding that has warped and popped out of place; the major concern is that there’s roof damage which can only be fixed by specialized garages that know how to take off the vinyl, repair, and replace all the components. Does anyone have any clues about that?
Here are some photos of Chipcent Donofrio who wisely makes his way from a burrow entrance all the way over to the Big Rock for food and carries it back while avoiding Gus. He has to run underneath the mobile command unit to do this:
Case Findings:
The intrusion by the mice is more complicated than it seems. They’ve shredded some things (they seem to love all the operating manuals), but we have no way of knowing what damage they could be doing inside the walls and ceiling. There’s no food stored in there. Gus has done all he can. Until the mice show themselves, we’re at a loss.
Case Status: Open