Got me a good night of sleep last night – fell asleep halfway through the first Law & Order!

At around 4 a.m., Oreo hopped out of bed and excitedly ran underneath. Then I heard a squeak.

So, yeah, apparently there was a little rat in my bedroom. City folk, don’t worry – I mean the cute kind. The kind that makes its home outside rather than in the walls of a tenement.

not my pic, but gives you the idea.

I had to hold Oreo back to keep her from pouncing it. She obliged but you could tell she was about to LOSE HER MIND. I tried tossing her out my bedroom door to attend to the rat, but she sprung back in before I could even close the door. Into the guest bedroom she went, then I had to figure out how to get it out of my bedroom. It seemed impossible. After all, I had a queen-size bed’s worth of space for it to hide where I couldn’t reach it.

But I caught it! I think it helped that it took a while.. after 15 minutes of trying to coax it into a (very shallow) box (as it was all I could find) and having it hop back out, all at arm’s length, I think it figured out I was somewhat less of a threat than Oreo. The box seemed to become less and less of a bad idea. So finally, as it sat on the edge of the box, I tossed a shirt over it and grabbed its little body through the shirt. Set it in the box. Closed the flaps. Released it into the bushes outside.

I was pretty proud of myself, though. I may not be a crocodile hunter, but catching a live rat without harming it or myself felt like an accomplishment! :)