28

Mingling at the Kit Kat Club

Hi everyone. It’s Gypsy Katt. You may recall that Cheeseland is now living in a Tabocracy. Thomas Tabby has started his job as a liaison to the humans. One of his promises was that he was going to try to promote inter-species activities. I’m going to tell you about my experience with inter-species speed dating. I tried it out so I could report on it. (Just for the record, I am a very happy single lady cat.)  Sgt Stripes tagged along to watch. He sat at the bar with a cup of catnip tea.

I didn’t really know what speed dating was.The event was sponsored by the Kit Kat Club. It’s a rather elegant place that’s a popular spot for weddings and other receptions. The way that it worked was that we were given a card with the names of the animals we would be “dating”. Each “date” lasted for 5 minutes before we changed partners. At the end, we would decide which of the partners we would like to interested in meeting again. If there were any matches, we would get their contact information.

Capybara sensation: Why a rodent is winning hearts of millions of TikTokers | Trending - Hindustan Times

I ended up with two cats, a guinea pig, a couple of rabbits, three dogs, a mouse, and a capybara. The capybara was up first. He was very nice. However, he was a vegetarian who spends a lot of time in the water. I don’t think we had much in common. Not only that, he was huge. I decided to pass on him.

Siamese Cats: Facts You Should Know About This Breed

Next, I was paired with a Siamese. He was extremely attractive, but seemed to be very conceited about it. I don’t know if he was nervous or what, but he talked nonstop for the entire 5 minutes. I don’t think he even asked my name. He was looking for a life partner to start a family. That is not me.

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The guinea pig was pretty cute, but had extremely long hair. It was hard to see his eyes. He is new to the area and is mainly looking for friends. I thought there were better places to do that, but he was very charming. Another vegetarian. I wasn’t sure about dating someone who looks so much like prey.

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Speaking of prey, the mouse seemed terrified. I’m not sure why he thought that going to a dating event sponsored by a club for cats was a good idea. I tried talking to him, but all he could do was squeak. I’m pretty sure he thought I was going to eat him.

The two rabbits disappeared before I had a chance to talk to them. That left a cat and three dogs.

Tuxedo cats: 10 fun facts you need to know | PetsRadar

This cat was an elegant tuxedo cat. He was well-spoken and polite. I was starting to think that I might want to know more about him when he started talking about his kittens. I asked where their mother was. He said that she was still with the kittens and wouldn’t mind him seeing someone else. Another pass.

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Then things got a little strange.One of the other ladies was a cute labradoodle. She had been talking with one of the dogs (who was supposed to be seeing me next.) They seemed to really be getting along well. When the buzzer went off, they were still talking. The next dog in line walked over,

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The first dog didn’t move, so the second dog, a large German Shepherd, growled at him. The first dog, a border collie, didn’t move. The German Shepherd lunged at the border collie, and they started to fight. Several other animals joined the fight.

Sgt Stripes jumped down from the bar and helped me get out of the building. I do not recommend inter-species speed dating. 

Pictures courtesy of Google Images

27

Edgar Mouse’s Christmas Adventure

 Christmas mouse Cute mouse with christmas gift mouse celebrating christmas | Premium AI-generated image

Edgar Mouse was very excited. He was going to visit his sister Polly for Christmas. He was a field mouse, but Polly had moved into town and was now a house mouse. She was renting space in a multi-species dwelling. There was a strict no-intimidation, no-eating policy among the residents.

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Several of the residents were having friends and family stop by for the holidays, so Polly gave Edgar directions directly to her space to ensure there wouldn’t be any problems with the other guests. As Edgar got near, he tried to remember what she had said.

“Hmm. I know there was something about direction. Was it Go to the west, that’s always best? or Avoid the beast. Go to the east? or Dragon’s mouth is in the South? No, that one’s silly. She doesn’t live with dragons. I don’t remember. Now what should I do?

Eating cute little mouse | One of these cute and tiny mice e… | Flickr

Edgar walked around the house, looking in the windows. He didn’t see Polly anywhere. There was a big front door. That couldn’t possibly be right. He wandered around a bit more. Something smelled delicious. He was so preoccupied with the smell that he didn’t notice the small crack in the wall.

“That must be what I’m looking for! It’s perfectly mouse-sized. I’ll just sneak in and surprise Polly.”

The real-life Tom and Jerry: Captured mouse stands his ground and hits cat back in 10-minute battle before escaping

Edgar squeezed into the crack. To his surprise, it opened up into a large dining room. He sat on his haunches for a couple of minutes looking around. What was that delicious aroma? Something was baking. He started to follow the smell. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his tail. He looked back and was horrified to see a rather large tabby cat with its paw on his tail.

The Tabby was looking at Edgar and grinning.

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“Hello, mouse. Would you like to play?”

Edgar shook his head, terrified. The cat let him go. He ran away, but was cornered by a tortie. This cat batted at him a couple of times, but didn’t really seem interested in hurting him. The tabby picked him up in his mouth and looked around. Edgar squirmed and the cat let him go.

10 Facts About Cats and Mice

For several minutes, the two cats and Edgar “played.” He was looking for an escape. Every time Edgar tried to run, one of the cats would put a paw on him. They never hurt him, but Edgar was terrified. Finally, he hid under a cabinet and tried to figure out how to escape. The cats had him cornered there.

Blog - Richmond, VA Homeowners' Complete Guide To House Mice

Suddenly, the big door opened. The cats were distracted, and Edgar raced out the door. Finally, he was safe again. But where was Polly? He looked around, afraid to approach the house again. He heard someone calling his name.

“Edgar! Edgar! Where are you?”

Edgar: Polly! Is that you?

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Polly: Oh my goodness, Edgar! I was so worried. Are you okay?

Edgar: Polly! I’m so glad I found you. I had a terrible adventure. There were two cats who had me trapped.

Polly: You’re lucky you got out. My place is on the other side of the house. The cat I live with heard what was going on. He’s the one who opened the door so you could escape.

Winter Rodents | Dobby the Capybara

Edgar: You live with a cat?

Polly: Oh, yes. There are a couple of cats, a family of guinea pigs, a capybara, and a gorilla. There’s also a Bernese Mountain Dog who watches over us all,

Edgar: Will I be safe there?

Christmas Mouse with Bauble Decoration Festive Rodent Celebrating the Holiday Season | Premium AI-generated image

Polly: Absolutely. Just follow me. Like I said, “west is best”. If we go in the west door, my space is just inside.

Edgar followed her in. It was very cozy. After all the excitement, he was very tired and took a long nap before meeting the rest of the housemates. They welcomed him, and Edgar had a very enjoyable Christmas.

Christmas Kittens | Cat christmas cards, Merry christmas cat, Merry christmas pictures

Pictures courtesy of Google Images.

21

Sgt Stripes and the Great Vole Hunt

Sgt Stripes here. I love being an indoor kitty. I have humans to take care of me and lots of windows to look out. I have plenty of toys and can pretty much get tummy rubs on demand. I even have an electric tummy warmer. (Mom calls it a bed warmer.) But there’s one thing that has taken a little getting used to: the food.

Back when I lived outside, I had to hunt for food. We live in a pretty open area. Mom has two acres and there’s forty acres on the lot next door. I didn’t have much trouble getting what I needed. (Don’t tell Mom, but I got a few treats from the neighbors too.) I was attracted to Mom and my human brother because they put kibble out regularly. It was a nice contrast to my diet of field mice and voles.

When I came inside, they tried to feed me kibble and wet food. I love the kibble, but the wet food tasted really weird. I didn’t like it. I kept trying to tell them that I really wanted a vole, but they never seemed to understand. I asked Mr Google to find me some vole-flavored food, but I didn’t have any luck. All I could find was ways to get rid of voles. I don’t want to poison them. If I poison them, I can’t eat them.

Right now, I’m eating mainly kibble. Occasionally, I’ll have some chicken and tuna stew and some treats, It’s not that I don’t like my kibble, but it gets a little boring. I’d really like something fresh. My human brother gave me goose one time. That was pretty tasty, but I really don’t like human food (except ice cream).

I talked to Snoops about it. She lived outside for a while before she ended up at the shelter. She understood what I meant. She says that’s the main reason she occasionally eats the mice she catches. It’s a flavor that none of the canned foods can match. We don’t really understand why there are vegetables in some cat food, but no mice or voles.

I tried eating a couple of the mice I found upstairs. (It’s one of the advantages of living in an old farmhouse. It’s easy for mice to get in.) They were pretty tasty, but they really didn’t taste like the ones I had outside. Snoops says it’s because of what they eat. Apparently the humans aren’t really good about keeping all the food in the pantry locked in airtight containers. It has come to their attention that mice love sweets. On occasion, they’ve eaten large (for a mouse) quantities of chocolate chips and baking chocolate.

I guess I prefer grass-fed mice and voles. There have been a few mice since I came inside, but no voles. I saw that one of the pet stores around here has voles. I tried to talk Mom into buying a couple, but she wouldn’t do it. She won’t buy any of the fun animals: no mice, no voles, no gerbils, no hamsters. So I’m kind of stuck.

I think Mom feels bad because I don’t like wet food. I think she’s tried every flavor they make. I don’t want to make her feel bad; it’s not her fault that cat food doesn’t come in the really good flavors. Maybe I could write a letter to the cat-food companies and suggest they try something different.

In the meantime, I’m going keep living the good life and eating kibble.

 

23

Snoops and the Editors: Change is Hard

Things have been pretty busy in the editorial offices at Cheeseland. Lenny and George, the mice editors, have been scurrying around trying to figure out what’s next for the blog. It’s been around for almost eleven years. It started out as a place for Cat to vent about whatever was on her mind. Apparently not much, since it switched over to all animals all the time after a couple of years. But it didn’t really take off until Snoops and Kommando Kitty started writing        . Now that Kommando is gone, it’s probably time for another change.

Lenny: What are we going to do? We had a two-cat show with a bunch of supporting players.

George: I know. Cat kinda figured that she and the cats were going to retire together in a few years.

Lenny: Ooh. Maybe we can turn it into a retirement blog.

George: Don’t be dumb. She’s not retiring now.

Lenny: Oh yeah. That’s right. We need to figure out how to replace Kommando.

They both jump when they hear a loud hissing behind them.

Lenny: Oh, hey Snoops. Didn’t hear you come up.

Snoops: You are so lucky you’re considered family so I can’t eat you. We can’t replace Kommando. She was special.

George: We know. That’s why we’re trying to figure out what to do with the blog. You wanna do a solo thing? Something like “Snoops Speaks”?

Snoops: Nah. I don’t have the energy for that. The best part was having someone to share the ideas and research with.

Lenny: Maybe we could find you a new partner?

Snoops: I do not want another cat in the house. It was bad enough when Sgt Stripes moved in, but at least he stayed upstairs. Now we have the three who came in with my human sister and the two little humans. NO MORE CATS.

Lenny: Okay. Don’t get excited.

George: You know you scare Lenny when you get mad.

Snoops: Sorry, Lenny. Didn’t mean anything personal.

Lenny: It’s okay. I know you’re upset.

George: What do you think about partnering with one of the kids? The blonde one said he’d like to work with you.

Snoops: No chance. I don’t like children. Besides, we write about animals. He’d want to write about human stuff.

Lenny: Eww! How boring.

Snoops: Yeah. Besides, he’s loud and messy.

George: Excellent points. No small human partners.

Snoops: I think we need to keep the focus on cats.

Lenny: But the alligators and bears are pretty popular too.

George: And hedgehogs.

Snoops: That’s true. We’ll be mainly cats with a few other animals thrown in.

George: Could you work with one of the new cats?

Snoops fluffed up and arched her back.

Lenny: I’d say that’s a “no”.

George: What about Sgt Stripes? He joined you and Kommando for a few posts.

Lenny: And he’s an excellent researcher. He really loves Mr. Google.

Snoops: He tried to eat Kommando when he moved in. I had to jump on him to protect her.

George: He says that was a misunderstanding. He wanted to play pounce.

Snoops: Grrr.

Lenny: I think he’s afraid of you now. He doesn’t even really try to come downstairs when you’re around.

George: He might want to be friends. He’s trying to be friends with the lady cats upstairs.

Snoops: I don’t know. I’m not thrilled with any of the options. I’ll have to think about it.

She curled up to sleep while the mice tiptoed off.

11

The Cats’ Mother’s Day Dilemma

Snoops here. We decided we should invite the new guy into our planning for Mother’s Day. It may not have been my best idea.

Snoops: Sgt Stripes, you wanna get in on our gift for Mom on Sunday?

Sgt Stripes: What’s on Sunday?

Snoops: The humans celebrate something called Mother’s Day.

Sgt Stripes: She’s not my mother.

Snoops: Yes, she is. She adopted you.

Sgt Stripes: What does that mean?

Snoops: She brought you in and let you stay here. She made you a member of the family.

Sgt Stripes: She’s not my mother. I am a cat. My mother was a cat.

Kommando: We know that. That’s why she’s your adopted Mom. She takes care of you now.

Sgt Stripes: I thought you said it was Mother’s Day.

Cute Photos of Cats and Kittens | POPSUGAR Pets

Snoops: It is. Once she adopted you, she’s your Mom.

Sgt Stripes: Oh. Is that why I had to get her a Christmas present?

Kommando: You don’t HAVE to do it. Don’t you want to do something nice for her?

Sgt Stripes: I guess so. The kibble is really good here. And I didn’t have to go out in the snow this year. That’s probably worth something. What are you getting her?

Snoops: We haven’t decided yet.

Cat and mouse - 9GAG

Sgt Stripes: We should get her something good. How about a mouse?

Snoops: I tried that before. She doesn’t really like them.

Sgt Stripes: But they’re yummy. And fun to play with.

Snoops: She said thank you, then threw it away.

Sgt Stripes: How rude.

Snoops: I thought so. Now I give them to our human brother. He seems a little more appreciative.

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Kommando: How about a bouquet of fish?

Snoops: There’s no such thing.

Kommando: Are you sure?

Snoops: Pretty sure. I think they only put flowers in bouquets.

Kommando: What a waste. It would be delicious. Flowers really don’t taste very good.

Snoops: I think the humans only look at them. They don’t eat them.

Sgt Stripes: We should get her something she likes. What does she like to do?

Kommando: She likes to sleep.

Sgt Stripes: We could get her a blanket. I really like the blanket she gave me.

Snoops: She already has some of those. We need something unique.

Kommando: She likes to work in the yard.

Sgt Stripes: Let’s get her a mole. It could dig holes for her garden.

Kommando: Where do we get one of those?

Sgt Stripes: I’m pretty sure there are some in the back yard. At least  there were last summer.

Snoops: I guess that’s a possibility. But I think if she wanted one of those, she would have brought it inside instead of you.

Sgt Stripes: Oh. I hadn’t thought about that. Maybe you’re right.

Kommando: Maybe we could get her some yarn. Then she could make us a blanket.

Sgt Stripes: I like that idea! And yarn is fun to play with too.

Snoops: It’s supposed to be for her, remember? She’s seemed kinda stressed out lately. Maybe she needs something to help her relax.

Kommando: I thought cats were naturally relaxing.

Sgt Stripes: Yeah. What’s more relaxing than a purring kitty?

Snoops: Excellent point.

Kommando: So it’s settled. Our gift to Mom is going to be to let her spend time with us.

Sgt Stripes: Glad we got that settled.

 

Pictures (not of us) courtesy of Google Images

17

There Goes the Neighborhood: The Groundhogs’ Bad Season: Part 2

Groundhog Day: Munching Marmots Emerge From the Scientific Shadows - The  New York Times

Where we are: Harold and Madge Groundhog were concerned that their yard was being beautified in preparation of being sold. They were rather fond of their human; they and the other animals pretty much had the run of the place. You can read Part 1 here.

Harold: It’s getting worse. Now the other human, the younger one, is starting to clean up the yard too.

Madge: I know. The sticks are all gone, and the grass is shorter than it’s been in ages.

Harold: And the sidewalks are all clean.

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Madge: Our human is out every weekend, clearing away the weeds. I guess it’s more the way humans like it, but I miss the overgrowth. She got rid of all the grape vines. She said they were “invasive.”

Harold: Just because they were trying to root in the vinyl siding.

Sara Squirrel: Isn’t that like ivy-league? I thought that was high-class for humans.

Madge: Beats me. All I know is that the sun is getting into our home a lot more than it used to. And I don’t really feel safe anymore.

Roger Raccoon: Me and my friends have been trying to keep it from getting too clean. We’ve dumped the catnip and tomato plants a couple of times.

Ricky Raccoon: Not that you can tell. It gets cleaned up first thing in the morning.

Harold: And they moved some of the stuff inside.

Madge: They keep putting the catnip back down for that new cat to lie in.

Sara Squirrel: Yeah. Those two cats act like they own the place. I thought for sure the inside cats would try to drive them off, but they don’t seem to care.

Pierre Rabbit: I saw the human planting some stuff in front of the house.

Just then a bat flew over. The bats didn’t really like the rest of the animals, but he was curious about what was going on.

Benson: Hey, guys. What’s up?

Madge: We’re worried that the humans are getting the place ready to sell.

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Benson: You should see what’s going on inside. Major cleaning. Whole rooms are being cleared out.

Madge: Are they talking about moving?

Benson: I wish. My whole family has been living peacefully in the attic. They stirred everything up; we’re all moving out to the bat house. It’s ridiculous inside.

 Madge: But that’s your home!

Benson: It’s not worth it. The human is afraid of us. Every time she sees a bat, she gets the younger one and he puts us out. We’d rather leave on our own terms.

Guide to game: Rabbit and hare

Pierre: It’s not so bad out here. We have a lot of room, and no one bothers us.

Priscilla Rabbit: Did you hear the humans say anything about selling the house?

Benson: No. That’s not what’s going on. I guess that the other main human died a couple of years ago. They’re just finally getting around to really cleaning everything up. It’s a big house and a big yard.

Harold: Yeah. I guess it would take a lot of energy to get things straightened out.

Benson: The humans who are left said something about the one who’s gone being a pack rat. I don’t really know what that means. I saw pictures. He looks like all the other humans.

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Harold: Weird. I don’t think we have rats around here. I think they look like big mice.

Mortimer Mouse: Yeah. Kinda. But not so cute.

Harold: Do you know what a pack rat is?

Mortimer: I think it has something to do with the way that some rats hoard things.

Benson: Yeah. That sounds right. They are throwing away a LOT of stuff in the house.

Harold: And a lot of stuff out here.

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Priscilla: But they attracted those two cats. I don’t really like cats.

Pierre: But as long as they feed the cats, the cats don’t bother us.

Priscilla: Good point.

Roger: If they’re not cleaning to sell, we can probably stop trashing the plants on the porch.

Ricky: Sounds good to me. They’re not growing anything good anyway.

Madge (sighing): I guess that means I have to live with less privacy.

Woodchuck Food Habits - Woodchuck Wonderland

Benson: I overheard them say something about moving some of the peonies into the space they cleared.

Madge: Ooh! I love peonies. I hope that’s soon.

Benson: I did hear one other thing. There is no plan to clear the back area anytime soon.

Ricky: All right! Block party this weekend!!

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Pictures courtesy of Google Images

22

Cat Forum: Fleas and Indoor Cats

Snoops: Mom has been feeling like a bad cat mom recently. In all of her years of living with cats (including her first cat who went outside regularly), she had never experienced fleas. So when I started scratching, Mom assumed it was my usual winter dry skin. After a bit, Mom was horrified to discover fleas!

Kommando: Of course, fleas are nasty little things, and by that time, they were all over poor Snoops. She had to get bathed and treated.

Snoops: And combed and combed and combed.

Kommando: I got treated too. It was pretty unfair, all things considered.

Snoops: So we thought that we would share a couple of things about indoor cats and fleas.

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Generally speaking, there are four ways indoor cats can get fleas:

  • Neighbors – You know those noisy humans living in the next apartment? Their pets might have fleas. Or maybe the humans do.
  • Fur Siblings – If you live with a dog that goes outside, they might bring in fleas. Or any other critter that comes in from the great outdoors.
  • Used Furniture – That great new chair from the thrift shop might have some unwanted guests. It might even happen if there are fleas in the carpet when your family moves into a new place.
  • Wild Animals – Any warm-blooded animal that is outside is susceptible to fleas. If they have fleas, the fleas will eventually have eggs that may be dropped off somewhere outside the house. When the fleas grow up, they can jump on your humans and get a ride into the house.

Snoops: As near as Mom can tell, I got my fleas from one (or more) of the mice I caught. They come in from outside and set up shop. I get rid of them when I find them, but I guess one got even with me.

Dr. Deb declares, "I'm So Tired of Fleas!" Find out why... | Cat fleas  treatment, Cat fleas, Funny animals

The signs of flea infestation:

  • non-stop scratching
  • spots of hair/fur loss
  • skin irritation
  • excessive grooming
  • loss of energy and pale gums from anemia
  • black specks in the fur or bedding

Snoops: The worst part was that I lost a lot of my thick fur around my throat. I could have frozen to death this winter.

Kommando: Yeah. By the time it grew back, you were getting spring fur.

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Once a cat has fleas, both the cat and the house need to be treated. Fleas love to hide and lay their eggs in the carpet or any soft surface. Your vet can tell you which treatment is best for you. Treatments include:

  • flea powders
  • flea sprays
  • flea collars
  • spot flea treatments
  • oral medication
  • injections

Kommando: And lots of grooming with a flea comb. Flea combs get out the fleas, their eggs, their dirt, and the extra dead skin they cause on kitties.

Snoops: All that grooming actually feels pretty good.

Kommando: It took a while, but Snoops is back to looking pretty spiffy.

Snoops: Why, thank you!

Kommando: So remember: If you see any of the signs of fleas, make sure your human helps you groom with a flea comb. Better to be over-cautious than let the little monsters take over.

Snoops: It’s a lot easier to get rid of them before they’ve had a chance to spread.

 

19

Cheeseland Interview: George and Lenny

bear at a computer keyboard | Bear, Animals wild, Black bear

Eva Bruin, cub reporter at the Critter Cover High School Weekly Clarion, is sitting down with our editors George and Lenny for their first interview. They are excited that for once they will be the story.

Mouse using mouse: pics

How did you start your careers?

George: I started out like you, Eva, on my high school paper. I was editor my senior year.

Lenny: Yeah. He took over from a guy who got eaten.

George: An unfortunate case of mistaken identity. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Blog - Difference Between Mice And Rats

Have you always been a team?

George: Actually, we’re cousins. We come from a close family.

Lenny: Our dads are brothers.

George: We grew up together and the job just sort of happened.

Lenny: Yeah. We’re like brothers. I’m the good-looking one. He’s the brains.

George: Aww. Thanks, Lenny.

cute-rat-mouse-eating-paper » Naijaloaded | Nigeria's Most Visited Music &  Entertainment Website

What made you decide to come to Cheeseland?

George: I answered an ad on the MousterWorks job site for a blog editor.

Lenny: I saw it first, but they called George for some reason.

George: I actually sent them my resume, remember?

Lenny: Oh, yeah. I got frustrated with all the questions on MousterWorks. I think they might have closed my account, come to think of it.

Chilling gorilla lloking at mouse - Funny pictures of animals

Is it hard working with cats?

George: Actually, Cheeseland is a zero-tolerance workplace. We’ve never faced any discrimination.

Lenny: They do all of the hiring virtually. Cat didn’t know that we were mice until we did the final interview.

George: It isn’t really a problem. We have all kinds of animals here: raccoons, rabbits, a gorilla, cats, …

Lenny: And Cat has a strict “No eating family members” rule. We’re all considered family.

Two cute alligators | Two alligators of the Walter Zoo lying… | Flickr

Are there any interesting stories coming up soon?

George: We heard an interesting news story the other day. At Yellowstone, the humans want to have garbage cans that are too difficult for the bears to get into, but easy enough that any human can use them. Apparently, there’s a problem because some bears are smarter than some people.

Lenny: We want to go talk to the bears and get their side of things.

George: It’s also been awhile since we did a reptile story.

Lenny: We have quite a few alligator fans, so we’re putting something together for them.

George: We’ve had several requests for a hedgehog-friendly story too.

Can Cats Tell Time? - The Conscious Cat

What are the best and worst parts of your jobs?

George: Paws down, the best part of this job is the animals we work with. I have never been at a place that is so mutli-cultural. And everyone is so nice. Very low stress.

Lenny: And there’s no pressure to make things more human-centric. With a human owner, the blog could have run in an entirely different direction.

George: I guess the worst part is the deadlines. We like to keep things fresh, but sometimes it’s a struggle to get it out on time.

Lenny: If we could just find a non-human typist, it would be a lot easier…

happy mouse. | Smiling animals, Happy animals, Cute animals

Do you have anything you want to say to your readers?

George: Thank you for all your support. We couldn’t do it without you.

Lenny: Please try to think of mice as something other than a snack.

Find Your Own Bear - 24 Carrot Writing

Pictures courtesy of Google Images.

21

Letters to the Editor

Computer Cat | Cute little animals, Cute cat memes, Cute cats

We love hearing from our readers. Your comments are always welcome. We would like to share a few of the letters we have recently received.

Altered protein makes mice smarter – Science of Singularity

Dear Cheeseland,

What happened to you? You used to be so cosmopolitan. A place where any animal could go to get news and stories. Now it’s cats, cats, cats. Since the beginning of the year, there has only been one story where the main focus was something other than a cat. Mac the Magic Mouse was cool, but everyone else in that story is a cat too. We hope this is not a permanent development.

Leo, President

Lions, Tigers, Bears, Inc.

Pin by The InSource Group on Lines verden | Bear, Pet people, Bear sitting

Dear Leo,

We are sorry to hear of your disappointment. We strive to both entertain and inform. We hope that you noticed that our most topical stories, such as Scrolling Through Animal Twitter, do include other animals. We welcome guest columnists, so any of your members are welcome to contribute a pertinent post. 

Cat and mouse play together in Westport, Ireland but are they still friends? | Daily Mail Online

Dear Tom and Jerry,

Are you really both mice? You know, there is a famous cat-and-mouse team with the same name. Are you really in charge?

Sincerely,

Josie

Wrong Neighboorhood Cats Meme - Imgflip

Dear Josie,

We are afraid that you are somewhat confused. Our names are George and Lenny. We are both extremely literate mice. We are responsible for assigning the topics and ensuring that they are released in a semi-literate format. We are not responsible for the opinions of our writers, nor their actions when they are not writing for us.

Cats Talking With Their Humans 2018 [NEW] - YouTube

Dear Cheeseland,

I want to thank you for all the useful information you provide. I particularly like the way that you talk to us cats rather than the humans. They can be so arrogant! Do you know of a device that will allow me to speak directly to them? They insist that they cannot understand a word I say. I’m sure they’re lying, and it is so frustrating!

Pixie

Cute Cats - We Will Not Be Ignored - Imgflip

Dear Pixie,

We are not in the business of recommending products. Unfortunately, in your case, we would not be able to even if we wanted to. It is a source of unending irritation in the cat world that humans refuse to learn to speak cat. Apparently they don’t really see a need for it since they are bigger and are the ones with the opposable thumbs.

Secret Ballot, Public Voting: The Subtle and Not-So-Subtle Persuasion of the "I Voted" Sticker | viz.

Dear Cheeseland,

We have noticed that you do not talk about politics. Why not?

John Doe

Who Cleaned The Litter Box? - Funny Kitten MEME

Dear John

Politics are for humans. We are concerned with higher matters, like catching mice and clean litterboxes.

Seventeen Cats Who Are Plotting to Rule The World One Day (Memes) - I Can Has Cheezburger? | Cats, Funny animal pictures, Newborn kittens

Dear George and Lenny

Thank you for continuing to cover the world of animals. We are horribly underrepresented in the press. Cats rule the Internet, but it’s not enough. We need to rule the world! Thank you for doing your part.

Sincerely

Ralph, President

Cats of the World

Thank you to all of our writers. All polite communication is welcome.

Happy animals [Amazing Photo of the Day] | dotTech

Pictures courtesy of Google Images

14

The RHCCC: Mousing School

4 Ways To Get Into 'Back To School' Mode With Your Cat - CatTime

When we introduced the Real House Cats of Crabapple Cove, you might recall that Daphne works on the docks. She is a crew chief in charge of vermin control.

The Maine Coon Cat

Crabapple Cove is a hot tourist destination, and every summer the businesses hire extra staff to deal with the crowds. The owners all like to have at least a couple of mousers on staff as a guard against anything stealing the food or scaring the guests. It was a great job for kids on summer break.

Daphne noticed that a lot of the young cats didn’t last long on the job. When she asked around, she found out that they really didn’t understand what the job of mouser entailed. Sensing an opportunity, she decided to open a small mouser school at her house. Her first class had four students. It didn’t take long to find the issues.

Teacher Cat (@realteachercat) | Twitter

Daphne: Hi! I’m Daphne. Welcome to Mousing 101. Please introduce yourselves and tell us why you’re here.

Tyler: My mom said I had to get a summer job.

Mindy: Molly and I want to work on the docks. It’s the best place to meet cute guys when they first get here.

Molly (giggling): Yeah. Less competition than in town.

26 Funny Mafia Cat Pictures. | Cat island, Cat island japan, Cat pics

Daphne: It’s hard work on the docks. Have either of you two moused before?

Mindy and Molly looked at each other.

Mindy: Isn’t that why we’re here?

Molly: My mom doesn’t let mice in our house. She says they’re disgusting.

Daphne looked at the final young cat.

Joseph: I think that all cats should know how to mouse, and I never had a chance to learn.

Why Does My Cat Pounce?

Daphne: Okay, class. First, I’ll demonstrate the proper form. You listen carefully. When you think you hear something, get into your pounce stance and wait patiently. Don’t move until you see the target and think you have a good jump on it. You don’t want to spend a lot of energy running around if you don’t have to.

Daphne crouched into the correct position and sat. 

Daphne: Okay, everyone try the position.

Exercise for your cat - PDSA

The young cats mimicked her crouch. Daphne stood in front and looked at them. She didn’t say anything. A few seconds passed.

Molly: How long do we have to sit like this? It’s boring.

Daphne: You have to wait until the mouse appears.

Molly: You didn’t say anything about waiting for a mouse.

Daphne sighed.

What to Do When Your Cat Brings You a 'Gift'

Daphne: Okay. It looks like everyone gets the concept. I’m going to release four mice somewhere in the room. You need to listen for one of them, then practice your pounce. Do NOT hurt the mouse. We are practicing.

Tyler: I can’t eat my mouse? Why should I bother catching it?

Daphne: These are special mice who have been trained to help teach you. They’re not a snack.

Mindy: Thank goodness. I don’t like the taste of mice.

Lonely Cat On The Dock - Stock Video | Motion Array

Joseph: Are you sure you want to work on the dock? I don’t think they practice catch-and-release with what they find.

Mindy: I only want to work there until I find a boyfriend.

Joseph: Maybe you can get a job sitting there looking pretty. That way they won’t miss you when you quit.

Daphne: All right. I released the mice behind the walls. Everyone find a mouse.

The young cats stalked around the room listening carefully. One by one, they found a mouse to concentrate on. Each cat sat patiently waiting for their mouse to appear. Joseph pounced first and came up with the mouse in his mouth.

Funny Cat and Mouse Videos | Tom and Jerry Real Life Best funny - YouTube

Daphne: Excellent form! You’re a natural. You can let your mouse go.

Joseph released the mouse and thanked Daphne. He went to sit on the sofa and wait for the other cats. Molly was the next one with a mouse. She dropped it, and held it with her paw.

Daphne: Pawsome! You’ll be fine working as a mouser.

Molly joined Joseph on the sofa just as Mindy came up with her mouse. As soon as Mindy tasted the mouse, she dropped it and cried.

Mindy: Eww! That’s disgusting! How can you cats stand to have those in your mouths.  Blech!!

A man was mowing his front yard when his attractive, blonde, female neighbor came out of the house and went str… | Laughing cat, Laughing animals, Laughing pictures

Daphne started laughing. The other cats joined in.

Daphne: Mindy, I’m afraid you’re going to have to find a different line of work. You are definitely not cut out to be a mouser.

Mindy: Fine. This is revolting. I’m don’t want to date any cat that’s impressed by this.

karen (Woodside, NY)'s review of I Could Pee On This: And Other Poems By Cats

Mindy jumped up on the sofa to watch Tyler. He seemed to be having trouble locating his mouse. Suddenly, the mouse ran out past him. Tyler took off after the mouse only to lose him in a corner. Tyler waited a while longer, but the mouse didn’t reappear.

Tyler: This is stupid. I’m not going to wait all day for some stupid mouse to come out. I’ll find a job doing something else.

Mindy: Me too. Let’s get out of here.

Tyler and Mindy left together.

PsBattle: Two cats walking side by side | Cute cats, Pretty cats, Pets

Daphne: Molly and Joseph, you did excellent work today. I’d like to invite you both back next week for a follow-up lesson in stalking.

Both cats nodded their heads. They left together talking excitedly about how much more fun it was to catch a mouse than they thought it was going to be.

Two Cats Cuddle While Walking Together and the Internet Can't Handle It

Pictures courtesy of Google Images.