The Alpharetta Chipmunk Revival

So, I’m relaxing in front of the TV trying to read 1776, cats by my feet when I hear… something in the litter box.. huh? Count cats… 1.. 2… that’s it… what’s in the litter box? Leo, my six month old apparently hits the same conclusion seconds before I do. We both race into the kitchen, just as…

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!

Okay, so I scream like a girl when there are woodland creatures in my house! A chipmunk comes flying out of the box with Leo behind him. I grab Bear and toss him into a carrier. I wanted to do the same to Leo, but he was having no part of it. So, I chased him upstairs into my room and shut the door.

Back downstairs, I open both the front and back doors and proceed to chase my little frightened guest from pillar to post for a half hour before he vanishes…. I hoped he’d taken advantage of the open door. Couldn’t find him and decided somewhat uneasily he was gone. But it was that feeling from any good horror movie when the body of the monster/killer/whatever isn’t seen. I let Bear out and open the bedroom back up… I settle back down with my book pondering how Mr. Chipmunk got in and guessing as my 15 minute search had revealed nothing- so he came in either when I was carrying the garbage out earlier or perhaps had even come in through the shed I left open earlier (it backs up to the kitchen wall).

Both cats are near me… Bear looks anxious… Leo suddenly streaks into the kitchen and flushes Mr. Chipmunk out of hiding….

Get Ready… yes…

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bear also gets scared. Either of me screaming or the chipmunk, not sure which. He goes and hides under the table. The next hour is blur of me and Leo flushing the chipmunk out of a series of places, under furniture, etc. Just imagine a small black cat chasing a smaller creature while a grown man runs behind with a wire waste basket… My intention was to catch the chipmunk, but I kept catching Leo. Finally, Leo sent him in my direction and I got the litter basket over the poor thing. He battered around inside trying to come up with a way out… I fended off Leo trying to imagine the next part of the trick of getting him out…

You think I planned that far????

Finally, I just started slowly scooting basket and chipmunk across the floor until we got near the door. The threshold is too high to do the scoot game so I open the door as best I can such that there are no obvious options save that one. I tip the basket back and Mr. Chipmunk goes sailing out the door…

SLAMMMMMMMMMM!

Leo fussed about his lost prize for the next half hour. It took Bear that long to come out. He was so scared that the Chipmunk was at one point HIDING behind him and Bear didn’t so much as twitch or consider going after him. Definitely an indoor kitty…

I’ve once again checked under cabinets, dishwasher, etc. If he didn’t come in the door, the only way in is through the gap to the pipes of the dishwasher, which lead out into the shed where the furnace and hot water heater is. There’s no openings to the outside world there, so he either came in the back door earlier, or the shed door yesterday.

Mental note – be more observant and scream less…