A large pussy cat and a little baby mouse disrupted the peaceful play on the east greens at OBLBC at around 2:00 p.m. on June 23rd.
The large tabby was quickly gaining ground on the poor defenceless little mouse as players continued to bowl.
Linda Cowie was inspired by the chase as she hit the jack two times in a row when playing, while watching this adventure, against our President (Barry Hersh).
Barry, that sensitive guy, had a hard time containing his tears as he watched the tiny little mouse being engulfed in the cat’s mouth and suffered a 5-point and 6-point loss in a row.
The mouse managed to escape with Barrie Bolton and Donna Blackstock nearly managing to scoop the mouse up but it avoided capture. The cat was last seen continuing a search for the evasive mouse. In his game loss, Barry claims he was too upset to play after seeing this poor tiny mouse, with its baby shoes on, trying to evade capture.
That’s his story and he’s sticking to it.
Report by “Contributor”, who prefers to remain anonymous
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Your website staff have ignored the wailings of the “anonymous” bowler who in desperation tries to blame the hunt drama for yet another of his losses.
Below is a less emotional account of the event which covers what our readers will really want to know: “What kind of a mouse was it?”
Our Science Department was on hand to observe the encounter, when the cat first appeared with the mouse in its mouth on the north side of the east green, disappearing into the hedge. A few minutes later the mouse was spotted, hopping across the length of rink 10 on the east green with the cat in pursuit. The mouse was surprisingly aggressive when caught, jumping up and biting the cat’s face several times. Contrary to the anonymous contributor’s account, the mouse was not a “baby”, but a full-grown 24 cm. adult including its 14 cm. tail; nor were “baby shoes” observed on the mouse.
The bowling crowd was clearly rooting for the mouse and eventually scared the cat away. However, there seemed to be reluctance to actually pick up the mouse for rescue and identification purposes. There being no nearby chair to stand on, the best the mouse’s saviours could do was squeak in alarm as it ran over their feet.
Based on observation and behaviour, we feel confident in identifying the mouse as a Western Jumping Mouse, family Dipodiae, sub-family Zapodinae (jumping mice), Genus Zapus sub-species princeps saltator. These mice are normally nocturnal. Based on its latest escape, our mouse will no doubt have learnt its lesson and will rely on the cover of darkness in future.
The cat was Felis catus, sub-species unknown.
