Cat and Mouse Game

Our county extension office is housed in modular units and sits on a nice little plot of land in the middle of town. The path to the door is lined with native plants. Herbs are planted along the building around the corner to raised beds of strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers. All of this has been named the "Teaching Gardens". With this background, you can see that mice could be happy in such a setting. Indeed, they are a constant problem. Finally the county maintenance people told the office manager to get a cat. So cheery little Jolene took $25 from petty cash and purchased The Boss. He is marvelous. He looks like a Himalyan and has the personality of a superstar. His blue eyes match the new carpet. He greets everyone, attends all meetings (dividing his time betwen them if there's more than one), occasionally jumps up on someone's lap, purrs liberally, tries to crawl into large purses (security check, of course). He has found a spot where he can watch the front door, reception desk, two offices and a donference room at the same time. Does he mouse? It's too soon to tell, but I can assure you he's well equiipped: moves fast, jumps well, and has sharp claws. He will sometimes knit on the back of a chair and, since there is an open space between the back and seat, people tend to jump around a bit. If you want to know what goes on in the extension office, ask the cat!