Eeek Mice #5

Last night, I got back from an art opening, turned on the kitchen light and a mouse (I hope) the size of my loafer ran across the counter top, dropped to the floor, and continued across the room and disappeared under the stove.

I screamed (no meek “eek,” this time), then emailed Gus.

Gus–a big one just ran across the kitchen countertop, dropped to the floor and disappeared under the stove. I can’t wait for Doug to act; I need to call an exterminator tomorrow and let you work out the payment with Doug.

Dear Claire: You and your mistress, Sheila, are cordially invited to tea tomorrow. RSVP.

—Anita M. Harris

New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group of Cambridge, MA. We also publish HarrisCom Blog and Ithaca Diaries Blog.

They’re back! Eeek Mice #4

I was watching Judge (Madam, you’re an idiot) Judy on TV when out of the corner of my eye a brown furry-looking thing the size of my shoe scurried under the sofa I was lying on.

Eeek!

I jumped up and scurried into the kitchen to email Gus, who owns my apartment, to tell him that covering the mouse holes with steel wool did not work. That was one big mouse!

The next morning, there was a brown loafer right where I’d seen the scurrying brown furry thing.

I wondered if I were losing it–you get jumpy when critters scuttle around.

Gus emailed me back to ask for the number of the city health inspector to find out who’s responsible for bringing in an exterminator (he is ). I said let’s give it a few days to make sure I saw what I thought I saw. it was my

The next day, while I was eating breakfast, something resembling a huge hairy cockroach (or was it a shadow?) scooted from behind the table to the radiator I thought we’d blocked off . That night, a new mouse (not Arthur or Jack or a huge hairy cockroach) rushed out from under the stove. I screeched. He ran across the kitchen and disappeared under the refrigerator.

I emailed Gus: “Eeek”.

Gus told me the health inspector told him he had pay for the exterminator if the building doesn’t take care of it but “don’t let them use poison” unless the Doug, the building manager, agrees. Doug has a “thing” about using poison. “I don’t want dead mice in the walls stinking everything up,” he told me, the first time I complained. The third time, he had the super put a pile of gooey traps outside my door.

Gus, I just ran into Doug. Told him the mice are back. He said he’d send in an exterminator. He uses one called Cambridge Chemical or something like that. Definitely has “chemical” in the title. Anita

Gus responded: that’s good news for me – thanks

hope it also turns out to be good news for you

Mind you, this has been going on since December, with weeping baby mice in the gooey traps, and mommy and daddy mice following them to the grave. Er, garbage can.

For other reasons, ( really, I’m not a whiner but huge clouds of white dust are emanating from the construction site across the narrow driveway, next door) I called the Cambridge Health Department…asking them not to use my name so I don’t piss off my building manager, who’s also in charge next door, before my mouse problem gets resolved.

The inspector wasn’t much interested in the construction issue (too simple: they just have to hose it down) but the mice were a different story. Where but in the Peoples’ Republic of Cambridge would an inspector use the term “mouse turds,” in trying to ascertain how serious a situation I was in?

I told him, “gross, no turds; I’m seeing real mice. Three in gooey traps. I’ve named the others Art and Jack, after my ex-boyfriends.” The inspector asked how my current boyfriend feels about my naming mice after my ex’s. “I don’t exactly have a boyfriend,” I said. He advised me whom to call about the dust clouds and the mice, promised to call me again and offered to come by to check out the situation.

I left messages for a couple of exterminators. At 6:30 pm, one called back to say she’d be away for a few days but could recommend someone else if this were an emergency. I hesitated, then decided the situation had been going on for so long that I could last for another few days. “Thanks,” I said. “It isn’t.”

Big mistake.

To be continued.

—Anita M. Harris

New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group of Cambridge, MA. We also publish HarriscomBlog and Ithaca Diaries Blog.

Eek #3. Mice? Men? Is it really over?

Yesterday, Claudio, my super, finally stuffed up the hole around the radiator pipe in the living room with “wool steel”, as he calls it, then sent not one but two carpenters cover up the huge hole in the cabinet wall under the sink.

I’m hoping this means it’s really over with Arthur and Jack–the mice I named after old boyfriends so I wouldn’t feel bad if they got caught in sticky traps or had their necks snapped by the other kind. I’ve had 12 traps in my 1-bedroom for four months, now, but these being smart, sneaky Cambridge mice (men?) I needn’t have worried–they like their freedom and know how to keep their options open.

My landlord refused to poison them (because, he said, they’ll die in the walls and stink up the whole building) so for months, they often watched me at work in the kitchen or scampered in to the living room when John Stewart came on TV.

As the Cambridge health inspector pointed out, merely filling the holes means that Mickey and Minnie can continue to propegate—along with Arthur, Jack and their current insignificant others–and that, at some point, the whole building will be overrun.

But for now, I’m done with worrying about smelly detergent, mint, cats and black shapes scurrying across the floor. To my neighbors: thank you for your support through all of this. And good luck!

New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group of Cambridge, MA. We also publish HarriscomBlog and Ithaca Diaries Blog.

Eek, mice, please advise, cont.

Dear Best Pest:

I live on the fifth floor of a brick building near Harvard Square–and have mice. The building management has given me traps–but these being Cambridge mice, they appear to be outsmarting us.

Last night, a big one ran across my living room; last week, a small one scurried halfway across the kitchen. When I jumped, he scurried back under the dishwasher. Three have succumbed to sticky traps, which has been horrible.

Can you please advice me on what it might cost to seal off a 750 Sq. foot apartment with a living room, bedroom, kitchen, hallway and bathroom? Thanks–Anita Harris 617-576-0906

Eeek! May I borrow your cat? Mice. Please advise.

Letter to my landlord:

The super said he has them in his apt and so does the office manager but he’s from abroad and she grew up on a farm and they don’t mind trapping them. I was very upset when the first three got stuck in the gooey trap Cl gave me and the baby one cried.

The new ones are not attracted to the cheese I put out as bait in the “roach motel” traps where you don’t have to look at them. Not sure if Cambridge mice are smarter than others or if they just sniff at low -fat feta. EEEK. The guy just ran from under the fridge to under the stove, a foot from where I’m typing.

A friend who used to live in the building said a former super blocked off all holes, which stopped them–but she was able to pull out her stove and refrigerator. Could you please ask D. to have Cl. do that? If not that, could I get an OK to ask Cl to come up to deal with any mice that get caught in gooey traps? I hate to bother him but I just can’t handle it.

My cat people friends say their animals either just play with mice or rip them up and leave the body parts lying around. DK which is worse. Yes, I do, Lisa says.

None of the cats seem to travel….and one named Claire, wrote in to explain why she won’t be available (her comments are included below).

Should I just give the mice names and adopt them as pets?

This morning a woman came into the Charles Hotel while I was having coffee…with a dog that was only a little bigger than these mice.

I am trying to think of them as giant hairy cockroaches but cockroaches don’t cry.

Eeeeeeek!

Please advise.

Anita

Claire

Compliments of an Australian client...

Dear G….The mice are freaking me out. I think there are three more…ot at least 2. In the last 24 hours, a big one and a small one have come from under the stove and the refrigerator…and the sink….and the other day one came out from behind the sofa in the living room. I’m guessing they’re living around the pipes.

New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group of Cambridge, MA. We also publish HarrisComBlog and Ithaca Diaries Blog.

We welcome your comments–and hope you’ll subscribe.

Dec. 17
Thanks, Gus.

My downstairs neighbors don’t have them…yet…nor do others on my floor. My cousin says that the smell of cats deters them. I could try that…might be able to borrow one from a friend who has one for a week or so. Unfortunately, the smell of cats also deters me….

Last night, the master of Quincy House said they had an infestation there this fall and called in “Best Pest;” they patched holes and set traps, which cleared up the problem. Anita

12/17

Dec. 18

Gus, someone left four sticky traps outside my door. I’m collecting advice on my blog… so far, it ranges from wearing a cat costume to sprinkling dried coyote urine around….Eeeew. Anita

From Edna:

Oh my! If you want to stay at our house for a couple of days, or work in my office until they get rid of the mice, you’re more than welcome. I’d be freaked out too. I hate having uninvited critters sharing my space.

Re: Eeeeek!

Edna, thanks–I appreciate it. The guy who owns the building said he can’t do anything because if he poisons them they will go into the walls and smell bad…I’m asking friends if I can borrow their cats….It’s kind of funny when I think about it…But not when they scoot around, here. Evidently, it’s a common problem. The super says HE has them, and so does the woman who works in our office…but they’re not bothered by them (or by killing them). A friend told me that her husband had to keep mouse traps under his desk at the New York Times… Another friend’s said he sees them at MGH…Eeeeek! I’ll let you know if I need a place to stay…. tho I think that the landlord or the building owner, should pay for a hotel.

Anita

From Ann: Alas, no. My cat is not a traveler: extremely shy and won’t come out when people she’s known for years come to visit! Also I can say (sadly) from experience she’s not a mouser: she’d rather chase, play, batter and torture a mouse than dispatch it.You might borrow a terrier- they’re bred as ratters and can snap a neck so fast you won’t see it.

OR, try my strategy:get some brown paper sandwich bags. bait the traps and set them inside the bags. Check the traps, and roll the whole mess up in the bag and dispose (outside cans). No mess, less fuss and you keep your hands clean.

Dec. 19 From Lisa: GaaROOOsome!! I didn’t see a single one at your b-day party! When I was at Simmons, the two things that worked were: 1. peanut butter to attract them; 2. steel wool pads to block their entry. The problem w/ having a cat is that you’ll then have dead mice all over the house. Don’t know which is worse. Well, yes, I guess I do.

Saturday Dec 19 At Haymarket, I told the cheese vendor that the mice won’t touch his low fat feata. He told me to forget the cheese. “Use pate,” he said. (Well, this IS Cambridge).

Sunday Dec. 20:

Last night, I was watching TV when a little dark brown one ventured from behind the sofa (again). I jumped; he jumped back. I got up and opened a box of sticky traps. Put them in big Trader Joe’s paper bags, which I laid out near the sofa and stove. This morning: nothing. Eeeeeek!
—-amh

Thursday, Dec. 24. Still nothing. I’m hoping that its being Christmas eve, not a creature will be stirring…not even…

Monday, Dec. 28
Last night, returned from weekend away. Nothing in gooey or “hotel” traps, despite non-fat cheese. Bought “bounce” per Judy’s suggestion– put sheets of this fabric softener under sofa, stove, fridge; smelled so bad I had to put it in a ziplock bag to store. Saw mouse scurry out of closet toward corner wall, so put one in there, too. This morning, nothing in traps; my eyes watering, sore throat due to Bounce smell–so forget that. Today I am calling the health department.

January 7, 2010

Dear g:

Yes, [50 F… ]is still a great building but, FYI, we’ve had no heat or hot water for two days. Evidently there were 7 pipe leaks and there’s still a problem with the boiler. Someone put up a sign saying they’re working on it, which I believe because the first floor is completely torn up. We have to climb a small mountain of dirt to get to the mail boxes! For awhile, this morning, the elevator was out of service…

RE mice…only one, so far this week (perhaps the others have retreated into the walls to stay warm). I called the Cambridge health department, which said that the property owner is required to bring in an exterminator…Would it be OK if I bring one in, have him find and block the mouse holes in 512 and you bill [D] for the service?

Thanks, Anita

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