Of cats and snakes

Tom and I had just started watching a movie after dinner, when I heard the catdoor flap and a few seconds later the noisy trot of Cassidy into the room. She makes so much noise walking that I have nicknamed her Thundercat. It sounded like she was trotting over to demand attention -- Sundance had already curled herself up on the couch and was getting petted --, but Cassidy stopped in the middle of the room. I figured that she was bringing us a critter, so I looked over. It was a green garden snake, a foot long or so and very much alive. I told Tom not to look and got a broom. I was able to trap the snake under the broom while Tom got the door. I swept it outside, not very smoothly, and it slithered away.

I wish there were some way to get the cats to stop bringing things in! It's bad enough when they bring in half dead mice, but live snakes are animals most non gratae. Once in the night last year I stepped on a dead mouse in the middle of the living room rug. That was creepy enough, but I don't even want to think about stepping on something that slithers out from under my foot. Or worse, that wraps around my ankle.