Mice, Very Stupid or Very Clever?

It seems that now winter is coming the local population of mice is coming in from the cold and beginning to organise cosy places to build nests for itself.

One of these cosy places was on top of the pig food in it's sack in the wood shed which makes up part the bottom of the barn. Imagine my surprise when I opened the top of the sack to extract the pigs breakfast to find one of the little sods now trapped and trying desperately jump out of the now high edges of the open sack. Pretty much directly at me. Can be a nerve racking business this small holding lark you know. This problem is now solved as the food is now stored in a big barrel hopefully out of the reach of even the most mountaineerous mouse. Knowing my luck next it'll be one of the 3500 mink releasees.

Anyway, that lot is just an aside. Here's the real story.

From the currently distant land of Norway, I have been informed that the cat chalet is showing signs of little visitors during the night. Specifically their excrements in the food bowl obviously after licking out any residual cat foody goodness. So, it seems it's a case of Tom and Jerry. Now, my personal opinion is, to make you home in a house which is clearly regularly occupied by the arch enemy is pretty stupid. However, to live under the floor and to only come out when the enemy is not home, making use of anything he leaves behind, is pretty clever. No doubt, the presence (or otherwise) of a little mouse carcass one day will answer this question.

This unplanned experiment in animal intelligence will no doubt continue for a time. You will be kept posted of any development.