A few days before Christmas, in December of 2006, my little rescued mouse, Martha, gave birth to five babies. We didn't even know she was pregnant. On Christmas day, our cat, Dizzy, knocked her cage over. Fluff went everywhere, along with five tiny little squiggly pink babies. Martha hovered over the babies to protect them from the cat until we could get there to help her. We scooped her up (and her babies), gathered up her nest, put her cage back together, and put them back in their home. What a crazy surprise that was!
A few weeks before Christmas, 2006, John and I were awakened in the middle of the night. The cats were causing a commotion, so we got up to investigate. Our four cats (at the time) had a tiny little field mouse cornered and were very slowly, and very systematically, killing this poor little critter. So, we caught her, stuck her in a cage, gave her some food and water, and hoped for the best.
The next morning I looked in on this poor little mouse. She was exhausted from fighting for her life, but she was otherwise unscathed. I put my hand in the cage and offered her a cashew, and she very confidently came over to my hand and took the treat. In in the past when we've rescued mice from the cats, we've let the mouse recover from their ordeal for a few days, but we've always set them free. They were wild mice and preferred their freedom. This little mouse, though, she was different. Some people describe animals like her as being "old souls", she was definitely a very special little mouse.
She trusted me. She recognized my voice after only a few hours and would come to me. She let me pet her, and care for her. She knew I wasn't going to hurt her. She had decided that this whole living in a cage with food and water gig was a pretty sweet deal. She immediately settled in and made a nice little nest out of the toilet paper I had given her. This was her new home, and she was content. She loved her little wheel, she loved her little wooden box I had given her. She was instantly my new pet, she had made the decision for me that I would keep her.
And then she had babies. I estimated they were born on December 21, 2006. Since mice grow so quickly, it was easy to determine their age from pictures I found on the internet. We named momma mouse, Martha, and her five babies were Bear, the only boy, and Angel, Tiny, Bella and Sweetie, the girls. Bear went to live in his own cage when he was about 6 weeks old, but Martha and her girls all lived together in the same cage until Martha died in the fall of 2008.
I still have two of Martha's babies, two girls. Sweetie and Bella. They're very old, they just turned four last week. They've slowed down a lot, they no longer run on their wheel. I usually find them asleep, cuddled together in a pile of fluff. Twice a day I'll wake them up and hand them cashews, their most favorite treats. They very slowly take their treats and nibble them, then they curl up together and go back to sleep. This morning, Bella was sound asleep on her back, feet in the air, and Sweetie was sound asleep with her head on Bella's tummy.
When they were juveniles, they were a deep gray color. When they reached adulthood, their fur turned a gray/brown brindle color with a black undercoat. In the last few months, their fur has changed color again. They're now an amazing golden color. They've literally reached their golden years. They're beautiful.
It's been so amazing to know these little beings throughout their lives. They, and Martha, have taught me so much. They have likes and dislikes. They have good moods and bad moods. They are completely, without a doubt, sentient beings. When I wake them up to give them a treat, they look me in the eye. They see me, they know me. They know my voice, my smell, they know what I look like. They make me laugh, and, ultimately, they make me cry.
Happy Christmas my little mice, you've been a great gift.
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