Playing God
As indicated by my facebook status, I had a mouse encounter. After my roommate left, I walked into the kitchen and noticed that there was a tiny mouse struggling to stand in her doorway. It kept trying and trying, but its right hind leg was damaged. Of course I started cooing at it and telling it how cute it was because it was barely bigger than a quarter. Whenever I walked around it, it played dead. Knowing I couldn't just leave it there, I scooped it into a plastic drink cup and tried to think of where to put it. I grabbed some Basic 4 cereal and my keys heading out the front of the building. Obviously, there were three choices (that I could think of, excluding taking it to a vet which I wanted to do so I could make it my apartment buddy) I had.
1. Put the mouse in the basement so it would stay warm but slowly die, not being able to move.
2. Kill it and put it out of its misery.
3. Take it outside with some food knowing that another three things might happen:
a. it will fight the odds and get strong on cereal and burrow to where it's warm
b. the food will lure in an animal that will eat the mouse
c. the mouse will freeze to death, sit there til spring, and eventually recycle into the ground
I picked choice 3, because I can't let the mouse waste away slowly and I sure as hell could never kill it. By leaving it up to nature as much as I can, at least the mouse will contribute to the natural cycle no matter what, and it won't be as painful or frightening as starving to death. I hope this never happens again.
1. Put the mouse in the basement so it would stay warm but slowly die, not being able to move.
2. Kill it and put it out of its misery.
3. Take it outside with some food knowing that another three things might happen:
a. it will fight the odds and get strong on cereal and burrow to where it's warm
b. the food will lure in an animal that will eat the mouse
c. the mouse will freeze to death, sit there til spring, and eventually recycle into the ground
I picked choice 3, because I can't let the mouse waste away slowly and I sure as hell could never kill it. By leaving it up to nature as much as I can, at least the mouse will contribute to the natural cycle no matter what, and it won't be as painful or frightening as starving to death. I hope this never happens again.