mouse in the house

The cats have earned their keep for the year. Yesterday while doing laundry, I noticed some kitty sick. I kneeled down to investigate if it was just hairball or other, then I saw some more. I moved in the direction of the second spot and I noticed the furry little guy lying in sort of a corner between a trash can and an old broken-down laundry basket. Fortunately, my cats are kinda wimpy, so he wasn't torn to bits or anything. He looked like he could've died of natural causes until you looked close enough to see a couple of puncture wounds around his neck.

I'm conflicted about mice....they're pests that carry disease and can destroy property, but they're also so dang cute. That said, I don't want to take up residence with any, so the cats were adequately praised. I think it was probably Quin that did the deed. Meda would've brought it upstairs to show me. Quin has been spending more time in the basement than usual, and ran up to me meowing when I was investigating. She rarely talks, so I figure this was the best Lassie impression she could pull off. Way to go, kitties!