S.W.A.M.P. Team

Good morning.  Captain Smitty at your service here to tell you about the new S.W.A.M.P. Team I'm heading up.  That's S.W.A.M.P.:  Strategic Whiskers And Mouse Patrol Team.  The team was activated this morning, and I'll tell you all about it in a minute.  But first, I want to introduce you to the team.  This is me, Captain Smitty.  This is my I'm-Always-At-The-Ready pose.

Be sure to take note of my menacing dagger-like claws.  My paws are deadly weapons, and I have to register and license them for the safety of the general public.  You understand, don't you?

This is my "Kill" pose.  Don't be scared.  You're a friend.  I'll keep you safe from marauding bands of mousies.

This is my partner, Gracie.  She's working deep undercover these days, and so this is all I can show you.  If you saw her face, I'd have to attack you with my scary dagger-like claws.  Believe me.  You don't want to know the horror of it.

So I suppose you're wondering why the team was activated.  Here's the story:

My family lives in this house in the remote countryside.  The house is built wedged into the ground with a daylight basement.  This picture was taken before I came to live here.  If I'd had my way, things would have been built differently, but you don't get to choose your family or your house.  (Actually, some cats do that, but the food is pretty good around here, so for now, I stay.)

So when you live in the country, and your house is halfway under ground, you have critters.  There are gophers, squirrels, raccoons, moles, voles, and last, but not least, mousies.  I'm doing my very best to hunt them all down and play with them until they are dead, but a guy can only do so much.  

Last night my mom and dad were standing in the sewing room (which us underground) and they heard banging and crashing in the furnace closet, and then the sound of running feet in the ceiling overhead.  So, this morning, the S.W.A.M.P. Team was activated.

In fact, there's the alarm now!  CAPTAIN SMITTY, ON MY WAY, SIR!

Step aside.  Let a pro handle this.  

Hmmmmmmmm.  I think I smell those little buggers up here.

It's a tight squeeze, but I'm checking back here too. 

Hm.  Do you see that white dot?  That's looking purretty suspicious to me.  What do you think?

I've thoroughly investigated, and I'm declaring it ALL CLEAR.  Only for now, though.

Rest assured, Captain Smitty will remain on high alert until those pesky varmints have been captured and contained.