Shudder...

What exactly is the proper PPE for getting a rat out of the house?

Well, today it was socks, sweat pants, and leather fireplace gloves.

This afternoon, Pom kept looking under one of the hall tables. Finally, I got Jennifer to help me move it, and as it moved, a rat ran out from underneath. Pom had somehow snuck a live one into the house.

Thus ensued the chase. It began in the sitting room, and went back and forth between us behind one of the love seats. Then it got past us and went into the library. Luckily it didn't get behind the six foot tall bookshelves.

However it did get past us again and made it into the media room. And into the couch.

It took refuge in one of the arms, and we tipped the couch forward and had it trapped there. I ran for the gloves, and a pair of scissors. I cut a little length of the fabric of what would be the bottom of the couch, and holding the flashlight in one gloved hand, I reached in after the rat with the other (also wearing a glove). After three misses, two of which I felt the tail slip through the glove (-2 to DX rolls anyway due to thickness), and a third where it jump onto the glove and peeked out before I yelled and it dropped back inside, I got a good grab on it body.

Through the glove, I could feel it breathing and possibly even feel its heartbeat. I kept a strong grip on it, and could not bring myself to crush it in my hand. So I took it outside (we had all the doors open in the hopes of driving it out, originally) and threw it as far as I could into the bushes.

Then the adrenaline wore off, and Jennifer about broke down. And the mighty hunters celebrate with a Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat for her and #4 of my remaining Guinness 250s. Pom is outside and doesn't drink beer.

I think I may go curl into a ball now.