Craig is a cold-hearted killer

The other day I found in a basket on top of our dining room cabinet some half-eaten Oreos in a ziplock bag. Now when you have kids, that sort of discovery is no surprise. But then yesterday as we went to make some sandwiches at lunch we found a HUGE chunk of our bread missing ... through a hole in the bag. And some suspicious droppings in the house. Tikus-besar. A RAT!

Its funny we started dealing with some OUTSIDE a while back but this daddy was IN the HOUSE. Not good. When we first started trying to find a decent trap here; we couldn't. We could find some humane traps that don't kill the rat but I have no interest in them. I kept describing how a real rat trap works and how the rat gets his back broken with such force his eyes can pop out (sorry, I get excited).

So I set some little glue mouse traps and the next day find they are just tossed aside like it was a joke. I set the big, metal, humane trap and the next day literally find it tripped and laying a few feet away. This dude is BAD.

I asked our lady who works with us, "What do I do with a rat after I catch him in this (the humane trap)?" "Oh, you can throw him in a river." "They swim. He'll come back," I say. "You can put him in the trash can," she helpfully adds. "They chew through bags and climb out."

Apparently they just have learned to live with rats here. But not THIS fella. I will kill him. I adopt the idea of pouring boiling water over the rat trapped in the cage. Maybe not as satisfying as beating him to death with a broom but easier at least.

So back to yesterday. We set some traps and I lay out this nice glue trap I bought and explain to the kids it will even trap an elephant (according to the picture on the box). If a kid gets caught up in it, there may be no getting them out. I opted for the glue trap since the idea of a broken backed eyeball-less rat on our snack counter was less than appetizing.

This morning we wake to find the glue trap in the floor. Just cast aside like before. "I will get you," I mutter. Then I pick up the trap only to find a rat underneath. Completely covered in glue and struggling for his life.

This is the cold-hearted killer part. I put him on the counter for a while while I waited for time to take out the garbage (our trash men collect on Sunday mornings, go figure). There he just struggles. Chest rising and falling rapidly until I finally fold the trap and throw him in the trash. No "putting him out of his misery". No throwing him the river. Not even any beating him with a broom. Just his struggling and my eating breakfast.

Angie did not allow me to cut off his head and place it on a stake on the yard as a warning to other rats. She also would not allow Bethany or me to make a photo (or video) of his struggling for this website. But he deserved it. Oreos are no laughing matter.