Vale Fatso the Warfarin-resistant mouse

Over the past few months it was not unusual whilst sitting at the kitchen table and working to catch a glimpse out of the corner of your eye of a daredevil dark brown shape darting across the floor. This 'Scarlet Pimpernel' of the mouse world could be seen at any hour of the day or night and seemed to have a voracious appetite for Ratsac pellets (which contain a Warfarin equivalent). This little mouse appeared to be plump and prosperous, with a sleek and shiny chestnut coat. As a result he was dubbed 'Fatso' and almost was around for so long that he almost became a household pet!

Some days after a small and considerably skinnier grey mouse succumbed to the pellets, I came downstairs one morning with a migraine and noticed a dark shape stationary on the floor near the pantry. Once fortified by analgesia I returned to the spot to investigate. There sat an unwell-looking plump brown mouse. Alas Fatso had consumed one pellet too many.

I pondered what to do. It was a lovely warm and sunny day, and in the end I decided the most humane thing to do was to scoop Fatso up in a small container and take him outside to enjoy the sunshine before he too finally succumbed. You could tell that the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak and he was unable to put up much of a struggle. I deposited him on top of the rich mulch at the base of a huge Desert Ash tree and left him in peace.

His chestnut coat glistened and looked positively beautiful in the sunlight and his perfectly formed little feet were gorgeous. Even though he qualifies as vermin, it was still a sad moment as I knew that he was not long for this world. I also paused to think how ironic it is that mice and rats have done so much to help humans through medical research whilst simultaneously causing so much havoc and disease, the most famous case of which being the transmission (by rats) of Yersinia pestis ("the Black Plague").

Fatso was certainly a survivor, and perhaps even a genetic mutant - he also had a curiously bent tail. However, it is possible that he acquired this via the thrillseeker run through the refrigerator fan, which was a cause of mortality for at least one of his colleagues.

Vale Fatso - a memorable character!