My cat has outsmarted me

[ZenLefty]

(I'm sure you're all surprised and shocked.)

Some of you know that every day I get up and hide the mice. I consider myself a pretty good mouse hider, and come up with some really good spots for them. Under the couch, hanging by their tail from the bottom of a table, etc. And every day Elwood goes out and finds them. He will bat one around for a while, then pick it up with his teeth and howl his head off while he brings it to the kitchen. Once on the kitchen floor, he knows I'll come in and give him a kitty treat for being such a good mouser.

Generally, after I give him his treat, I'll put the mouse away. If I don't do this, he carries it back to the living room and then back to the kitchen and expects more treats. It is my cat's goal in life to gorge himself on treats.

His current scheme: he will take the mouse and howl his way into another room. Any room but the kitchen. Bedroom, bathroom, dining room, etc. He will try to hide it so I can't find it, because if I do I put it away, and then he goes into the kitchen and expects a treat for his work. He will, I repeat: WILL pout if he doesn't get his treat. Once that's gobbled down, he'll go and find the same mouse again and try to get more treats.

A pouty cat is not easy to deal with. Well, this one isn't, anyway.