Vaccuum cleaner tails.... We've had a number of weasels over the years. Our current critter, Nancy (no jokes, please), counts coup on the vaccuum. She was afraid of it at first, but later she would run out, and touch it with her nose, then dash away under some piece of furniture. Lately, though, she's gotten even braver, and attacks the motorized carpet brush, biting the bumper strip that goes around it, sometimes hanging on and getting dragged. Our first two, Otto & Eric, had diametrically opposed opinions about the vaccuum cleaner. Otto didn't even notice it. Eric, who was generally a bully (and amused himself by beating up on Otto), was desperately afraid of it. I put him in the cage while I cleaned, but decided that that was too cruel when I saw that he had stuck his head under his blanket (with his butt sticking out), and was trembling all over. It seemed only right to let him choose where he felt most safe. I would warn him when I was about to start cleaning, usually by dragging the vaccuum around. Once, he was standing on the sofa, staring off into space, watching little movies in his head (or, more likely, movies in his little head). I said, "Hey, Eric, big noise!" No response. "I'm gonna turn on the VACCUUM CLEANER!" He just stared at me. So I _mimicked_ the vaccuum cleaner. "vrrOOOOOOZZZZZHHHHH!" I must've gotten the pitch just right, because his eyes went wide, and his shoulders drooped. Then he emptied his bladder. So I didn't vaccuum that afternoon. I just cleaned the sofa. I guess it was all I deserved. [Posted in FML issue 0336]