Have you seen these new sticky pads that catch mice that get into your home?

If not, you should check them out - they're pretty nifty.

Instead of using the old "bait and catch" mouse trap, you simply peel off a piece of wax-like paper from a sticky pad and place it where you want. No muss. No fuss.

The other week, I had two mice get into my house (It shouldn't have surprised me, I do live in the country), so I decided to take action and eliminate the situation.

I first thought about getting one of those old-fashioned traps - just so I could hear the "snap" in the middle of the night and know that I had solved that problem. Instead, I went with the more "humane" sticky pad so I could simply toss the mouse in a field or something.

That's easier said than done when it comes to these little sticky pads.

You see, whatever they catch, they keep.

I put out several of the little pads around waiting to catch the critters that were making a mess around my house. When I finally did catch the first mouse, I kinda felt sorry for the poor thing.

It had made it all the way to the end of the pad before it got stuck and its front paws were hanging off the edge. Apparently it had tried to escape from the clutches of the glue, but instead, it found its way into a garbage can.

At least it didn't starve. I tried to figure out a way to set the mouse free (OK, first I thought about feeding it to the neighbor's cat - but then the cat might get stuck), but that didn't work. Since it was garbage day, I just threw the mouse away and let the garbage truck pick it up.

The second mouse, well, it wasn't so lucky. It got caught in the middle of the pad and fell on its side. When I found it, it was already gone. Poor soul. It must have scared itself to death or something. I just threw it out with the trash.

It wasn't smelling, but I did wonder how long it had been there. Did it starve, or simply have a little mouse heart attack?

Either way, I think I like the new pads. Sure, it's not the same as hearing a "snap" in the middle of the night - knowing for sure that you've caught the varmint and his little friends will think twice before coming in. But, the pads do have their advantages. All you have to do is throw it away. No blood, no guts, no touching.

Now, I just wonder if they make those pads big enough to catch people? I know of a few places where they could come in handy.