Nasty Mice

[MrsNorris151]

Hello everyone, I hope the new year is starting well for everyone. Well I have a little concern. We live on an acre of land surrounded by fields. We now have little field mice come into my house. My cat has been hunting them for two weeks now and has been unsuccessful (it is my fault I think because I trim her nails and she keeps sliding on the floor). But, today she caught one. She was actually trying to eat it she has about 80% of the body in her mouth. Eventually, my uncle was able to get the mouse from her mouth and he killed it. I am sorry, this is my first cat and just want to know, do they really eat mice or just torture them to play with them? She is having the time of her life chasing them and giving me the biggest heartattacks of my life. We are avoiding the snap traps because of the cat and dog and the sticky traps as well. WE hate the poison because well, it leaves the mice dead all over the place and in the walls where it begins to stink. So we are hoping that the mice will eventually leave because of the cat, but do they really have to eat them??? So can someone offer me some cat and mouse 411?

Thanks

[CyberKitten]

Sounds like Mrs. Norris is a Harry Potter fan.

Yes, cats eat mice. Most pampered kitties will just chase mice for the fun of it but there are some cats - outdoor cats (i.e. cats whose humans allow them to go outside) - who are good mousers and hunters. With your cat there, you will likely have few mice left if she likes to chase and eat them. They never eat the pelts - they like the meat. I even know someone from work who buys mice for his cats. (He calls it wholistic food- which it is I suppose). When we were little, my mother used to make my sisters and I get the mice from the cat - she was not fond of rodents and it did not bother us, lol

So, it just depends on the cat. My own cat is a pampered dainty little diva who hates to go outdoors much less look at a mouse. However, much to my dismay, she eats insects!

That said, sometimes even well fed contented kitties like to eat mice. They are after all carnivores.

You should never put out poison with a pet in the home. There are other ways of getting rid of mice if you do not want the cat do do it - using soda pop (soft drinks) is one way - the carbonization kills the mice. That is a safe alternative if you have small children or pets.

[Carina]

Oh my, let her eat the mice! It's a much more humane way for them to die than poison or sticky traps - both of which I find incredibly cruel.
Mice are excellent food for cats. High in taurine.
Just don't watch....

[glasslass]

My cat is in and out. She was already terrified of the street when we found her 15 years ago and stays on our property. She brings all kinds of "living gifts" to us - mice, birds, tomato worm. Only thing she kills are the roof rats she occasionally comes across. Maybe because they fight back? She dispatches them quickly and leaves them stretched out on the grass. This summer, I discovered a full-grown rat and 3 half-grown ones lying dead, all within about 4 feet of each other. The fight must have been fierce! A friend of mine lives on a 1-acre ranchette. Her cats leave nothing but "mouse faces" on her carpet. For some reason, that kind of grosses me out more than the dead rats.

[jackieb]

I wish i had a cat that ate mice i have had them in the house!! I would say let her eat them my mums cat would eat mice birds she got it from a rescue i would say it was a semi wild cat it wasnt very friendly and would kill anything it could! I think it will solve your problem dont use posion as she will eat the mice! Traps with animals arent a good plan i have traps in my house due to a mice problem there out of reach from the boys so they could never get to them i have no pets yet so thats ok!

good luck with you mouse problem

[Catt31]

We live in a pre-war house (600 sq. feet) with a dirt/rock basement/cellar. The mice have been coming in like crazy lately!! Thank God Tux is an "average" mouser - he's left us presents almost every day since Christmas!! He is so thoughtful!!!! He doesn't eat them though, well, at least the ones I see!! It's what kitties do - let em eat the mice!!! Just don't let her kiss you after!! Spunky wouldn't dream of hunting, she might get her whiskers dirty!! Good luck!!

[db7]

What the heck is a roof rat?

I have a good friend in Sicily that has a cat. He is always bringing home little geckos. It's kind of funny, when you are out in the garden, you see all the geckos that live close to the house are missing their tails. They're the ones that got away I suppose.

[chico2]

Luckily I have no mice in the house,my 3 cats will see to that,but we have mice in the shed,under the deck(lots of junk under there ).
My cats will only play(torture)the mice,very seldom do they even draw blood and I always make hubby take the mice away and send them on their way in my miserable neighbors backyard.
I would not let my cats eat the mice,we do put poison in the shed,after mice made nests and chew through wires on everything we keep in there.
Also mice can give your cats worms and other problems.
Since I am always outside with the cats,I know if they catch a mouse...I do not like poison and I feel for the little guys,they are cute,but it has cost us a lot of money to fix everything,like snow blower,leafblower,lawnmower etc...

[glasslass]

Originally Posted by db7

What the heck is a roof rat?

I don't know if that's the corrct name. Large gray rats that seem to live outdoors and travel along the utility wires and poles to jump onto roofs. I've also heard the term "Norwegian roof rats". When I told about the rats at work, everyone nodded and said "roof rats".

[TobsterMom]

Just make sure you de-worm her regularly!

[Gazoo]

Mice are YUUUUUUUCKYYYY evil little creatures

You can also buy humane traps that capture them and then you can dispose of them humanely.

[Gazoo]

Originally Posted by TobsterMom

Just make sure you de-worm her regularly!

good point

[Lucky Rescue]

If you have mice coming in, you need to find out how they are getting in and block up the holes.

Yes, cats eat mice, but well-fed house cats will often torture them for hours, which I cannot bear to see.
ONe of my cats regularly killed and ate squirrels!

Sticky traps are one of the cruelest exterminating inventions ever,( I wonder what people would say if someone used these on larger animals??) and won't help if the mice can continue to come inside.

[db7]

I had to know.

http://roofrats.org/

[CyberKitten]

I agree about the sticky traps Lucky. When I was doing grad work, obviosuly I did much work in labs. We thought of our mice as pets and they DO have feelings!! It is just as cruel to use that kind of trap on a mouse as on a larger mammal. Horrible!! And I hate to watch cats torture mice too! It is a game to them though they do hunt by instinct. Fortunately, I have no mice here though when we did have outdoor cats, they liked to bring gifts! ugh!!

[MrsNorris151]

Ok. Now I know a lot more on mice and my cat. All day today she has been hunting but hasn't found any mice. We too have roof rats and boy do they make a lot of noise at night, almost as if a person is walking on the roof. They would probably eat my girl alive. Most everyone agrees my little girl is a spoiled little brat (they say she is the mirror image of myself) but I found her when she was about 4 months old outside of my house so she was probably hunting (and living off) those little nasties. I guess she might find it a treat. She had chased a mouse last night and was running in between my mom's feet and my mom's biggest fear are mice. She can't stand them. This morning my mom calls my cat in the kitchen (she feels safer with the cat around) and I heard her tell my little girl "Scare them away or keep them in your mouth, but please don't chase them and scare me agian." I thought it was funny.

Thank you everyone for letting me know to not to worry about her eating the mice. The only thing is that she is still "kneading and sucking my hair" at night and I don't want mouse germs on me. Yuck. I guess I will have her drink extra water after she catches a mouse. Ohh and I don't want to think about mouse parts all over the house. EEk. Oh and I will get her de-wormed again when I return home for school...thank you all.

OH yeah, about those sticky traps, I finally realized why I hate them so much. We had used them once in our old house and we were traumatized when it caught a mouse and the mouse screamed for hours until a man came home and disposed of it (none of us, much less my mom could do it). Oh but worse is when my cocateil (sp?) got caught in one and we had to rush her to the vet to remove her from it. She was ok, thankfully, but we never again did those (must have been 6 years since).

[glasslass]

Db7, thanks for that! I think !

[Carina]

Haha! That roof rats site was hilarious.
guerabe, mice are very good for your cat, if she eats them! But yes, she can get tapeworms from eating wild rodents, though she could go for years without getting tapeworms. I had inside-outside cats for years, and only once had to treat for tapeworms.

My mother had a cat that lived to about 23, and ate pretty much nothing but mice & such he caught himself, and the same food she bought for her working BC (mostly raw meat & organs, sold for pet food in Europe.) Apart from getting neutered, he never went to the vet in his life, no shots, nothing. Never had worms either. My mom is extremely rural, the cat could come inside any time he chose to, but preferred to be outside.

And yes, I saw those sticky traps in someone's house once. I thought it was an appallingly cruel way to catch mice, and not even effective.

[db7]

Help me here cat people, can you get tinned mice to feed your felines?!?

[Rottimom]

I am so glad I don't have a cat.

Mouse faces left on the floor.. LOL

I agree. Sticky traps are the cruelest.

[jbark2004]

Live traps can generally be bought at your local feed supply store. They're called Havahart traps I think. They make them to catch mice or large animals. We had a family of rats of all sizes in the garage and spent $100's trying to catch them. The live traps are your best bet. Also if you have a place you want to keep rodents out of for health reasons such as boxes of baby stuff or where you keep your animal food, or where they sleep, try Bounce dryer sheets. I've heard this keeps rodents away. It didn't work for us, but we had a rat the size of a housecat that wasn't afraid of anything, including our farm cat or us. He just hung out in the garage in broad daylight with us standing in plain sight in front of him. It should work though. Good luck, I feel your pain. Live on a canyon with 3 dogs, two cats and a dirty, stinky neighbor.

[doggy lover]

Don't use poison when you have pets, its too easy for them to be poisoned too. I have a friend that has some kind of sonic mouse repelant, its a device that you plug in the wall it lets off a high pitch noise that the mice can hear and it keeps them out of your home. As for tinned mice? I heard of frozen mice. mousicles. LOL