While it may not be true that cats and mice/rats are natural enemies as depicted in the cartoons, there is no more
natural extermination technique for ridding your home of rodents than getting a cat. Cats are territorial by nature,
and do not want most other creatures around their food or favorite areas. They also have a natural propensity for chasing
things that run from them. The main problem with getting a cat to serve, as your personal exterminator is that there is no
assurance that your lovable pussycat will be a natural born mouser. If you do want a cat that can take care of your rodent
problem, your best bet is a shelter cat off the streets, or a cat that has spent most of its life outside. These cats have
developed a keen sense of observation, and have probably hunted for food or sport.
This type of cat will be more inclined to go after you whiskered pest, and eliminate it once and for all. Keep in mind that if you
get a kitten, while it loves to chase and play with small things like mice instinctively, it must learn to be a hunter. If you already
have a cat that you love despite its reluctance to hunt, and you are not interested in getting another, there are ways to improve your
feline’s luck in running off those rodents. Some tricks you might try to use to encourage your cat to eliminate mice is to play with it
or feed it in an area were you have seen signs of frequent mouse activity. The mouse will not want to hang around an area that is frequented
by a cat. You can also encourage your cat to “rub” against many things in the house. The smell of a cat will make the mice very nervous, and
they just might leave.
Cajoling your cat to frequent areas with mouse activity might just awaken its hunter instincts. Praise your cat when it does catch a mouse- even
if it turns it into a living play toy before it kills it, or if it brings it to you as a “love offering”. This will encourage the behavior. Most
importantly, if you go out and get a cat, remember –this is a living creature requires love and care. You must be committed to taking care of it
and accepting it into your family. If you have a serious mouse problem, you might need to take more drastic actions than just employing a cat to
solve your predicament. NEVER put out poison if your cat is actively hunting mice. A poisoned mouse is easy to catch and your cat could become
ill or even die if it eats a poisoned mouse. Be wary of setting traps in areas your cat can reach. It might accidentally trigger the trap itself,
and become seriously injured. If you find a cat is not enough to alleviate your problems, you should contact a professional animal removal service
to aid you.
Go back to the
How to get rid of mice in the attic home page. You might also want to read about
how to kill mice and why the use
of snap traps is better than
mouse poison. Read an analysis of the different types of traps and how to use them on the
how to trap mice page.
Learn why
bait is not as important as trap type, placement and location. Also read a full analysis of
mouse repellent to understand why it
never works. If you see droppings and want to identify them, read the
mouse poop page. If you need to hire professional help, read about
how much does mouse removal cost?
or you can read this site to learn how to do it yourself. Feel free to email me about Do cats keep rats and mice away?
