Please tell me that because I have 2 cats, it's impossible for me to have mice in the house...

[SUMMERFRUIT]

Last night, at 2 am, I hear a constant screetch screetch going on...dh said it was the wind or the clothes moving ..coming from the person who woke up in the middle of the night on monday thinking a spider was trying to go up his nose

Please tell me that it is not a rodent I heard last night !

[cozietoesie]

Some cats are mousers/ratters. Some couldn't care less, I'm afraid. Unless you've actually seem them hunting in the house, I'd forget about them and work out where the noise was coming from and whether there are any other signs of little blighters around. (eg any poop, smell or things nibbled or disarranged?? )

[cozietoesie]

seen

[SUMMERFRUIT]

they hunt in the garden but yesterday when I was hearing the noise they were on my bed on their back and not too bothered. I'll look for droppings tonight

[cozietoesie]

Oh and by the way - what sort of house do you have? Old/new, recently renovated/country or city? Any building work going on nearby recently?

[cozietoesie]

I only mentioned that because if it was screeching - well mice don't screech. They squeak a lot.

[SUMMERFRUIT]

old victorian house full of mould...what I mean is the sound was .... the wall..sorry english is not my first language ...it is like if something was scratching the wall !!!!

[cozietoesie]

Ah - now that could be mice. The wainscoting/walls are always a favourite place for them in old houses. They're likely to be living in a fairly flat place though - maybe a loft or ceiling void if you have one. At any rate, that's where to check first for sign, particularly if they're close to the kitchen or pantry areas.

Might be a good idea to assume that you've either got some or will get some at some point (they'll often come in from outside at the end of Autumn as the weather worsens for example) and get some mousetraps which are only cheap. Best not to use poison if you have cats because you run the risk of a mouse which is sick meandering across a cat's path and being eaten. (With the cat ingesting the poison.)

Anyway - don't worry about it much. In my own view, the jury is out on whether having a cat presence in itself prevents mice but maybe it keeps them down a bit. Neither are they that dangerous although an infestation could have at electrical cables etc. If you had an infestation, though, you'd have seen signs by now. If there are any, you probably don't have many.

It's just something that comes with living in a house.

[Mondrian]

Why chase the mice if they have their food on a plate.

[cozietoesie]

Some cats prefer their food 'on the hoof' but in any case it's not about hunger - they mostly play horrible 'games' with them and don't eat them - ot not in their entirety. It's instinctive for them - one scratch, squeak or rustle and the rest of the world is forgotten.

[SUMMERFRUIT]

Noooooooooooooooooo....I have found droppings ...in my bedroom

[cozietoesie]

Stay calm, Summerfruit. It's not the end of the world! Go out and get some mousetraps from a hardware store nearby. The come back and set them up in places the cats (or DCs if you have them) can't get to them such as inside upper kitchen cupboards with the doors slightly ajar. (Or in an easily accessible loft for one of them, say.)

Make sure all food stuffs are tight shut away (preferably in sturdy or plastic containers) and vacuum everything to get rid of crumbs.

People have been living with mice since they were in caves. The worst that can happen is that they give you a bit of a startle if they move suddenly and you weren't expecting it - there's certainly nothing to be afraid of.

[charlieandlola]

My cat brings mice in, am always on the hunt, following the droppings trail.
She never gets rid of the existing ones.

[SUMMERFRUIT]

I just hate it..I hate hurting them as well. We had an infestation before we got the cats and I thought they sorted it. Cozie I'll follow your advices thank you

[thecatneuterer]

My mum has only got mice since having cats. They bring them into the house live and then just leave them there. One has been living under her living room sofa for about six months now. Mum tried to catch it with a humane trap but it wasn't interested. So she's been feeling sorry for it and puts down food and water at night. It does amble out from under the sofa occasionally and it's looking rather fat apparently :)

[Hassled]

Put peanut butter at the end of the mouse-traps - mice can't resist peanut butter, I've found.

And yes, I'm afraid having cats means nothing in terms of not having mice. My cats are so rubbish they bring them in and then lose them in the house - bastards.