AIBU to expect my cat to scare off mice

[bongopants]

I'm just cleaning under the chair where my cat naps and there was mouse droppings.... lazy little bStard can't even be arsed to get off his arse and scare off or kill a bleeding mouse... maybe withdrawing his go-cat will stir the lazy shite into action. The lazy sod is a former stray he should at least have some notion of how to fend for himself...

Old chestnut but I just had to get it off my chest

Afraid that some cats are mousers and some just aren't. And his former hard life on the streets may even have made him more determined to laze around now he's got it easy.

I'm not sure there's much you can do. In my experience, a mouser will still go after a mouse (pretty determinedly) even if they're full. They just won't eat it once caught.

Down to the shops and buy some traps?

Bloody mouse has eaten my chocolate over the weekend. I think now it's got cold, the little feckers have come inside. No cat here, so down to the shops for some poison for me.

Hate to tell you this, THEMardy, but eating chocolate in quantities enough for you to notice over just a weekend may be...... rather large mice. have you checked for tooth marks?

Once I had a mouse run into the middle of the room where three cats were sleeping - and it got away! I told them they were all sacked!

Cats get rid of mice best by the mice smelling them and not coming in. You do get an occasional mouse who has lost the will to carry on, but on the whole (ime) cats are better deterrents than catchers. Have you tried putting down peppermint oil? Rumour and old wives' tales say that mice don't like it.

Or could it have been a mouse that has been brought in by a mighty hunter? Next door's tom is always seen with something grey and twitching in his mouth. However I think he doesn't bother once the rodent is inside. Sometimes cats just like to let loose a mouse and watch all us humans have hissy fits.

Good luck with the cat.

Cat brought the mouse in to play with, mouse escaped from cat and cat got bored hunting it after a while?

Ours is a mouser, but this has been known to happen on occasion. She usually finds them eventually.

Wish my large tom was the opposite, he always brings in mice as presents and rarely kills then though when he gets a rat which is usually 2-3 times a day he kills them right away, the squealing noise is dreadful.

Now that's a cat to treasure, bureni. To dispose of rats and not bring them in to you.

I had a mouse come in once when we had days and days of rain. It hid under the fridge for two days, whilst my three cats sat peering under the fridge waiting for it to come out. Obviously it didn't, I had to shut the cats out and catch the bugger myself. Strict words were had, and I told them it was P45s all round if it happened again.

Yes, hes a big NFC and a killing machine. He seems to know not to bring them near the house now as he did bring a few dead ones as presents when he was younger and got chased. Strangely he never attacks birds or chicks even though there are thousands in the lough and easy to catch.

They were just being more strategic than you were, FaintingGoat. Quite an acceptable hunting technique!

My, now deceased, cat used to bring in live mice from outdoors and release them in the house and on one memorable occasion managed to haul a loudly protesting wood pigeon through three cat flaps into the hoise before releasing unharmed

Oh I see Cozie, it was energy-saving hunting!

cozie. It wasn't a whole bar. Just nibbling at the edge. I didn't fancy the rest of the bar.