To try and catch a shrew, not kill it, then get a cat.

[Likeindie]

We live at the bottom of a nature reserve,last night we discovered a shrew has got into the kitchen, tried quite a few times to catch it but unsuccessful. The cats in the area usually sort it as I can sometimes see the nights hunt on paving stones out the back. I think we are a few cats down at the moment( couple of cats died and 1 moved away)
Husband wants to buy poison/trap and get rid that way , I want to try and catch it take it to top of the large hill and release. It's a tiny little thing about 3-4 inches.
Last seen making its way behind the t.v in living room, according to teenage DS.
No sighting this morning but haven't looked really ( drinking coffee, mooching about on mumsnet)
Then AIBU to want to get a cat.

You chose to live near a nature reserve where you know these creatures are.
That poor defenceless mouse has just as much right to live peacefully with out fear as you do.

Oh Noni that story is so sweet.

Its like a scene from the Aristocats where Dutchess the mummy cat lets a mouse dip his biscuit in their milk.

Sadly, Anarchy The Boys from Bialystock hadn't entered my lives then, so they are called Ruben (Slaughterer of Rabbits, Destroyer of Carpets, Biter of Unwary Ankles, and Chewer of Hair) and Olaf (Murderer of Small Helpless Rodents, Devourer of Fledglings and Stealer of Unguarded Morsels).

Olaf also purrs as loudly as a tractor, which goes a long way towards redeeming hm in my book. Reuben has no redeeming characteristics whatsoever, but is stunning beautiful (a ginger so bright it makes your eyes hurt) and so gets away with far too much.

My next cats will definitely be Vlad and Vanka. In fact I might start nagging Mr SF for them now.

*life, not lives

Norma

If you get a cat, you'll have lots of mice, baby rats and shrews in your house....some half dead, others alive and unharmed. If you don't want them in your house, definitely don't get a cat!

We have two cats who catch mice, voles and shrews daily and bring them home. DH and I spend not insignficant amount of time rescuing them and releasing them- much to cats' disgust. 😺
Catch him and set him free.

Seconding all the cat owners- ours bring mice in which we catch and release if they are not injured and humanely despatch if they are.

If this is your only reason for getting a cat , it is daft. To be honest if you are getting this upset about a shrew and if you have not had cats before I'm not sure if a cat is right for you.

Please get a humane trap and release it. Poison may get picked up and carried outside and God knows what other poor animal might eat it... Or when agree dies it might die somewhere you can't see it and decompose there! Or die outside and then a predator eats it and also dies from the poison. I'm sure you can find a humane trap somewhere. We bought one for when we had a rat in the kitchen (no UB40 jokes please)

Why are you worried about shrews? They're insectivores and very timid so unlikely to want to set up home in your larder and fill your house with babies.

Try to catch it and free it by all means, but a cat will just bring more in, when I lived in my parents house in the country the only time the wildlife came in was when the cats would bring them in live to play with the poor bastards and they escaped. Our poodle on the other hand was quite swift and prolific in his destruction of rabbits and rats.