My cats nasty habit

[CAG12]

Firstly id like to say I really like my cat. Im a self confessed cat lady.

However shes started bringing in live mice. She doesnt kill them, she makes no attempt to. Ive caught them all and put them back outside, but its a real issue. The mice scurry under furniture and its a real ball ache, especially in the early hours of the morning.

Does anyone have any nifty tips of how to stop this behaviour? Does anyone have any experience of this?

this is what cats do, they often bring them in, prod them about a bit, get bored then walk off or mousey runs away. they are difficult to catch because they are so small and fast. indoor cats can't bring them in but mice do find their own way in. you can't stop cats doing this natural hunting behaviour.

Ours did this. We changed the cat flap settings so she could only come in if we opeed the door.
She was very much an outdoor cat and slept under the hebe bush.

Yes. Mine do this. I have shoeboxes to catch the mice in, or rather the dc do. It’s a race against time

I supposed shes just very good at being a cat 😂

@RickOShay I also have boxes on standby!

You wouldn’t think they would be such hunters but they are

One mouse did make a nest in dc3 sock drawer! Never found the actual mouse

According to mine, you are hungry so feeding you.
They also suggest your cat is correct and reward the cat with a tasty treat.

I hated my cat doing this. REALLY hated it. The mice used to puss on the carpet, we had to spend an hour chasing the fucking thing about. We ended up passing her over to my mum (for a totally separate reason) but I was glad we no longer had this issue.

My only thought was a bell on a collar or close the cat flap.

Mine went thru a phase of this, I was surprised that at the age of 10 she'd suddenly become an accomplished hunter. Then I discovered that we had a mouse nest under the shed and she was just lying in wait outside, lazy thing.

*piss 😬

@RickOShay are those Birman cats?

OP ugh my cat does this too although happily not in the night. I'd also suggest changing the cat flap settings so your cat can't bring them in when you're sleeping.

My beautiful tabby used to bring them in at night and drop them at my side of the bed as a special treat. Walked right past DH , always to me. Such an honour I suppose. Miss her dearly but not my little gifts.

She also hangs around when im trying to catch them. She purrs so loudly - im pretty sure she thinks its a fun game we play together 😂

My puss has brought into the house via an open downstairs window a rat and a bird, both dead thank god! He's caught other mice and likes to play with them then eat them luckily they've been in the front garden.

Now, I won't open the downstairs bedroom window if he's out and I've told everyone that they have to open the door slowly or look out of the window before they let him in and if he has anything in his mouth he doesn't come in until he's put it down/ate it.

One of my cats brings in just the head and what looks like the stomach.
No idea what he does with the rest of the shrew/mouse .. I think he must be like the Jack the Ripper of cats.
Bells are no deterrent whatsoever , both of mine have bells and it doesn’t stop them at all .
Furry bastards

@Damntheman yes they are, sisters.
I worship the ground they walk on

They're gorgeous Rick! I might be adopting a Birman girl, still wavering on how a third cat might fit in with my Norwegian forest cat boys.

I think this is just what Cats Do TBH! No matter how cute /cuddly /outright gorgeous the are! My friend is treated to all sorts of "gifts "by her cat!

Thank you!
They are great cats, apart from their mouse torturing activities. I have a dog, and they often go for walks with us .
I think you should get one. They love the dog, if that’s any help. He’s quite bemused by them!

@Damntheman
I’ve just googled Norwegian forest cats, they sound very similar
Beautiful cats.

Well guess what I found this morning. Are you ready? Brace yourself.

My cat had hidden half a mouse under the rug. It is now dessicated and shrivelled. I would take a photo but I cant bear to clean it up, I'm waiting for dp to sort it.

Yup ours do this, frogs, moths and birds too. Seems seasonal, sometimes we don’t get any ‘gifts’ for months then a few on the trot. Most often decapitated mice under the dining table No advice how to stop it sadly... if the creature looks unhurt we capture it and release it (normally a few minutes walk away where it can’t be recaptured by the idiot cats). If it’s too mangled, we say a little prayer and DP will dispatch it with a brick so that it doesn’t suffer. Only thing I dislike about cat ownership

Well that's me persuaded Rick! Just need to get DH on side now :P

@gwackywacky one of my cats killed a rat and left half of it hidden in the bathroom. I have underfloor heating in there.. WORST THING EVER!

Ours do this too, little terrors!
I've read before that they're teaching you to hunt. They start by bringing you dead mice, then when they think you're ready they'll bring in a live one and watch how you get on catching it, same as they would with a kitten.
I wonder if you can get good enough that they'll leave you to sort your own out and stop bringing them in?

And perhaps that's why my stepfather, who shrieks in terror when they toss a live mouse at him rather than catching it like DM, gets a lot more brought to him - clearly he's got a way to go before he's up to scratch.

Lie a welly or other long boot down on the floor. The mouse will run into it and you can release it. By far the easiest way to catch them, from bitter experience.