Best mouser cat

[friesandchais]

Hello
So I'm petrified of mice and when we moved into this house 10 years ago who we blocked all hole to stop then entering, long story short every so often maybe once or 2 assay they find a way in then we again block any holes check the house and eventually they. But it a cycle and keeps happening. Me and dh and dc are all scared and hate knowing they maybe in the house. Everyone is telling me to get a cat to solve the problem. My friend told me she got a cat and she's now never had a problem since. I would want it to be a indoor cat. I know not all cats are mousers. But what are the best mousers? We really like British short hair cats, are they good, are they good around children? Female or male is better? Will a kitten be a mouser too? And can you train them to be Mousers?
This will be our first pet.

Complete luck of the draw. I've got a giant bsh that has no hunting instinct whatsoever. I had a tiny little black and white bsh that used to kill wild rabbits or anything it could get its paws on

Having an indoor cat from kitten I'd say it's least likely to develop into a hunter.

They practice alot outside when no one is looking

The question is really about the best indoor cat.

OP, you could ask local shelters if they have cats with FIV looking for a home. Even with this health condition, these cats can live a long and normal life, but can’t live with other cats and are only rehomed as indoor cats.

That could be an ideal solution as it benefits both you and the cat.

www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/cats/health/fiv

Please don't get a cat based on what you think it's 'mouser abilities' might be. Get one because you will love it and make it part of your family. I've had many cats over the years and this never even entered my thinking when I was contemplating getting one. I never had a mouse problem in my houses. Some of mine have been mousers, some went for birds, some brought in live mice but didn't Kill them, just played with them.
Had fun one morning trying to catch a poor blue tit flying around my sons bedroom whilst getting kids ready for school and heading off to work. I did, was late for work but the bird flew off thankfully.
If your chosen cat is not a 'mouser' what do you plan to do with the poor thing?
Get humane traps and only get a cat if you will love it please.

If you want a "mouser" then you cannot have an indoor only cat. Ones with a strong hunting instinct will want to be outside.

If you do want a cat anyway and you're hoping for a general deterrent to the mice (I couldn't say if having them is in itself a deterrent as I've never had mouse problems in a house) then I would get one that needs to be indoor only from a rescue (by far the best choice - so many cats needing homes), or a breed like a rag doll that is bred to be an indoor cat. But accept they may very well not be a good hunter - which to be honest might be best for you as other pp have said - hunting cats will leave them around dead, half eaten or sometimes half alive.

We have an Abyssinian, she is the most prolific hunter I have ever experienced.

Honestly I've never had a cat like her. Spring time is awful because she brings in multiple kills a day.

I'm not sure a cat is going to help you with mice though, as quite often they will bring outside mice in and then play with them instead of kill them. Then you are left to catch and release them.

Could you cope with that?

Pic of mad cat attached.

That looks like a hunter

Jack Russells are efficient and clean killers of mice and rats. Plus they have no daft ideas that you might like the kill as a present, and they are too slow to catch birds.

That cat is thinking, why am I wasting time sitting on this cushion when I could be out there slaughtering!

I have had a few cats, the ones who went outdoors loooved hunting but would bring me half dead mice all the time. The ones who've been indoor only I don't think would know what to do with a mouse if they found one. The Tom I have at the minute is the laziest creature I've ever encountered, he's useless with flies and spiders etc. Also if a mouse has eaten poison etc and then your cat eats it they can become extremely unwell so I would be inclined to just deal with your pest problem through a pest control company so it's done properly. They'll be able to identify any access points that you can block up. At that point you can then just get any cat you want and enjoy them!

This is why I'll always be a dog person. Picking up poo twice a day is way less stressful than shovelling mangled rodents and dealing with blood splatter on the curtains.

I agree with this!
Our cat is an excellent mouser, we go through periods of time where she will catch something daily (she eats them on the drive, leaving what I think is the stomach behind so we know she has had a snack). But then also have weeks where she doesn’t appear to catch anything (but she may be consuming them elsewhere).

sometimes she bring them back alive and plays with them and my friend was horrified to see the cat throwing a dead mouse in the air and batting it across the garden. We are used to her doing this kind of thing, so it doesn’t bother us, but if you havent seen a cat do it, I can understand why my friend was so upset about it.

we have also had cats that could not care less about catching anything, all of our cats have been rescue/moggies so I don’t think breed has much to do with it.
I was once told that if a mouse can smell a cat, they won’t make a home there, not sure how true that is though.

We have two killing machines - one ginger, one tabby, both boys. I clear up carcasses daily, and most of them have been brought from outside in; I'm sure of this because I'm 99% certain there are no colonies of slowworms, lizards or frogs living in my house and those are the gifts they have been bringing me recently. A highlight was when the tabby one sauntered past the postie while I was talking to him and the postman asking me in a slightly horrified voice if it was a snake he was carrying.

Get cats if you want them. But don't a) assume you won't be clearing up carrion, and b) assume that all they'll do is catch household mice.

I'm also terrified of mice. It put me off getting a cat, as our childhood cats were mousers. Got two Persians who couldn't catch a cold!

We had mice in the house last winter. Cat didn't even notice.

It varies not by breed but by personality. If they get hungry enough I think any cat will become a good mouser.

If they are not hungry they might play with (torment) the mouse for hours and then let it go so they can catch it again (if it hasn't dropped dead from exhaustion).

Mouse traps in the right places would be a more efficient solution.

@ LBOCS2 How exactly do they kill the frogs and snakes, just out of curiosity? We've never had this with any of our outdoor cats. The mice/moles they bring in are always intact so assume they had broken necks or died from exhaustion.

@LBOCS2 (see above)

If you are in a rural area, a cat that was born outside and trained by its Mother will be the best mouser. We "support" 2 cats. It's a long story as to how it all happened, but suffice to say they are Mother-Daughter outdoor cats. We feed them twice a day (to discourage them from killing non-vermin small animals and birds), and provide multiple cosy houses for them - but they are both excellent hunters because they learned how as kittens. They are not cats for cuddling, but they are both healthy and happy. They do sometimes present "gifts" to us, but it's always outside as they are outdoor cats. If you spot a cat wandering around your area looking homeless, you can coax it to your garden with food and it will keep coming back for food and will eventually consider your garden to be her territory for killing vermin.

A hungry cat is a good mouser. Don’t over feed them.

I wouldn't bank on all farm cats being good mousers

I have an ex-farm cat I rehomed as a 12 week old kitten. She's as thick as they come. Put her food in the wrong place and she gets confused and starts howling. Leave the toilet lid up and she's in the toilet drinking. Leave the bathroom door unlocked when you are in the bath and she's in with you. She's also an indoor cat of her own choosing as it's all just a bit scary outside.

My other cat is a mouser if and when she can be bothered. However like most people have said they like to bring their kills back for you to admire. I'll never forget the time I was ill in bed with flu though. I must have crashed out mid afternoon and then woke up the next morning to a bed that looked like a scene from the animals of farthing wood meets Stephen King. She had brought me several get well soon presents and left them on my bed for me.

Have you tried ultrasonic mouse deterrents instead?

I think partially shock and partially internal organ damage. We've had a few half-animals too where they've been chewed at. Poor things; the cats each have two bells on them but still manage to catch wildlife.

Another recommendation for a Jack Russell Terrier. My DD lives in the country, and her JRT races alongside the cat hoping for fresh snacks (ugh) They are the best of friends, of course!

My cat catches frogs too - agree they must die from internal injuries, from being flung around. I really don’t like that.

He’s a great little assassin (grew up on the street, and knows how to kill), but I definitely have more rodents post-cat than pre-cat. Before him I just had the occasional mouse trying to set up home - now I have regular rats brought in to play with.

Yeah a dog might do it. We have a street dog rescue and she is really good at finding and catching mice. We usually get some at this time of year as the weather starts to cool snd I guess they are looking for somewhere cosy fir the winter. They don’t hang around long though!