To be terrified of a huge mouse?!!!

[Hellodarknessmyfriend]

So I've just gone into the utility to put on a wash, and as I picked up a pile of clothes that I was getting ready to put in, a huge mouse ran out of it and across the kitchen floor! Screamed loudly!
Asked my husband to come downstairs which he did (very huffily as he was just settling down to bed) but he can't be bothered to find it.
I've put the cat downstairs but he's only good at bringing them in and playing with them.
I'm genuinely terrified of going in the kitchen tomorrow!
We have put humane traps down but they are too smart.

I'd personally rather a mouse than a huge spider. It won't get beyond the cat.

Get rid of the humane traps and get proper snapping ones. If you have children your child’s health comes first.

About 2 months ago I was sitting in work and a big mouse walked out from behind my computer screen. I nearly propelled myself out the window behind me.

Surely a huge mouse = rat?

You’re meant to use that to move the cursor on your computer screen, doh!

Oooooo says him

I don't think it's a rat, pretty sure it's a mouse. I don't want kill him; I do want him out! Or do I get rid of the cat because he's useless?!!! 😆

@ProvincialLady2024 Oddly enough, I don't mind spiders!

I’d have been out the door!! lol, YANBU. It won’t harm you for sure but is scary to see

I live in the country. Mice just happen sometimes. Really not a big deal.

I've come upstairs to bed and closed the door very firmly behind me!! 😆

Much empathy… I’m petrified of rodents. We used to have our bedroom in our attic and I was folding washing one day, saw a “mouse” and let out a blood curdling scream. DH bolted up the stairs faster than a superhero and by that stage I was laughing. There was no mouse. I had reacted to a pair of socks rolling off the bed.

What are you using as bait in the traps?
Apparently chocolate - especially maltesers are irresistible.

Was it actually brought in by the cat and it escaped?
We had this multiple times when we had cats. In fact we never had mice in the house before we had cats.
if you think it’s still in the kitchen can you put the cat in there too and close the door? Or did it run out of the kitchen?
if the mouse is large it may be pregnant… just saying.

They love peanut butter too. I’ve never failed with peanut butter.

Mice can squeeze into very small holes though. Like under a door ...

We've got a cat who is fond of bringing mice in and then getting bored and letting them go. Usually we capture them and it's just a but of a hassle but once he brought a real evil fucker in which rather than hide kept standing on his back legs and screeching at us. The cat ran in fear I wanted to as well eventually we swept it out onto the patio. Next day the other cat is running away from it as it's screeching at her too, standing on the patio in broad daylight. Later I went to put the washing out and it started on at me .. I ended up spraying it with the hosepipe and the fucker was still trying to attack me. I had to be really brave and use the garden spade to catapult it over the fence as it screamed.

I loathe rodents of all kinds. Here I get field mice which are even smaller than house mice and they still freak me out. I use proper traps and dog-safe bait. Or I call the council.

@Theredoubtableskins That's exactly what the traps are loaded with; but he just literally ran by it!!
@SiobhanSharpe it seemed more long than wide if that's makes sense? Yes, the annoying cat brings them in and plays with them until they run and hide somewhere. It was a baby bird he "gifted" me this morning (luckily I was in to open the door so it could escape - that was very cute!)

@CoManagerOfTheShitpile They can be proper evil. I washed one accidentally once along with the cat bedding (different house and cat!) Again, I screamed my head off when I took out the washing but this one didn't run anywhere unsurprisingly enough!!!

Put a little chocolate in the trap if you have some. My cats are constantly bringing in mice and I've never failed to catch one yet if I use chocolate in the humane trap.

The only thing that works is those poisonous pellets. I don't know how you would stop the cat having them though but perhaps tuck them behind the fridge and places like that? I always get slated when I say this but at least I don't have any mice now!

Get a grip, you wuss. It is a rat, not a crocodile.
Call someone tomorrow to get it killed.

@SherrieElmer I don't want to kill it! It's a mouse.

No, huge mouse = rat. Sorry.

Also mouse that stands up and screeches at cats/humans = rat.

Not much difference, apart from size and rats being more intelligent. Still try the cat and, if that doesn't work, traps (death variety) with delicious bait.

They hate the smell of bleach. To be fair to rodents, they've probably learned not to hate it by now 😂 If you know roughly where it's hanging out, you might be able to create a one-way system using bleach, to force it back out of the house. But cats mustn't walk on bleach, it poisons them via their paws, so you have to pick one method or the other!

Longer than wide - baby rat...