We have lived in our house for 10 years, and never had any issues with mice. Then we got 2 kittens a year ago, one of whom likes to catch things and bring them in (alive and dead). For the past week, I have been greeted by the sight of a dead mouse in the kitchen almost every morning (the cats stay there overnight and have a cat flap). We have also had a few incidents of one coming in with a live mouse and kindly releasing it into the house as a plaything.
I assumed the mice were just being brought in from outside, but then over the weekend I saw one running along the TOP of our conservatory wall, inside beneath the glass roof... and then horror of horrors, I opened a food cupboard to discover a dead mouse lying at the front (high-pitched scream from me). I discovered a gap at the back where it obviously got in, and have blocked it up (and disinfected the cupboard and thrown away the open packets - eeeeeuch)
So my question is - is it possible the cats have introduced the mice to our house and they're now breeding? Or is it just a coincidence, and our hunter cat is helping to keep them at bay (the other one is too lazy to chase things!) Will mice-catching cats always keep mice under control? Would love to hear from anyone with cats AND mice.