Any tips to get rid of mice?

[DoomHarbinger]

Hi, I'm having a situation with mice, have caught 3 in the past 2 or 3 weeks. All upstairs and no sign of any downstairs. ( I'm suspicious of my bay window roof as a point of access) I'm not seeing any droppings or other evidence, first I knew of it was one of my DC spotting one and uncharacteristically asking me to clean out their room! They've all actually been caught in another DC's room next door. These 2 rooms are the only ones my cat isn't allowed in (coincidence?)
I've carpeted over the bare floorboards, I've liberally sprayed peppermint oil around, I've shovelled wire wool under the skirting boards, and I've bought all manner of plug in things to repel them as well as traps. Yet this morning I've caught another, after a week of nothing.
So my question, finally, is do I just persevere with this as it's early days for the deterrents and there may only be a few? Or do I need to get someone in? My council don't do pest control, I rent from them and it's my responsibility to deal with it. How do I find a decent and affordable (I'm skint) company who will help to mouseproof the house? I don't really want to use poison as I've got a cat who does hunt mice but not when i want her to apparently.

Are you sure it's not the cat bringing them in? I'd buy some humane traps and bait them with Nutella or peanut butter and see how that goes.

Look on your local council website. Mine has a subsidised pest control service for everybody and it’s even cheaper if you are on certain benefits.

All of those "home-made remedies" are rubbish. Mice don't care about ultra-sonics (your cat might though!), oils or wire wool. I have tried them all over the years - they just pop up somewhere else if even that. In the end I went with the nuclear option and killed the little buggers!!!

Absolutely get the pros in! The guy who did ours also told us to remove as many things that mice could climb up as possible - ivy, climbing plants, trellis etc as that allows them access to upstairs/the roof

I assume you've check there is no food under the children's beds, wrappers behind wardrobes etc? Could you allow the cat into the rooms, or is it banned due to allergies etc?
We had a similar issue in a flat. We think they were coming in via water pipes. We did find wire wool in the kitchen, along with snap traps helped.

Thanks for replies. I've got the humane traps, and have released the 3 visitors a couple of miles away in woods, so it's not the same one coming back in. Really don't think it's the cat, she doesn't have a cat flap and has to yell to be let in so I think we'd notice if her mouth was full. They've either come in through an open window, or via a hole I can't find. There's a wonky tile and a tiny lifted gap in the flashing on the bay window roof, but I don't know how to fix it and don't even own a ladder. (So can't check the loft either)
Sadly my local council don't offer any pest control service at all.

If they only come into rooms your cat doesn't go in, could you just let your cat in that room? Putting a bowl or two of used cat litter in those rooms might have the same effect.

Personally I think humane traps either transfer the problem elsewhere or leave mice to die in an alien place.

It would also probably help to ban your kids from eating in their rooms.

Let the cat have free rein! 🐅

Yes the kids (late teens/ young adults) eating in their rooms is an ongoing battle, and I'm hoping the mice have at least proved my point in that regard!
Youngest child is sadly afraid of the cat (asd) which is why she's not allowed in there.
Thing is how to find a suitable pro? No one seems to say how much they charge or what they'll actually do. Seems a bit pointless to pay someone just to do things I could do myself like bait boxes. But mouseproofing ones sound like they'll be VERY expensive.

I tried everything except getting pest control in. It was getting ridiculous so I got a cat. He has completely got rid of the lot and is nice company too. Maybe get another cat. Go for a more feisty one perhaps. Mine came from the RSPCA so did us both a favour...

Yes, maybe I'll just have to insist on her going in the rooms to inspect them every day. Or just collect her hair and drape it on the skirting boards?

Could the cat be allowed into the room in the day when the kids are at school, then the door shut when they return?

We paid for pest control years ago- not a council one and I can't recall the fee. I think he came out 2 or 3x. They used a stronger/different poison to the ones you can buy at B&Q etc which mice apparently are becoming immune to! As I said up thread, we also put wire wool in any crack, between the skirting board and floor etc and ensure absolutely no food was accessible. Never saw another one.

I could manage that with the room they've actually been caught in I think, but then my dilemma is that leaving that door open during the day to let the cat in if she will even go there allows the mice free rein of the rest of the house. At the moment they at least seem contained. I'm desperately hoping the mice came in via the window over the top of the bay window below. I've only heard suspicious noises a little while before before catching each of them and genuinely seen no droppings except in the traps with the mice. It's not likely though is it?