Siamese any good at killing mice?

[blackcats73]

We have a lovely 5 month old Siamese. We've also got mice. I think they came in when we were away and cat was in cattery. Opened a cupboard yesterday ( one where we keep the half eaten boxes of cereal ) and found boxes knawed and half eaten and shredded newspaper. Also mice seem to be upstairs in floorboards scuttling around!!!
before I cleaned out the cupboard I put Siamese puss into it, expecting her to sniff interestedly and go find unwanted mice. She is not one blinking flip bit interested!!!!!!!!

I know she's a baby but surely she should have an instinctive drive to murder small rodents...or do i need to get a "proper cat"?

Some cats are mousers and some aren't. (I've had both, Siamese and non-Siamese.) It's my instinct that you'll get a better mouser from a litter where eg Mum has actually had to hunt for at least some of her living and has taught them properly - which doesn't bode well for Siamese who are are usually raised by a Mom who thinks that food comes in bowls.

Who can tell about instinct though. She may turn out to be a killer in a furry coat. (She might turn out to be completely not interested though.)

By the way, I've found that it's noise and movement that stimulates hunting so if you were around, any mice would likely be hiding and completely still and quiet. She might improve with the proper stimuli.

Mum was an indoor cat. I really don't want her to kill them, I just want the mice to move out really. I thought they'd be put off by the smell of cat? She does like to play kill though, my SC's small furry toy x

We had a Siamese years ago and he was a great killer, he brought in full grown rabbits, mice, snakes etc. Wonderful

Maybe, maybe not. From experience, I think it depends on the rewards versus the risks. If you have a terraced house (ie they can move next door easily) and you maintain rigid storage discipline, they might decide that a cat around is just too much.

If, however, you have a detached house (especially an old one with lots of runs behind the walls) and leave food lying around - then it's worth their staying, cat or no cat.

I'd get everything into plastic containers, get rid of crumbs every night, and get some old fashioned traps to put into places the cat can't access (eg crawl spaces and attics if you have any.) I wouldn't recommend poison in case she does decide to hunt and eats part of an animal that's ingested something nasty.

By the way - mice do tend to come into houses from outside premises as the weather worsens in autumn so the timing may be a coincidence.

We live in a 1970s detached house. We've put cereal boxes etc up high, we've bought the plug in mouse deterrents. Thanks for replies Accidental and cozie.

You ever seen mice shimmy up an apparently sheer cupboard? Plastic containers, black.

Suggest you leave cupboards open and Siamese loose this evening after you go to bed. She will probably get the idea when she spies one of the little critters....

aaahhh, going to have nightmares!!!!!! Siamese cuddles us in bed all night but nice idea clobbered!!!

My Siamese have always slept all the night through in bed. Any mousing they've done has been in the afternon/early evening or eg whenever it's quiet and the mice come out to play.

5 months quite young though, I think ours was much older when he got the idea. Then there was no stopping him though.

We had mice come in from next door. Ndn said the pest control van was for moles.

She lied.

Well I think ASBO cat would probably be an effective burglar deterrent, Fluffy, let alone mice.

We have two cats & they bring mice in which is very annoying. We also sometimes get mice coming into the house at this time of the year because it's getting colder. I second cozietoesie's advice on plastic containers, not leaving crumbs around and putting traps out of reach of the cat.

TBH our dog is a better mouser than either of the cats. I realised there was a mouse inside our sofa last week when the dog started running round it barking excitedly. I moved the sofa, hoping to dislodge the mouse & trap it humanely, only for the springer to pounce. She then sat there, looking very pleased with herself, with the mouse's tail dangling out of her mouth... and when I tried to take it off her she swallowed it bleugghh!

A springer, even. (Without you saying, I would have immediately thought a terrier or small dog because they're death on rodents of pretty well any sort.)

Ha

I know! Our other springer is the same - I saw her corner, catch & shake to death a large rat in our garden last year. A bit shocking, as she is the gentlest, softest, most loving springer you could ever meet unless you happen to be a rodent . DH says springers have a strong hunting instinct & that is why they can behave like terriers at times.

Sorry, didn't mean to derail the thread!