How can I pick a good mouser?! HELP

[bytheby]

Hi,

I think I am convinced that we should get a cat (or 2!).

I really, really want it to be a good mouser if at all possible. Is there anything I can do to help this be the case? Fed up of hearing scampering about in the night!

Husband really wants a main coon - any thoughts?

Thank you!

p.s. had a previous thread on whether we should get a cat here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_litter_tray/4389059-should-we-get-a-cat

Can you get a kitten that was born on a farm with a hunting mother. Hopefully the mother will teach the kittens to hunt. We always had male cats until the current one who is female. The males were much better hunters.

An adult ex-stray from a rescue is far more likely to be a good mouser because they had to do it. A pedigree breed that has never had to act on its wits or been taught by a mother who had to act on her wits is far less likely to bother.

Our current female cat catches far more mice than her brother. Her brother is far better at presenting us with a mouse though - mainly because he mugs her outside the back door and steals hers.

My feral rescue male did nothing about catching mice, my current cat does bring the occasional present back, sometimes in pieces which is not nice to clean up, best thing I did to get rid of mice was buy an electric cat.

@Essexmum321 goodness what is an electric cat!!

@YesItsMeIDontCare all the rescues I look at aren't compatible with our situation (dog and small child).

Is there a way round this? Speak to them in case they have kittens coming in?! I have literally trailed the internet!

Look for High play drive. The most playful cat will be very keen on live squeaky toys.

I've had a lifetime of cats (all mogs though) and some have been mousers, and some haven't - but there dont appear to appear to any patterns, eg gingers being better hunters, or females.

Agree with asking the rescue for a hunter or two - very possibly some cats will have been given in for rehoming BECAUSE they hunted so much. But how would your dog take to an adult cat?

[quote bytheby]@YesItsMeIDontCare all the rescues I look at aren't compatible with our situation (dog and small child).

Is there a way round this? Speak to them in case they have kittens coming in?! I have literally trailed the internet![/quote]
Be prepared to take on 2 adult black cats!

@YesItsMeIDontCare

An adult ex-stray from a rescue is far more likely to be a good mouser because they had to do it. A pedigree breed that has never had to act on its wits or been taught by a mother who had to act on her wits is far less likely to bother.

Don't tell Ollie

My cat has no interest in toys whatsoever (or the Red Dot, or anything of that ilk). She is, however, a prolific mouser (we had 4 in the space of half an hour one day last week - of differing size, so not all babies from the same nest).

However - sometimes she brings them in alive, and we don't always manage to catch them before they escape. She has no interest in catching these at all. In-house mousing is just not her thing (luckily we have a high success rate with a humane trap, so they're not all running loose somewhere).

So just because a cat is a good mouser, doesn't necessarily mean they'll sort out a mouse problem in the house!

I'd agree with black cats!!! They can be difficult to rehome. Also try smaller rescues - some are less strict as they can look at individual circumstances rather than have a blanket policy.

I don't care what the cat looks like - a black cat is fine :)

Can you have a cat that is a great hunter but also cuddly or do they tend to be one or the other?

Grateful to all of you cat counsellors out there

Can you have a cat that is a great hunter but also cuddly or do they tend to be one or the other?

Ime absolutely.

Sorry - I meant absolutely to the first bit! I copied too much of the question 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

Two rescues here.

One tabby male who is a very skilled hunter. Mice, rats, rabbits, birds, etc. And eats them.

He's also a ball of fluff that will let you hold him like a baby and is ridiculously laid back for a cat - stretches out a lot in the middle of the hall and on the stairs and expects you to climb round him.

He's not interested in toys. He can't eat them.

Rescued feral kittens seem to have a natural prey drive. I've had three in my cat owning life and they were all excellent. The current version has got squirrels and parakeets which is pretty impressive for a cat barely a year old. My Maine coons were rubbish hunters. The British Blue was just amazing. We reckoned that none the mice recognised he was a cat until too late. The rescue charity I work with is heaving with felines at the moment. If you can take an older one rather than a kitten you might get one that kills mice rather than plays with them.

@mostlydrinkstea are you anywhere near Sussex? My preference would be a rescue if it is possible!

I agree, adult ex stay a great option for a mouser. Pick a more reserved/quieter cat as in my experience more gregarious cats tend to become lazy about hunting as they are enjoying being stroked and fawned over too much. Get a friendly but independent Stray.

You may rent my two black rescues at a very reasonable price. They really are murderous little bastards .
My older cats (aged 11) no longer bother.

@bytheby
We recently adopted 2 kittens and I have 2x 4 year olds and a dog.
It was hard to find a suitable older cat, but the rescue were more than happy to place the kittens with us, especially once they met my (quite calm) children

Sorry nowhere near Sussex.

I think just the presence of a cat can be a good deterrent; they don’t necessarily have to hunt. That’s what pest control told me when I got them in anyway.

Do you really want to be clearing up after they bring you gifts? Dead or alive. Or partially alive? And not just mice.

Agree with toddler. If you have a mouse problem then use humane traps.
If you want a cat as a pet then get one.