how to kill mice without killing my cats?

Two days ago my fiance and I discovered we have mice when our youngest cat
stewie caught one and batted it around the living room. We hoped it was an
isolated event. yesterday we heard him scurrying in the loft and
subsequently bring downstairs yet another mouse. Thus, the general consensus
is that we have mice living in the house. I'm horrified.

now what do we do? mice breed very quickly and we want this problem taken
care of as soon as possible - but of course we don't want to injure our cats
with traps or poisons.

so what is there to do?

I'd prefer to keep this thread clean of "the morality of killing mice"
question. I am going to get rid of the mice in the most effective way
possible which means erradicating the nest to prevent a new set from moving
in. and sadly that means they are going to die...that said how do I do this
without klling the cats?

--
Message posted via http://www.catkb.com

"kitkat via CatKB.com" u26561@uwe wrote in message
news:6e7b8a4f2ab4d@uwe...
Two days ago my fiance and I discovered we have mice when our youngest cat
stewie caught one and batted it around the living room. We hoped it was
an
isolated event. yesterday we heard him scurrying in the loft and
subsequently bring downstairs yet another mouse. Thus, the general
consensus
is that we have mice living in the house. I'm horrified.

now what do we do? mice breed very quickly and we want this problem taken
care of as soon as possible - but of course we don't want to injure our
cats
with traps or poisons.

so what is there to do?

I'd prefer to keep this thread clean of "the morality of killing mice"
question. I am going to get rid of the mice in the most effective way
possible which means erradicating the nest to prevent a new set from
moving
in. and sadly that means they are going to die...that said how do I do
this
without klling the cats?

--
Message posted via http://www.catkb.com


But Stewie is having so much fun! There are traps that are sticky that trap
the mice but shouldn't hurt your kitties. I don't know what they're called.
I may be dreaming this up but I believe there are also traps that don't hurt
the mice--sort of like a Have-a-Heart trap for mice.

"22brix" wrote in message
...

"kitkat via CatKB.com" u26561@uwe wrote in message
news:6e7b8a4f2ab4d@uwe...
Two days ago my fiance and I discovered we have mice when our youngest
cat
stewie caught one and batted it around the living room. We hoped it was
an
isolated event. yesterday we heard him scurrying in the loft and
subsequently bring downstairs yet another mouse. Thus, the general
consensus
is that we have mice living in the house. I'm horrified.

now what do we do? mice breed very quickly and we want this problem
taken
care of as soon as possible - but of course we don't want to injure our
cats
with traps or poisons.

so what is there to do?

I'd prefer to keep this thread clean of "the morality of killing mice"
question. I am going to get rid of the mice in the most effective way
possible which means erradicating the nest to prevent a new set from
moving
in. and sadly that means they are going to die...that said how do I do
this
without klling the cats?

--
Message posted via http://www.catkb.com


But Stewie is having so much fun! There are traps that are sticky that
trap the mice but shouldn't hurt your kitties. I don't know what they're
called. I may be dreaming this up but I believe there are also traps that
don't hurt the mice--sort of like a Have-a-Heart trap for mice.
--------
Yes, there are traps that don't hurt the mice, but I would really put my
money on Stewie to take care of the mouse problem.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

We had mice in our house also. I did not want to kill them and bought this
trap on amazon.com. It includes two traps and it is wonderful!! The mice go
in and cannot get out. I then released them outside. They are well worth the
money. We caught two the first night with peanut butter on bread (inside the
trap) and two the second night.
http://www.amazon.com/Victor-Tin-Cat...636826-2938504
Gail

"kitkat via CatKB.com" u26561@uwe wrote in message
news:6e7b8a4f2ab4d@uwe...
Two days ago my fiance and I discovered we have mice when our youngest cat
stewie caught one and batted it around the living room. We hoped it was
an
isolated event. yesterday we heard him scurrying in the loft and
subsequently bring downstairs yet another mouse. Thus, the general
consensus
is that we have mice living in the house. I'm horrified.

now what do we do? mice breed very quickly and we want this problem taken
care of as soon as possible - but of course we don't want to injure our
cats
with traps or poisons.

so what is there to do?

I'd prefer to keep this thread clean of "the morality of killing mice"
question. I am going to get rid of the mice in the most effective way
possible which means erradicating the nest to prevent a new set from
moving
in. and sadly that means they are going to die...that said how do I do
this
without klling the cats?

--
Message posted via http://www.catkb.com

On Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:41:01 GMT, "Gail" wrote:

We had mice in our house also. I did not want to kill them and bought this
trap on amazon.com. It includes two traps and it is wonderful!! The mice go
in and cannot get out. I then released them outside. They are well worth the
money. We caught two the first night with peanut butter on bread (inside the
trap) and two the second night.
http://www.amazon.com/Victor-Tin-Cat...636826-2938504
Gail


Those are really the best idea since the glue traps are cruel. Poison
isn't exactly a nice way to die either, plus Stewie could eat a dying
mouse and that is to be avoided at all costs.

I've had a mouse or two in my house and the cats are very amused when
that happens. More often are waterbugs, and the boys have a jolly time
with them also. Much better than anything I can buy at the store.

My vegan former co-worker brings in his humane traps whenever we had
mice at work. They work very well. I once borrowed some when I had a
few mice at the house. I trapped two and sent them to college. (I live
right by a college so I brought them into the field on the campus and
left them there. They've likely graduated by now.)

On Feb 28, 9:56 am, dgk wrote:
On Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:41:01 GMT, "Gail" wrote:
We had mice in our house also. I did not want to kill them and bought this
trap on amazon.com. It includes two traps and it is wonderful!! The mice go
in and cannot get out. I then released them outside. They are well worth the
money. We caught two the first night with peanut butter on bread (inside the
trap) and two the second night.
http://www.amazon.com/Victor-Tin-Cat...B75ESK/ref=tag...
Gail

I have used live traps to catch chipmunks and relocate them. I'd
suggest driving a distance (1-2 miles) and then releasing. You don't
want to catch them, only to have them come right back inside.

as long as the humane traps work I'm all over that-

yes stewie is thrilled - he's an indoor cat and he's been nuts the last few
days -

I wouldn't have minded 1 mouse but when another showed up I started to get
worried.

thanks for the links and I'll look into the humane traps.

and stewie can't be trusted to "take care of the problem" - he doesn't kill
the mice - he just picks them up and sets them down and keeps running around
with them because he's sure it's the greatest toy ever. my other cat shatner
is afraid of the mice which is kind of sad and tragic.

--
Message posted via CatKB.com
http://www.catkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx...ealth/200702/1

On Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:56:42 GMT, "kitkat via CatKB.com" u26561@uwe
wrote:

as long as the humane traps work I'm all over that-

yes stewie is thrilled - he's an indoor cat and he's been nuts the last few
days -

I wouldn't have minded 1 mouse but when another showed up I started to get
worried.

thanks for the links and I'll look into the humane traps.

and stewie can't be trusted to "take care of the problem" - he doesn't kill
the mice - he just picks them up and sets them down and keeps running around
with them because he's sure it's the greatest toy ever. my other cat shatner
is afraid of the mice which is kind of sad and tragic.

Perhaps, but it makes him a hero to the mice.

these traps are very gentle and I use them around my cat.
http://www.intruderinc.com/mousetrap/mousetrap.html
They can be ordered on line or sold at walgreens. They have a very high
catch rate compared to the traditional spring trap. Peanut butter spread on
the underside of the lid works best. Birdseed lightly sprinked in the trap
also works. Placement is everything when catching a mouse so follow
directions and push it up against a wall. Make sure you find the spot where
they are coming in from otherwise they will reinfest. THe usual entry point
is underneath the door. HAve someone shine a strong light under the door
while you look from the inside. IF you see the light, they can get in

I average 60 catches a year. I sure wish I could find the hole they get in
on. Mr. Bonkers gets about 6.


"kitkat via CatKB.com" u26561@uwe wrote in message
news:6e7b8a4f2ab4d@uwe...
Two days ago my fiance and I discovered we have mice when our youngest cat
stewie caught one and batted it around the living room. We hoped it was
an
isolated event. yesterday we heard him scurrying in the loft and
subsequently bring downstairs yet another mouse. Thus, the general
consensus
is that we have mice living in the house. I'm horrified.

now what do we do? mice breed very quickly and we want this problem taken
care of as soon as possible - but of course we don't want to injure our
cats
with traps or poisons.

so what is there to do?

I'd prefer to keep this thread clean of "the morality of killing mice"
question. I am going to get rid of the mice in the most effective way
possible which means erradicating the nest to prevent a new set from
moving
in. and sadly that means they are going to die...that said how do I do
this
without klling the cats?

--
Message posted via http://www.catkb.com

on Wed, 28 Feb 2007 13:43:36 GMT, "kitkat via CatKB.com" u26561@uwe
wrote:

Two days ago my fiance and I discovered we have mice when our youngest
cat stewie caught one and batted it around the living room. We hoped
it was an isolated event. yesterday we heard him scurrying in the
loft and subsequently bring downstairs yet another mouse. Thus, the
general consensus is that we have mice living in the house. I'm
horrified.

now what do we do? mice breed very quickly and we want this problem
taken care of as soon as possible - but of course we don't want to
injure our cats with traps or poisons.

so what is there to do?

I'd prefer to keep this thread clean of "the morality of killing mice"
question. I am going to get rid of the mice in the most effective way
possible which means erradicating the nest to prevent a new set from
moving in. and sadly that means they are going to die...that said how
do I do this without klling the cats?

I don't like to kill living things, but mice living in your home are a
health hazard, so I have no problem with doing what you gotta do. That
said, glue traps are the cruelest of all possible solutions. Please
don't use them. Live trap and release is kind, but if you don't take
them far enough away from your property, they will just come right back.
Some of the fancy new "no touch" traps don't work worth a darn, trust me
on that and save your money

The absolute most reliable method (beyond live traps) are the old
fashioned snap traps, 79 cents a pair is a typical price around here.
Buy a bunch of them. Set them in places where your cat does not have
access, such as inside kitchen cabinets (under the sink and over the
stove are prime entrance points for mice since there are pipes and other
conduits in these locations. The mice slip through the tiny spaces where
the drywall has been cutout). Another place would be an attached garage
if you have one, along the wall attached to the house In each location,
set two traps up against the back wall inside the cabinet right next to
each other (or along the floor next to the wall in your garage), and bait
them with a teeny bit of peanut butter mashed into the small indentation
on the trigger so the mice have to work to get it out. You want the two
traps next to each other because mice are shifty and can work bait from
traps without triggering them (you'd be shocked), so usually the trap
next to the one they are working on gets them.

To keep your cat safe, get some child locks for your cabinets and use
them. If the doors have handles, get the cheap ugly ones that slip
through the handles and clamp down. Lock them TIGHT. There are many
flavors of child locks for cabinets, even those that don't have handles,
so you might have to spend some time installing them, but they are worth
the effort

After you trap a mouse, throw the trap away and replace the pair with new
ones and fresh bait. Lather, rinse, repeat. I have a couple of spots
where I just leave traps out all the time (locked up from the cats).
Unfortunately I think they smell death once you trap a mouse and you have
to pick new locations so they will take the bait.

In my experience, snap traps are a humane way to kill mince, and safer
than poison which is dangerous to your cats (even if they can't get to
it, they could ingest the mouse and therefore also the poison). Poisoned
mice sometimes die inside walls, too, and that's a smell you don't want
to have to deal with.

Clearly I had a mouse problem, and my cats were no help at all. My dog
did kill one, though, and boy was I proud!

--
Lynne