Cat/mouse poison?

[waggledance]

Hello

Wondering if anyone can help on this one ...

We have two 1 year old house cats and have recently discovered mice living in the wall between our flat and other flats. We have heard them running and heard a squeak so pretty sure they are there, not seen any out and about or found any droppings but it's only been 2 days. 

We are worried that our neighbours might put poison down and that our cats could eat one of the mice and be harmed. Does anyone know if this is possible/likely?

We're not sure what to do because we could talk to all the neighbours (although we don't know any of them) but even if we do this there's no guarantee they won't put any sort of poison down if it becomes a nuisance. I assume they would have every right to do so and that the well-being of our cats is probably not their concern. 

Does anyone have any ideas on what we could do or know if our cats are in any danger?

Thanks loads x

 

[Columbine]

Yes, it's possible that your cats could catch a poisoned mouse, but I wouldn't have thought it terribly likely unless there are any signs of mice coming into your flat.

I think your best course of action is to contact the maintenance people, tell them the problem and ask if you can speak to the exterminator when they come out. They are best placed to advise you how to keep your cats safe, as they know exactly what methods and means they're using.

As a worst case scenario, familiarise yourself with the symptoms of ingesting mouse poison and keep your vet's number on speed dial. At least then you'll be prepared.

 

[revenwyn]

My bichon frise dog once ate a rat that had been caught with rat poison. We rushed him to the nearest emergency vet. They pumped his stomach, kept him for observation, and put him on vitamin K. Mouse/rat poison kills by causing internal bleeding. It's the same stuff a Coumadin/Warfarin, a blood thinner. People on those medicines are told to restrict how much vitamin K they ingest, because it thickens the blood.

The dog was about two when this happened. He is 17 now.

 

[Columbine]

The reason I'm suggesting talking to the exterminator is that, while anticoagulants are the most common type of poison, they're not the only type. It's best to know exactly what you're dealing with so you can pass on the right information if the worst happens.

 

[kitty kisser]

If you know where they could come in you could lay down glue traps. I recommend Tomcat brand rat sized Glue traps sometimes I catch 3 mice on one trap. They call to one another and the others rush over and get stuck also. Just close off the infested side of your house from the cats so they don't distrub the traps.

 

[sugarcatmom]

Please don't use glue boards. They are incredibly cruel. Snap traps would be a kinder option if you have to go that route.

http://www.wildcarebayarea.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TakeAction_GlueTraps

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/facts/glue_boards.html

 

[catwoman707]

Oh my gosh I couldn't agree with sugarcatmom more!

Glue traps are the most cruel and horrible mouse/rat traps ever. Imagine how long it takes for a mouse to die of starvation? 

I had trapped a cat from Jack in the Box pkng lot for neutering and relocating since it was so close to a big busy intersection. Had him neutered and the transporter called me to say she is turning around and going nack to the vet she left because he was bleeding all over the place.

Sadly, he died, bled to death, the vet said he ate a poisoned mouse and with the neuter surgery his blood was unable to coagulate.

So it's def. a concern.

As @Columbine  said, talk to the landlord about this, making sure they are aware of your cats.

Chances are though, they got in the wall from outside but can't get in to the apts or your cats would likely have gotten them already.

 

[waggledance]

Thanks everyone. 

We're not going to put down glue traps.We had mice in a previous pre-cat place and spent months trying to use humane traps which never caught anything. Eventually we found a poison that was supposed to knock them out before killing them so the mouse didn't know what happened.

Unfortunately we can't shut the cats away from the side of the house where the  mice are because we live in a long two storey apartment where nearly every room is near that wall ... 

Going to speak to their vet and a few pest control people to get advice. Sadly the landlord won't care about our cats. We do have written permission to have them as we rent but he's not helpful at all. 

Still don't think there's much to do to stop other neighbours using harmful poisons :-(

Thanks for all the responses. 

x

 

[misterwhiskers]

Can you talk to the neighbors and ask they not put down poison?

I just bought mouse traps from Lowes. They trap the mouse inside, so it can't escape. I don't know how humane they are. My sister suggested regular traps also, with peanut butter, and put the trap in a paper bag so you can just pick it up without touching the dead mouse.

Mice chew on insulation and can carry rodent mites (shudder). Your landlord needs to take care of this issue. The thing about rodent mites is, poisoning the mice only makes them jump hosts, if the mice are left to rot (sorry to be graphic).