Cats Bringing In Mice And Birds

[davidc59]

Hi ,got 4 cats ,i think the youngest pair are the worst ,black tom cats from the same litter .
This was taken a few weeks ago ,one of them had brought a live Mouse in and let it go and
it was hiding under the heater ,there is a humane trap under the heater ,and it catches the Mice most the time .
Same thing happened today ,and they have been staking out the heater on and off
all day ,one of them is doing it as i type .
The other 2 ,Callie and Misha are not as bad at bringing things in ,Callie is about 3 years
and Misha about 2 and a half .

But they will bring things in sometimes .
What i want to know is will they grow out of bringing things in ,they are about 15 months old .

I had to pause in the middle of typing this ,i heard a noise in the hall way ,the mouse had made a dash for it and been caught by one of the black cats (Sooty) .
Managed to get it of him and let it go ,i think it is the same mouse they brought in yesterday

 

[danteshuman]

I wish I had a solution besides keeping your cats in all the time. My cat Dante liked to do this with birds ... which I caught and released every time. I pried one live bird out of his mouth! My solution was to raise the bird feeder to make hunting more difficult for him. I like your humane trap under the water heater idea. I doubt it was the same mouse. You would think after such a terrifying experience it would be more wary. You could try killing all the mice but since they are a natural part of the ecosystem more would just move in. Please tell me if anything works?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Well, they are apex predators for their size and weight class, so they do have that drive to hunt. Some settle down later, others don't. I have no solutions for you other than keeping them in, or continue to trap the mice. Let me know if you come up with something better!

 

[davidc59]

Didn't see any sign of mice until i got cats ,don't fancy the idea of keeping them in all the while .
When they catch live birds i take them to a wildlife rescue center a few miles away .
On the whole i would prefer them to bring dead mice in ,i can handle that ,or Shrews they don't taste very nice
so they are not mangled .

I have noticed that when Misha brings things in he gives a little call ,and the black cats
go running to see what he has brought in .
If i didn't know that Tom cats don't have anything to do with their young it would look as if he was feeding them.

 

[danteshuman]

He might be teaching them to hunt. I had a Mr.Mom cat that helped raised 2 bottle babies. He taught them how to hunt & how to do everything. So he may teaching them *shrugs* or you. Or worse he may have figured out he can make the fun last longer if he releases it in the house where it can't really escape. Like my punk figured out with the finches... that he released in my room

 

[cosmic cats]

Hi David C59.

I don't know the answer to your question unfortunately but re mice in houses generally....

I have a humane mouse trap too and it works very well. I also have boarded up all the holes ard the house over and over again - rodents keep chewing their way in. If I use caulk sealer though, no cats are allowed near the area till its absolutely dry and hard, in case they ingest it as it sets....the smell is, Im sure, not good to be around either as it sets......I also no longer use foam sealer- not only is it easy to chew through (duh, took me a while to work that out) , broken - or scratched -off pieces could end up on a cats throat etc. So I have become quite handy with a hammer and nails as we have lots of rodents around here in the country ....and I am hesitant to put out bait in case my cat kid finds it (shes very smart , curious and good at climbing) or finds a dead rodent full of the stuff....similar, if a bird or visiting animal eats the dead mouse/rat.... Im also wary of normal mouse and rat traps. Esp after one went off as I was trying to set it and it almost hit my face....and I reckon those big rat traps could do serious damage....or worse....if a cat happened to set one off..
Also, I think nowadays it good to be aware of some of zoonotic diseases mice and rates (and the fleas they can have) can carry in different parts of the world eg Hanta virus...Another reason I try to keep them OUT of the house full stop....If one still makes its way in and get caught, I always now GENTLY mist the trap first, then handle the trap with gloves and mask, just in case....and then disinfect / wash thoroughly! And release the mice well away from the house....that said, if its a real problem, or suspected to be eg if it was known there was a disease problem in the area, I would consider using a normal trap (carefully) ...much as I would hate to use it......

 

[cosmic cats]

PS of course, the whole "hammer and nail thing" is best avoided in some situations eg if the area in question is made (or perhaps even suspected to be made of) of toxic material...older houses still can have such materials unfortunately. eg asbestos sheeting

 

[Flora.Ellie]

I wish I could help you, but I only have a kitten. I don’t have mice in my house and I don’t let my kitten out. I think you shouldn’t let your cats out if you don’t want them to hunt, it’s natural for them to hunt so they won’t stop even if you want them to. Try playing with them during the day or buy a real mouse scented toy .

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I wish I could help you, but I only have a kitten. I don’t have mice in my house and I don’t let my kitten out. I think you shouldn’t let your cats out if you don’t want them to hunt, it’s natural for them to hunt so they won’t stop even if you want them to. Try playing with them during the day or buy a real mouse scented toy .

Ah, but davidc59 lives in the UK where there is a very different attitude about keeping cats in. In fact, most shelters won't allow an adoption of a cat who would be kept in exclusively. I, personally, don't agree with that, but it is a very cultural thing.

 

[danteshuman]

Yeah I noticed the cultural differences when I was in DK. I saw a cat running around my inlaws front yard & I thought it was a stray. I do wish we could tattoo a owned cat's ears as standard policy here. It makes identifying a lost or feral cat instant. My cat Gandalf got adopted by my inlaws when we moved back to the states. He lived the rest of his life quite happily running around the backyards, squeezing under the hedges & going inside for cuddles/warmth when he wanted.

 

[sylviatabitha]

Hi ,got 4 cats ,i think the youngest pair are the worst ,black tom cats from the same litter .
This was taken a few weeks ago ,one of them had brought a live Mouse in and let it go and
it was hiding under the heater ,there is a humane trap under the heater ,and it catches the Mice most the time .
Same thing happened today ,and they have been staking out the heater on and off
all day ,one of them is doing it as i type .
The other 2 ,Callie and Misha are not as bad at bringing things in ,Callie is about 3 years
and Misha about 2 and a half .

But they will bring things in sometimes .
What i want to know is will they grow out of bringing things in ,they are about 15 months old .

I had to pause in the middle of typing this ,i heard a noise in the hall way ,the mouse had made a dash for it and been caught by one of the black cats (Sooty) .
Managed to get it of him and let it go ,i think it is the same mouse they brought in yesterday

They will not grow out of it, but it will lessen. Up until 6 years of age, my cats brought in something every week. I got rid of the cat door just after they turned 6. Then they would leave things by the back door every couple of months. Now they are 12 years old, they are not hunting as much, I find things in their cat house or backyard a few times a year. Getting rid of the cat door stops them bringing them in. If you hear a distorted meow outside, don't let them in. It is hard to meow when something is in your mouth, like trying to talk when you have food in your mouth.