Will mice stay away if you have cats? It’s a common belief that cats prevent or hunt mice in your home. However, this often isn’t true. Before you run to an animal shelter to adopt a cat, read on to learn more about the topic (including potential dangers, how cats could make your mouse problem worse, and alternative ways to deter mice).
Do Cats Keep Mice Away?
Typically, cats will do a great job at keeping mice away in main areas of the home. However, this doesn’t mean the mice are gone for good and they will usually require professional rodent extermination. They typically nest in hidden areas of the home that cats don’t have access to such as basements, attics, or inside the walls. Once they realize there is a cat nearby, they can easily remain hidden and travel through the walls instead.
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In this video, you will see that the owner of this home had two cats and a mouse infestation!
Do Cats Prevent Mice or Rats from Entering a Home?
Cats do not prevent mice or rats from entering the house. Mice know that cats can smell them when they enter their house. Cats emit chemicals that scare mice away from home because these chemicals are found in the saliva of their pets and trigger sensory organs in mice that spread fear and terror. So, why do they not stop them from entering a home? Mice will simply go where no cat can go!
Does Cat Urine Keep Mice Away?
When mice smell cat urine, they are more likely to leave the area to avoid predators. However, when mice are exposed at a young age to compounds in cat urine, they react later to the same smell and not the way most would wish. Mice that have been exposed to the chemical composition of cat pee throughout their lives are less likely to shy away from the smell of the cat. No, cat urine does not keep mice away.
Some Cats Don’t Hunt
Every cat has a unique personality. While many of them love to hunt, there are some who won’t bat an eye if they see a mouse – some are even afraid of rodents. In these cases, adopting a cat won’t be the best house mouse control method. Unless you already have a cat that you know loves to hunt, it can be hard to tell if a new cat will be a hunter until you get it home.
Do some cats ignore mice?
Cats, sometimes, ignore mice when they live indoors and are not exposed to any kind of hunting, game or toys. Stereotypes of cats being professional mice hunters are from the truth. Cats that live inside of a home are mostly well-fed and will only chase mice for sport. Some cats are afraid of mice and others regard mice as toys.
Cats Can Make the Problem Worse
In rare cases, cats can make your mouse problem worse. Many outdoor cats like to bring their prey home as a trophy or something to play with (sometimes when it’s still alive). If you live near a field or similar area with mice and have an outdoor cat that likes to hunt, you could be setting yourself up for disaster. They could bring a mouse infestation into your home if they let their prey loose. Most cats hunt at night, so you will likely be sleeping if this were to happen.
Mice Reproduce Fast
Even if your cat is able to catch mice every so often, it’s very unlikely it will catch them all. Not only will most of the mice hide from the cat in walls, but they also reproduce quickly. Female mice can have litters of 4-10 mice every 3 weeks and babies are able to mate just 6 weeks after they are born. This is why it’s important to eliminate the infestation right away.
Can mice, rats and other rodents be a danger to my cat?
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Mice, rats and other rodents, can transmit dangerous diseases and can be a danger to your cat’s health. It’s no secret that rats can carry all sorts of diseases and will bite when attacked, especially when their offspring are threatened. Rodents carry diseases like HPS or Lyme Disease that they can easily spread to cats, then to humans. Cats can also get fleas, ticks, and other parasites from mice. Even if these aren’t life-threatening to your feline, it can result in a hefty vet bill.
Tips for Keeping Mice Away
Luckily, cats aren’t your only hope for deterring mice. Here are 3 Tips for Keeping Mice Away.
Seal Cracks & Holes
Even if your cat does a good job at catching mice, this doesn’t fix the source of the problem. How are they getting inside? One significant way to make sure mice don’t enter your home is to remove their entry points. Make sure to seal any cracks and holes you can find in your walls. In addition, seal any gaps beneath doors.
Remove Clutter
Mice like to make nests in cluttered areas. To discourage them from nesting anywhere in or around your home, it’s important to keep everything clutter-free. Keep your landscaping clean and move any piles of wood, bricks, stones, or leaves away from your home. Do the same for your garage, basement, attics, and any other hidden areas in the home where mice may nest. On a side note, keep your kitchen clean of crumbs and any easily accessible food sources that mice may come looking for.
Does the smell of cats keep mice away? Can mice sense a cat in the house?
Yes, to some extent, however, mice will simply go where the cats cannot!
- Any room your cat doesn’t have access to
- Storage rooms, especially with loose paper, fabric, and other clutter
- Rooms on the first floor or in the basement
- Any room in winter
- Rooms that often have crumbs and other loose food
- Insulation in your walls, attic and basement
Professional Extermination
If you have a current mouse problem, professional rodent proofing company is the only real effective way to eliminate mice in the home. Mice Hunters is a great choice due to our eco-friendly pest control services rodent free guarantee. If a pest we eliminate comes back, we will too (for free)! While many other companies only focus on your current pest problem, we also focus on taking measures to keep the infestation away for good.
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor