Conference misery::feline_v1

When any of my four get one, they just kill it and "mush" it up real good.
At least they don't eat it...although, I'm sure they would if I'd braise
them and serve 'em with a mushroom sauce...certainly NOT raw.  The gang
is not into mouse sushi.

However, I have a friend who mentioned a pet-healthy mouse controller...
it is mouse bait that is heavily salted - no poison - the idea being to
encourage the mice to get thirsty and then they have to leave and find
water.  I don't know the name of the product or where you can get it..
but you can certainly ask a local pet-supply store or your vet.  Failing
that, make some of your own by adding lots of salt to some mouse-attractive
food (peanut butter is supposed to be good) and place it near the suspected
entry points - of course, if your cats like peanut butter, make sure you
have lots of water down for them...8^}

Good luck - they are fiercely capable hunters and as long as mice come
around, they will get the mice....

    There is a mousetrap that traps the mouse inside of a
    boxtype trap. They can get in, but not out.  I don't know
    what keeps the mouse in the box....(I hope nothing cruel) 
    Of course, softhearted me catches them alive and lets them
    go in a field. I could never bring myself to use the
    snapping shut kind, or mouse sticky paper, or poison.
    These seem so cruel to me.  I used to let the cats catch
    them, take them away, and turn them loose.  They never
    came back.  The one rat that got into my barn this past
    summer was chased out by me into the woods.  My hubby
    and neighbor told me to leave, but I couldn't knowing they
    would kill it.  It never came back.
    
    All mousetraps can be gotten into by cats, BTW.  
    
    Cats DO make the best mousetraps :-)
    
    Lynne

    
    re .1 > if I put out a salty substance in the hopes the mice will leave
    to look for water, then I'd always be worried that they'd end up in the
    shower, toilet, sink, and even in the cats water dish.
    
    You see, Ebony finds them in the basement and brings them upstairs so
    he can chase them!  It really is cute to see him so indulged in
    concuring this creature, but IT's NO LONGER FUNNY TO FIND'EM 1/2 EATEN!
    
    Barbara (mom to mice hunters Ebony & Ivory)
    

    Field mice got into our house one fall a few years back.  I chased one
    of them out the front door, Paul managed to catch one in a shoebox
    (chased it into the bathroom where there aren't many hiding places) and
    released it up on the hill, and Nebula and JFCL caught several others,
    which I released up on the hill.  The cats usually do not eat what they
    catch, although I did find one partially-consumed mouse in the living
    room (ycch).  I guess between two humans and two cats we got the last
    mouse, because I haven't seen another one indoors since then.  The cats
    had a blast chasing them.  A mouse hiding behind a heavy bookcase that
    is too close to the wall for a cat and too wide for one cat paw to
    reach it keeps a pair of rather-elderly cats entertained for hours!
                            

    I don't really think you can do anything about your cat mouse problem.
    My cat goes on spurts, she'll bring them home for me, then I find them 
    in strange places, and I'll occasionally find a half eaten mouse in the 
    driveway.  I just quickly scoop it up (of course squirming the *entire*
    time) and toss it.
    
    I have to test her several times a year for worms.  They will pick them 
    up eating mice (even if they are indoor only).  
    
    The suggestion of the salty mouse bait reminded me about an old farm 
    house I wanted to buy....This place was so old you could see daylite 
    through the stones in the foundation, and the basement had a dirt floor.  
    Well as I was poking around, I came across a drown mouse/rat (this 
    thing was good sized) in a well or pump device ......I knew there would
    be mice, but to see one like that,........yech!!!!!!  I proceeded to
    leave very quickly.....

    
    Those that have found 1/2 eaten/partially eaten mice......do they only
    eat the front end and leave the fanny/tails/back legs???  I'm curious
    as this is the only part Ebony eats - then he tries to lick my face,
    purrs and tries to snuggle up on my shoulder - that's when I really 
    loose it......I say "I love you but you've been eating MICE".....and 
    proceed to call him the mouse murderer, mouse breath, whatever comes 
    to mind.
    
    .......but I still love him to death even though he doesn't brush his
      	   teeth after mice-meals.
    
    -B-

    yes, she leaves the back end behind.  I wonder if it is a `cat thing'
    to start at the front and work your way to the back.....possibly
    getting full before finishing?  Other days, I think she does it because
    she's mad at me and knows I get grossed out!  
    
    
    
    
    	.......wait till you start finding the `barfed up' remains......
    	that's always special.....

    Just wanted to mention that my vet told me that when cats catch
    and kill mouse, then there is a chance that they can get tape worms.
    Anyone ever hear of this????

    I suppose if the mouse has a tapeworm it would just transfer to
    the cat.  I would also assume that the mouse has fleas and that's
    where cats get tapeworm - from ingesting fleas that have eaten
    the tapeworm segments.  So for all you folks who's cats get fleas,
    be sure to check the back end for tapeworm segments - they look
    like grains of rice.
    
    I've always known that cats can get roundworm from eating mice.
      N
    

    
    I grew up with a cat who would only eat the heads of mice after 
    playing with the poor mouse.  I guess she liked the crunch.  Anyways,
    your cat is quite normal.
    
    Rachael
    

    
    	These notes are really gross!  =)
    
    	But I know where you're all coming from.  So far this spring
    	Brandi has dumped two on the steps for me.  Thank God, all
    	in one piece.
    
    	Although this morning I didn't see this one and almost stepped
    	on the darn thing!
    
    	yecch!
    

    Benjamin is my mouser.  Yes, he will leave the head behind, sometimes,
    but also some gross green inards.  Guess he doesn't like that part.  I
    also worm him on a semi- or tri-monthly basis (the vet gives me a
    year's supply of worm pills called Droncit).  Barney has lost some
    weight recently and has also become a mouser.  Fortunately, he doesn't
    eat them.  He just plays with them all over the back yard and
    eventually, when the mouse dies (presumably of a heart attack), he
    brings it to my back door ("make it better, Mom.").
    
    Barbara - what you are experiencing is normal.  If you don't want your
    cats chasing/eating the mice, maybe you can close the basement off to
    them.  Other than traps or poison, I don't know of a humane way of
    ridding your basement of the mice.  Perhaps your landlord can get in an
    expert to find the holes and plug them up.
    
    Mary
    
    PS - when Ben eats the mice outside, it never bothers me.  However,
    when he gets one by me and eats it indoors....  I get disgusted!
    

    HMM.. very interesting.. I suspect things might be a tad different
    at my house.. Picture this scenario.. doorbell rings..
    HRH opens the door.. standing out there..
    a mouse... with a suitcase etc.. I can just hear her now..
    I am quite sorry but you have the wrong Address... my mummy
    does not allow us to "play with you..".. by the way..
    what are YOU?.. HMM.. THNE one sees Happy
    and Precious. come running .. hey Pookie.. let him in..
    we sent for him.... come on in little mousie...
    Kate.. who is feeling silly today

    
    Only 1 more mouse since I entered this note and my husband wasn't home
    to rescue me!!!   I heard the squeeking and rushed into the kitchen. 
    There was Ebony and Ivory 'batting' the poor little thing (and I mean
    LITTLE...it appeared to be a baby).  WELL, I couldn't bring myself to
    smash it over the head with a broom (like my husband) so I coaxed it
    into a paper bag and ran outside and let it loose.  I've never seen
    anything so scared....it was shaking!  It also looked like it was
    soaked and was probably in Eb's mouth prior to 'hockey time'. 
    
    Thanks to all that responded....I'm quite releaved to see that my
    Ebony isn't the only one that eats mice and leaves the behind, behind.
    
    Whoever said "leaves the behind because they're full" is probably
    right.  Either that, or they're tired of the taste by then.....
    
    re; .6 > I can't close off the basement because that's where the kids
    litter box is.  If the mice really wanted to get upstairs, they could
    even if I did close it off.   We have vents to allow the warm air from
    the wood stove in the basement to come up to the kitchen, livingroom,
    etc.
    
    re;  > ...Wait til you start finding the "barfed up" remains....
       	   that's always special...
    
    	CRACK ME UP..........I thought that was hysterical (but I haven't
    	found any of that YET....but Eb has a pretty strong stomach)
    
          
    Thanks again for easing my mind everyone....I thought I had a really
    unusual cat on my hands!
    
    Barbara
    

    I have a question about squirrels. A family of them seems to have
    moved into our detached garage.  Personally I'd just let the live
    there but I'm concerned about damage they may do. 
      Jack brought Isis out to see if she'd chase the squirrels out and
    she was very interested as long as she could hear them moving around.
    The smart little guys hid in a corner and remained very quiet.  Isis
    soon lost interest and wandered out of the garage to "graze" on the
    lawn. 
      Nancy

    
    	So, Nancy, what's the question?? :)  The squirrels will be
    	_covered_ with fleas, so I wouldn't want my cats too close
    	to them. Sara found a baby one outside the other day, she
    	would bap it on the butt, it would move a few inches, freeze,
    	and they would start all over again. I guess their best defense
    	is not moving, because she, too, was hard pressed to remain 
    	interested. After a few minutes he made a run for the nearest
    	tree and that was the end of that...
    	
    	I could be wrong, but beyond their method of entering your
    	garage and building the nest they already have, I think the
    	damage they cause is minimal. After the young ones leave the
    	nest, you could find how they are getting in and block it off....
    
    	Sherry
    

    	Squirrels can cause a lot of damage in two ways:
    
    	1. Pulling fiberous material apart for nests - like insulation and
    	seat padding.
    
    	2. Stuffing acorns and other goodies in 'safe' places.
    
    	You should see the mess they've made of the seats in my old truck
    and the gunk I have to clean out of the dark recesses of my snow blower
    every winter when I move it from the garden shed into the garage.
    	I do not like 'tree rats'.  Too bad Vanessa has had no luck in
    catching any of them - mice and moles are more her speed. - Chris

    Try putting moth balls in the garage; I had the same problem in an apt.
    in Nashua where the squirrels (and chipmunks) took up residency in the
    attic and walls of the place.  After emptying a couple of boxes of moth
    balls in the attic (and some down the inside of unfinished wall), the
    rodent residents moved out.  Used it for a skunk that moved in under
    the shed attached to the house too.  I like these critters too but
    didn't want them chewing into the electrical wires inside the walls.
    
    Pat
    

    Thanks for the answers and advice.  I will try the mothball method.
    I know how they're getting in - our garage door needs some work.  In
    fact, that's how I realized we must have new residents.  I looked down
    at the little hole in the garage door and it looked considerably bigger
    and as if it had been gnawed.  
      Nancy

    It's probably not a good idea to let your cat(s) near the squirrels.
    A decent size squirrel can do a LOT of damage to a cat!
    
    
    
    
    Bob

    Thanks folks for the advice.  We're not going to use the cat method
    of squirrel removal.  In fact, I don't know what method we're going
    to use.  Jack says he knows where the nest is so after we confirm
    that there are no babies in there we'll just destroy the nest and 
    block up the enterence.  If there are babies already there then
    we'll wait until they are old enough to survive outside the nest.
    If it was the house I'd worry more but I couldn't live with myself
    if I killed the babies over that old garage.  There just isn't much in
    there that they can hurt.
      Nancy

    Re: .21

    My mother has had squirrels nesting in her attic for years. They have 
    been very destructive, chewing the wood on the outside of the house
    to get in. They squirrels must really like it there, as they are very
    persistent about making it their home despite our efforts (ok, feeble
    efforts) to discourage them. When my father was alive he used to 
    live-trap them and relocate them many miles away. (How far are you 
    from Maynard, Nancy? Maybe you have my parents' old squirrels! :-)
    I've used this method to permanently remove mice from my house and
    woodchucks from my garden (although the mice had so many replacements
    I never really rid my house of mice).

    Good luck!

    Linda

    Well, we're in Braintree (three towns south of Boston) so those
    squirrels would have had to really travel.
    
    You are right, they are very destructive.  When I arrived home on
    Friday I discovered that they've doubled the size of the entry hole.
    Jack destroyed the nest (no babies) on Saturday and managed to chase 
    at least one of the squirrels out.  He then sealed up the opening.
    Hope they aren't too stubborn.
      Nancy DC