Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and hear music between your walls. Those mice are having another party. How will you get rid of your infestation problems? Can one borrow a cat to get rid of mice if they do not own one? That is a great question. Learn everything that you need to know about getting rid of mice in this article.
Getting a Cat to Rid You of Mice
House owners who have mice problems should think about getting a cat. Having a cat keeps the presence of mice away. Before getting a cat, make sure that the cat hunts. Not all cats hunt. And they cannot reach all areas where mice are hidden between the walls.
How do Cats Sense Mice?
Cats have superior senses. That means that they sense things before you do. A cat’s sense of smell is a lot stronger than a human’s sense of smell. Cats can pick up on senses with their mouths, too. And they have spectacular eyesight, especially during the night hours.
Not only that, but a cat’s whiskers pick up sensed. A cat’s whiskers sense slight motions and vibrations around them and are also used to create a map of their surroundings so they can better tell where rodents are hiding.
Can Mice Sense a Cat in the House?
Just because you have a cat to get rid of all the mice, one should not get too confident. Mice easily sense when a cat is in the house. Notice how there are no longer any mice around as soon as you bring the cat into your home?
Mice can easily hide when they know that there is a cat around. They also change their travel plans taking routes through the wall instead of crawling around in the house.
Cats Could Worsen the Problem
Cats are not the miracle answer in some infestation cases. Think of how they could end up ruining your house when chasing after a mouse. Tom and Jerry are lucky that it was a cartoon because your house could end up like the way it did. And in a cartoon world, your house won’t return to normal.
A cat could end up making the situation worse. Cats tend to bring their prey to you like it’s a trophy. On some occasions, it all depends on where you live. Open fields are the biggest breeding areas for mice. Cats love to hunt. Instead of blaming the mice for trespassing in your home, it’s more the cat’s fault. Most cats tend to hunt at night hours. Watch out for your cat and pay attention to what is around your home.
Can You Rent a Cat to Get Rid You of Mice?
As a matter of fact, yes. Some businesses allow homeowners to rent a cat for free to take care of the mice in their homes. Some of the felines did their job and caught rodents. Just know that it may take a few days for the cats to do anything because rodents are smart. Choose two cats that are neutered or sprayed so that they will stay on the property and not wander off.
Shelters match people with the right cats who have rodent problems. Kittens are not the best at hunting rodents. Because they are still learning about the world, it’s better to leave the job to an adult cat. Plus, having a kitten makes them more vulnerable to predatorial creatures like owls and hawks. Once the job is done, think about keeping the cat. Animal shelters are looking for ways to keep the cats alive, instead of having to euthanize them.
Does Cat Litter Keep Mice Away?
In some cases, you don’t have to get a cat. Just the lingering scent of a cat in the house is enough to keep mice away. Take a scoop of kitty litter and sprinkle it in areas where you have seen the mice. Also, scatter it around the exterior of your home to avoid mice entering the house.
Find the entrance to where mice are coming into your home and cover that area with cat litter. Sprinkle it as often so the mice don’t outsmart you. Always wear a pair of gloves. We warn you that it is dirty work, but anything to get the mice out of the house.
Does Cat Urine Keep Mice Away?
Like cats, mice smell their predators. The smell of cat urine is enough to make mice run for the hills. Interestingly, mice are conditioned to run in the opposite direction if they ever smell cat urine. A mouse’s neurons accumulate the smell of cat litter, triggering a response that increases stress hormones.
That does not mean that all mice will do that. Mice have different backgrounds. Some mice who have escaped from laboratories have long been exposed to chemical composition and will not run from the scent of cat urine. If the mice are exhibited to the compositions in cat urine at a young age, they will react differently to the same smell later in life. Or even permanently losing their fear of urine.
How to Keep Your House Clean
Just because you are successfully keeping mice away from your home, does not mean that you should avoid cleaning up the urine. That is not a good smell for when guests arrive at your home.
- Remove the Urine
Leave less urine in the home. It’s best to avoid deep cleaning your rugs. When you notice that your cat has urinated outside its litter box, take a paper towel and blot it up. Keep in mind that It won’t get rid of all cat urine, nevertheless, it’ll leave less of it for you to handle later.
- Use Cleaners for Urine Messes
Using an enzymatic cleaner. It is the most effective way to clean cat urine. It releases cultures that clear away stinky cat urine. After that, it leaves the carpet scent-free as it was before the unfortunate event.
- What Not to Use
There is more than one way to keep mice away. But, there are some techniques that you should never acquire to get rid of mice. Avoid using mothballs, ammonia, peppermint oil, or dryer sheets.
Ammonia disguises itself as a predator’s pee. It’s also very dangerous for cats. If a cat ingests ammonia, then it’ll die. The same goes for Mothballs. They are highly toxic to household pets. Although Mice don’t like the smell of peppermint, so do cats. Dryer sheets won’t work at all in the situation.
Is Mouse Hunting Dangerous?
You are putting a cat at risk when putting them up to get rid of mice. Rodents carry disease. And the actual hunting process could be dangerous. Diseases easily spread to cats to which they can very well pass onto the owners in their home.
Not only that, but cats can also get fleas, ticks, or other parasites that are lurking on mice. Thank about all these issues if you want to avoid taking your cat to the vet.
Other Forms to Keep Mice Away
In case that a cat won’t work out for reasons that you or any member of your household is allergic to cats, here are a few other ways to get rid of your mouse problem.
- Seal up the Cracks and Holes
It’s time you start thinking like a mouse. How do they get into your home. Investigate your home to see if there are any cracks or holes. That’s how they get in. Remove every entry point that a mouse could get through. Seal all the cracks and holes you can find in your walls. Also, seal gaps in the floor, too.
- Get Rid of Clutter
One reason why mice are getting into your home is that you are not cleaning it right. As soon as you finish a meal at the table, clean up all the crumbs. Mice create their nests in cluttered areas. Keep everything clutter-free in your home to avoid mice infestations. Not only the inside of your home but the exterior, too. Keep the kitchen clean along with any hidden areas in the home.
- Look into a Professional Exterminator
Yes, cats get rid of mice, along with you taking care of your home to avoid these problems, but you should look into acquiring a professional exterminator. Professional rodent exterminators eliminate mice in your home. Research which exterminating businesses are the best and see what their main focus is. Some businesses will eliminate your rodent problems permanently.
Mice Reproduce
Just because your cat has caught a mouse does not mean that it has finished the job. Nice are everywhere. They reproduce very quickly. Mice could be hiding in the walls, attic, or even in small spaces down in the basement.
Female mice tend to have litters of 4–10 mice every 3 weeks. Babies mate in just 6 weeks after they are born. Eliminate your infestation as soon as possible.