Help - cats keep bringing in live mice!

Sola

Thanks Frugal - we've always been advised by various vets not to put collars on cats. When I was growing up, we had one cat who choked to death after getting his collar caught on a fence

Olliebeak

Many of today's collars have an eleastic insert so that if they DO get caught up somewhere, they can pull their heads to get free of the collar. There are loads in the supermarkets with bells already on them. Can also get a combination of flea collar/bell collar - (not)killing two birds with one stone - if you see what I mean! A bell collar would at least give the meeces a fighting chance to escape - not that that would be a good idea if they ARE already in your house!!

lavidaloca

Frys chocolate cream for traps

FBThree

Re: cat collars. Our semi-feral cat managed to get her paw stuck through one of the collars which had an elastic insert, and the collar ended up around her neck, under her armpit. Luckily we caught her before it cut into the skin but we now avoid the collars with stretchy elastic as well as the ones that don't stretch.

We now use cat collars where the catch snaps apart/ pulls open if they get trapped on something. One product is called "Safe cat". We've lost a few collars since then but I'd rather have that than increase the dead bird count.

aimeelister

I must say i totally sympathise. My dearest cat thought she would be so generous and presented me a live mouse right in front of me in the middle of the lounge carpet in the middle of Top Gear. I swear she thinks shes a dog as it was absolutely un-touched, just a bit moist :rolleyes:. Anyway the blasted thing ran under the tv stand and i missed the rest of Top Gear trying to get the little blighter out and when i did it bit me. Ungrateful swine. :mad: (the cat just sat there watching me wondering what the h£ll i was doing)

Anyway i came to the conclusion that there is nothing i can do about her bringing them back. I dont give her any praise or fuss and cant punish her in the normal way with water (as she likes water and having a bath, dont ask my cats mad!!) So all i have to do is contain in the room they are presented in and remove them as best i can.

Fruball

FBThree wrote: »

We now use cat collars where the catch snaps apart/ pulls open if they get trapped on something. One product is called "Safe cat". We've lost a few collars since then but I'd rather have that than increase the dead bird count.

:beer: That is good to know I wish all cat owners would do the same

sola - that is sad that you lost a cat because of its type of collar Perhaps a snap open collar would be safer then ?

alibo

Hi Sola, my two darling cats will bring all manner of wildlife in, mice, slow worms, frogs etc and most of the time they get bored of them before the do the evil deed.

It can prove expensive though, as last year they let one go in the kitchen, which I didnt realise until I smelt a horrible smell fromt he back of my cooker, it had nested in teh insulation in the rear of hte cooker and was peeing etc down the back - ended up having to have a new cooker as it had chewed through electric wires and was deemed unsafe - unfortunately not covered by insurance as they are vermin. ( the mice not the insurance company)

Sola

DH is at home recovering from an operation and he just emailed to say one of the cat's just brought another one in - still very much alive and squeaky There must be a nest somewhere. He can't get up to try and catch and release it, so will have to lie there and listen to it all day. Sigh.

Rikki

safesound wrote: »

They look different too. Field (or country) mice are round with softer features to the face, house mice are more sleek with sharper noses.

Field mouse:




House mouse:

Phew!

I've just check the deceased mouse on my trap and its a house mouse, I think. I'm really not sure. I hope so as I live in the country surrounded by fields. It might be a field mouse, rounder head and brown in colour, white tummy. Help!
Shall I post a picture and let you all decide for me? :eek:

*only joking*


It is a field mouse darker fur up the center of the face and back. _pale_

Oh I don't know :silenced:

Alfietinker

Sorry, I had to laugh, I don't know why! This post reminded me when I came downstairs yesterday to find another CAT through the cat flap! :rotfl: Poor little thing was so scared of me he wet himself on the spot (not spraying) - most undignified for a kittie.

Seriously though, we have our cat flap set to 'out only'. We got fed up of birds and frogs being brought back. This way the cats can go out but have to wait for us to let them in so we can check them out. Although we don't let them out when we're not about though which isn't suitable for your semi-ferals.

Re collars: You can get a collar which has an alarm, when the cat pounces it sets an alarm off which alerts the bird. Unfortunately it didn't work with us, and then they both lost the collars - £20 worth! :rolleyes: In fact, we spend a fortune on collars and tags - they're always losing them!