I have a house guest

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A cat is what you need.

But why borrow when you can get one all your own? :D

They make great friends and will take care of your "guest" problem for years to come.

Just be sure to let them know they have a job and if you see a "guest" while they're around it's out the door for them.;)

Good luck with your "issue". I really hate the little buggers. They are just plain nasty. Mickey/Minnie they are not. :(
Oh yes, a cat is on the list of things to do anyway and I'll be off to the sanctuary as soon as possible. I've had cats for most of my life. My last was a lovely boy called Angus who had an eye to the main chance and decided why should he have one home when he could have two so he shared his time between my house and next door. Sadly he had to be PTS last summer as he had an incurable tumour under his tongue and couldn't eat.
 
Such is country living MC. It has to be done although do I detect a note of regret/sadness at the little mouse just living her life? Anyone who has lived in the country has had to deal with it. I came face to face with a rat once,( hate rats..I thought) I was as scared as she was as she turned and ran to hide but not before making eye contact with me first. I felt a real 'heel' when I put the poison down but put it down I did although I found no pleasure in it.
Oh I hold no brief for mice or rats. We used to have then in the house we lived in when I was little. It was built in 1805 and was in the middle of a row of adjoining houses which had a communal loft with no dividing walls. Mum would be plaiting my hair in the morning and we'd hear the mice scuttling about in the rafters and running from one end of the loft to the other. We never got them in the main part of the house though. We had a demon mouser cat in those days. At night he was on duty in the cellar and every morning there would be 3 or 4 corpses laid out neatly for inspection at the top of the cellar steps.

The rats at the stables are huge as they have a massive amount of food around. They are really cheeky and when I'm up there at night on my own making up the following days feeds and haynets I often have two or three rats sitting patiently round me waiting for accidental spillage of pony nuts! They aren't in the least frightened and ignore shouting and stone throwing and laugh when you throw a bucket at them.

I'm fighting a two-pronged attack. Poison and "Little Nipper" mouse traps - the spring type, dirt cheap and the ones that get the best reviews on-line. They are relatively humane as they break the mouse's neck, so quick and efficient.

I'm sorry, mice, you'll get no No-Kill traps from me. I can't see the point of catching them and taking them into the country and releasing them so they can colonise someone else's kitchen
 
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We started putting dryer sheets in our boat a few years ago for winter storage, after a slip neighbor had his cockpit upholstery torn up by some kind of rodent. It was suggested that mice, squirrels and other small rodents can't stand the smell. I don't know if it's true but we have never had any during winter storage.
I've been told they don't like oil of peppermint either. Will try the dryer sheets as a deterrent.
 
May Angus rest with the Angels MC.

I've found that females are the best mousers. They tend to stay at home and take care of business unlike there male counterparts who like to roam.

And thanks for not playing Disney and sending them to live at another's house.





How come when I think of three blind mice I can't get the Three Stooges tune out of my head? :D
 
The dryer sheets are nice, too, because you can tie them to cables and such. You can have them in an engine compartment without them rolling away like mothballs or falling out. I tie a couple to my walk behind snowblower after winter before the tarp stays on for 8 months. Prior to that they built a nest and ruined my electric start.
 
We had a garage mouse build a nest in the heater fan in my van. Hundreds of $$$ and a new fan later, our mechanic said we should put moth balls under the cars since the mice didn't like the smell. Hmm, we weren't real thrilled with that smell either. Might try the dryer sheets, although haven't seen any mice presents since we've been using the moth balls.

Fox tails/hair or the same from some weasels or something like that are said to be not very popular with mice ;o)
 
I've kept skunks before and they are much more efficient than cats when it comes to dealing with mice. Plus, they don't bring it as a gift or leave it to rot somewhere.:rolleyes:
 
Baah!!! poison and cats are for sissies! What you need is an AA-12 fully automatic shotgun:

aa-12-combat-shotgun-frag-12-automatic.jpg


Just uncork this bad boy with some .00 buckshot, and paint the walls till you hear something squeak.

Impractical? Yes....Overkill? Yes....Will you be spending a month of Sunday's repairing and taping and bedding your walls? Yes.....Fun? Most definitely.
 
May Angus rest with the Angels MC.

I've found that females are the best mousers. They tend to stay at home and take care of business unlike there male counterparts who like to roam.

And thanks for not playing Disney and sending them to live at another's house.





How come when I think of three blind mice I can't get the Three Stooges tune out of my head? :D
Ha ha!

I have entered into negotiations with the RSPCA for one of their rescue cats - black and white lady called Tracy (may have to change her name) but last night I saw Gretel, a tortie girl, on their website so I may end up with 2 of them. I've now stopped looking on the website as I don't want to be the typical old lady with a houseful of cats!

The beasties have been taking peanut butter off the un-set traps and last night I set one with PB and just put PB on the other without setting it. So I go into the kitchen this morning expecting a corpse and guess what? The PB had gone from the unset trap and that on the set trap had been ignored! Fiendishly clever these mice!
 
Baah!!! poison and cats are for sissies! What you need is an AA-12 fully automatic shotgun:

aa-12-combat-shotgun-frag-12-automatic.jpg


Just uncork this bad boy with some .00 buckshot, and paint the walls till you hear something squeak.

Impractical? Yes....Overkill? Yes....Will you be spending a month of Sunday's repairing and taping and bedding your walls? Yes.....Fun? Most definitely.
Would I have to have the uniform and hat too?

The rules regarding gun ownership are very strict in the UK (we don't have many Red Indians round this neck of the woods). I doubt I'd get a licence for one of the guns you recommend :LOL:

I was quite good at potting rabbits when I used to go out with my cousin who lived in the country. He was lucky as it was part of his job as a gardener on a large country estate to keep the rabbits off the lettuces so could get a licence and shotgun. Nothing quite like a wild rabbit casserole.
 
Would I have to have the uniform and hat too?

The rules regarding gun ownership are very strict in the UK (we don't have many Red Indians round this neck of the woods). I doubt I'd get a licence for one of the guns you recommend :LOL:

I was quite good at potting rabbits when I used to go out with my cousin who lived in the country. He was lucky as it was part of his job as a gardener on a large country estate to keep the rabbits off the lettuces so could get a licence and shotgun. Nothing quite like a wild rabbit casserole.

If you have the cash, a Purdey & Sons, would do the trick, if you choose to go that route,
 
My daughter lives in a mobile home in a wooded area. They had a cat since they moved in and he kept the rodents at bay, but he recently passed away. One night she "felt" a mouse run across their bed. Needless to say, she has adopted two kittens and she's hoping they grow up to be mousers.

I am allergic to cats. So far we have never seen any sign of mice, but if we do, we will set traps. DH sets traps for ground moles outside in the summer.
 
...I have entered into negotiations with the RSPCA for one of their rescue cats - black and white lady called Tracy (may have to change her name) but last night I saw Gretel, a tortie girl, on their website so I may end up with 2 of them......
Congrats and good luck whether you end up with One Cat, Two Cat...or just your mouse traps. Although, as you know, cats are better companions. Just remember, no matter what name Tracy ends up with she'll probably still not come when you call her! :LOL: Our first cat (Midnight) actually did come to her name. Cat 2.0 (LittleBit) wouldn't know her name if that's all we caller her - but she does come much quicker when we say "treats!".
 
Congrats and good luck whether you end up with One Cat, Two Cat...or just your mouse traps. Although, as you know, cats are better companions. Just remember, no matter what name Tracy ends up with she'll probably still not come when you call her! :LOL: Our first cat (Midnight) actually did come to her name. Cat 2.0 (LittleBit) wouldn't know her name if that's all we caller her - but she does come much quicker when we say "treats!".

:LOL: When we wanted our cat's to come we would just run the electric can opener.:ROFLMAO:
 
My lovely cat, Burt, is great - at bringing in live mice and leaving them for Ollie and me to catch and release! :rolleyes:

(Not sure what type of mice they are, but they are a dark gold colour and really very pretty. The last place they want to be is in anyone's home - at least they always seem very keen to get back outside.)

However, if we can't catch them, we do resort to a very effective electronic rat catcher which has never failed. It gives them an electric shock so I guess it is as humane as you can hope for.)

Anyway, I think I would agree with the poster who recommended female cats - they are definitely more effective mousers. (On the other hand, male cats are more laid back.)

Maybe one of each is the best bet? :)
 

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