Guest guest Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 I may have mentioned a while back that my partner, Tim, and I bought a very old farmhouse, with barn, woods, etc., in the midwestern U.S. about three years ago. The first year we were here, we were overrun by mice, which we diligently caught in mousetraps I had ordered from Peta, took them up the hill and into the woods, and turned them loose. We regularly had to throw out food and scrub down every surface and utensil--it was a major pain in the arse and the pocket. Then....the cats came. When we took Bean Blossom in, she was so skinny she looked deformed. Then someone dumped CK, a big, fuzzy orange kitty, at the end of our driveway. We adopted the third cat, Dorothy (named by my young niece after Dorothy Gale), a big, solid white kitty, from my mom when she was forced, because of her Parkinson's, to leave her house and move in with my sister in Nashville, Tenn., U.S., this past May 14. OK, so far so good...... I love cats and dogs (in addition to the 3 cats, we've 5 formerly stray dogs and 1 refugee from the animal shelter gas chamber), but cats, as you know, are true carnivores, so they have to have meat, right? We give them lots of nasty dry cat food, and they're not allowed outside without supervision because there are coyotes and other predators around that can be lethal to housecats. Plus, outside cats are devastating to wildlife. Anyway, to bring my grinding story to a halt, we don't have mice now--at all. We've found only two murdered mice over the past two years (and we clean the litterboxes often and haven't found any evidence of indigestible mouse parts), which leads me to wonder if the mice communicate the presence of danger to their buds, or maybe they can smell "cat" in the house and garage and that's enough to keep them out. I haven't a clue. Do you? Carolyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 yes..mice can smell cats they can tell when a predators about, and since yours are ALWAYS about, they tend to make themselves scarce and, you know how cat urine smells.... Carolyn H Dec 14, 2006 10:10 AM another mouse story for the stew.... I may have mentioned a while back that my partner, Tim, and I bought a very old farmhouse, with barn, woods, etc., in the midwestern U.S. about three years ago. The first year we were here, we were overrun by mice, which we diligently caught in mousetraps I had ordered from Peta, took them up the hill and into the woods, and turned them loose. We regularly had to throw out food and scrub down every surface and utensil--it was a major pain in the arse and the pocket. Then....the cats came. When we took Bean Blossom in, she was so skinny she looked deformed. Then someone dumped CK, a big, fuzzy orange kitty, at the end of our driveway. We adopted the third cat, Dorothy (named by my young niece after Dorothy Gale), a big, solid white kitty, from my mom when she was forced, because of her Parkinson's, to leave her house and move in with my sister in Nashville, Tenn., U.S., this past May 14. OK, so far so good...... I love cats and dogs (in addition to the 3 cats, we've 5 formerly stray dogs and 1 refugee from the animal shelter gas chamber), but cats, as you know, are true carnivores, so they have to have meat, right? We give them lots of nasty dry cat food, and they're not allowed outside without supervision because there are coyotes and other predators around that can be lethal to housecats. Plus, outside cats are devastating to wildlife. Anyway, to bring my grinding story to a halt, we don't have mice now--at all. We've found only two murdered mice over the past two years (and we clean the litterboxes often and haven't found any evidence of indigestible mouse parts), which leads me to wonder if the mice communicate the presence of danger to their buds, or maybe they can smell "cat" in the house and garage and that's enough to keep them out. I haven't a clue. Do you? Carolyn History repeats itself and each time the price gets higher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 uh....yeah re that cat urine...that's why the litter boxes are in the basement/garage. we had four dogs at the time we were overrun w/mice, but the mice weren't scared of'em--prolly the other way around - fraggle Thursday, December 14, 2006 2:55 PM Re: another mouse story for the stew.... yes..mice can smell cats they can tell when a predators about, and since yours are ALWAYS about, they tend to make themselves scarce and, you know how cat urine smells.... Carolyn H Dec 14, 2006 10:10 AM another mouse story for the stew.... I may have mentioned a while back that my partner, Tim, and I bought a very old farmhouse, with barn, woods, etc., in the midwestern U.S. about three years ago. The first year we were here, we were overrun by mice, which we diligently caught in mousetraps I had ordered from Peta, took them up the hill and into the woods, and turned them loose. We regularly had to throw out food and scrub down every surface and utensil--it was a major pain in the arse and the pocket. Then....the cats came. When we took Bean Blossom in, she was so skinny she looked deformed. Then someone dumped CK, a big, fuzzy orange kitty, at the end of our driveway. We adopted the third cat, Dorothy (named by my young niece after Dorothy Gale), a big, solid white kitty, from my mom when she was forced, because of her Parkinson's, to leave her house and move in with my sister in Nashville, Tenn., U.S., this past May 14. OK, so far so good...... I love cats and dogs (in addition to the 3 cats, we've 5 formerly stray dogs and 1 refugee from the animal shelter gas chamber), but cats, as you know, are true carnivores, so they have to have meat, right? We give them lots of nasty dry cat food, and they're not allowed outside without supervision because there are coyotes and other predators around that can be lethal to housecats. Plus, outside cats are devastating to wildlife. Anyway, to bring my grinding story to a halt, we don't have mice now--at all. We've found only two murdered mice over the past two years (and we clean the litterboxes often and haven't found any evidence of indigestible mouse parts), which leads me to wonder if the mice communicate the presence of danger to their buds, or maybe they can smell "cat" in the house and garage and that's enough to keep them out. I haven't a clue. Do you? CarolynHistory repeats itself and each time the price gets higher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 Hi Carolyn I think that is true. Our daughter was having mice trouble, and since she got a kitten (he caught two mice) hasn't seen any since. I think they must smell the cat. Jo - Carolyn H Thursday, December 14, 2006 6:10 PM another mouse story for the stew.... I may have mentioned a while back that my partner, Tim, and I bought a very old farmhouse, with barn, woods, etc., in the midwestern U.S. about three years ago. The first year we were here, we were overrun by mice, which we diligently caught in mousetraps I had ordered from Peta, took them up the hill and into the woods, and turned them loose. We regularly had to throw out food and scrub down every surface and utensil--it was a major pain in the arse and the pocket. Then....the cats came. When we took Bean Blossom in, she was so skinny she looked deformed. Then someone dumped CK, a big, fuzzy orange kitty, at the end of our driveway. We adopted the third cat, Dorothy (named by my young niece after Dorothy Gale), a big, solid white kitty, from my mom when she was forced, because of her Parkinson's, to leave her house and move in with my sister in Nashville, Tenn., U.S., this past May 14. OK, so far so good...... I love cats and dogs (in addition to the 3 cats, we've 5 formerly stray dogs and 1 refugee from the animal shelter gas chamber), but cats, as you know, are true carnivores, so they have to have meat, right? We give them lots of nasty dry cat food, and they're not allowed outside without supervision because there are coyotes and other predators around that can be lethal to housecats. Plus, outside cats are devastating to wildlife. Anyway, to bring my grinding story to a halt, we don't have mice now--at all. We've found only two murdered mice over the past two years (and we clean the litterboxes often and haven't found any evidence of indigestible mouse parts), which leads me to wonder if the mice communicate the presence of danger to their buds, or maybe they can smell "cat" in the house and garage and that's enough to keep them out. I haven't a clue. Do you? Carolyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 I replied to this previously, but mail sent me a message saying it could not make contact with groups so it deleted it! Anyway, I am thinking about getting a kitty. I'm a little reluctant because I have two dogs, one small and sweet dog who will probably love it, and one large and crazy dog who may not be able to stop chasing it. There is a program at our local animal shelter called Paws to Consider, where you can take the pet home to try, and if it doesn't work out you can take it back, but it would be very difficult for me to take an animal back to the animal shelter. But we have no end of mice in this house it seems. Caught another teensy baby. Where there is a teensy baby there are lots more teensy babies, you know. I don't want to see them killed, but I would like them to pack their bags and move. I have a really large basement, so would the cat have to go through the basement to get rid of them, or would it be enough that they are in the house? I swear last night I heard mouse nibbling in my bedroom while I was trying to go to sleep. There is ZERO food in there. peace, sharonjo <jo.heartwork wrote: Hi Carolyn I think that is true. Our daughter was having mice trouble, and since she got a kitten (he caught two mice) hasn't seen any since. I think they must smell the cat. Jo - Carolyn H Thursday, December 14, 2006 6:10 PM another mouse story for the stew.... I may have mentioned a while back that my partner, Tim, and I bought a very old farmhouse, with barn, woods, etc., in the midwestern U.S. about three years ago. The first year we were here, we were overrun by mice, which we diligently caught in mousetraps I had ordered from Peta, took them up the hill and into the woods, and turned them loose. We regularly had to throw out food and scrub down every surface and utensil--it was a major pain in the arse and the pocket. Then....the cats came. When we took Bean Blossom in, she was so skinny she looked deformed. Then someone dumped CK, a big, fuzzy orange kitty, at the end of our driveway. We adopted the third cat, Dorothy (named by my young niece after Dorothy Gale), a big, solid white kitty, from my mom when she was forced, because of her Parkinson's, to leave her house and move in with my sister in Nashville, Tenn., U.S., this past May 14. OK, so far so good...... I love cats and dogs (in addition to the 3 cats, we've 5 formerly stray dogs and 1 refugee from the animal shelter gas chamber), but cats, as you know, are true carnivores, so they have to have meat, right? We give them lots of nasty dry cat food, and they're not allowed outside without supervision because there are coyotes and other predators around that can be lethal to housecats. Plus, outside cats are devastating to wildlife. Anyway, to bring my grinding story to a halt, we don't have mice now--at all. We've found only two murdered mice over the past two years (and we clean the litterboxes often and haven't found any evidence of indigestible mouse parts), which leads me to wonder if the mice communicate the presence of danger to their buds, or maybe they can smell "cat" in the house and garage and that's enough to keep them out. I haven't a clue. Do you? Carolyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 Sharon, Cats and kitties are wonderful in many ways, but we didn't get ours for the purpose of catching mice. they just needed a home, but I was still very upset about the two mice that died. We have a couple of big dogs--a pit bull and a chow mix--we keep the cats away from the pit. The chow backs down from the cats every time, which is not to say that every chow would. I guess it would depend on your big, crazy dog and the cat you take home. I've heard conflicting stories about whether mature cats or kittens are better with dogs, and I haven't read anything on the subject, so I don't know. Maybe someone on the list knows more about the cat-dog thing. I'd like to know too if anyone has any info. All our cats were adults when we got them, and they like most of the dogs and get on well with them. I don't know whether your cat would have to patrol the entire basement, but if you have an inside door to your basement, you might consider installing a cat door and giving your cat basement access. Then you could keep food and litter boxes down there--it's a very good thing not to have litter boxes right under your nose, although you can clean them often and buy some nontoxic stuff to put in with the litter to help control odors. Every dog I know loves to eat catfood and many like cat droppings--another good reason you might want to consider the cat door. in my experience, catfood causes constipation in dogs so it's off limits to our canines. A basement cat door would also allow your cat to escape if the big dog got too aggressive. Whatever you decide, good luck with getting your mice to move out. Carolyn - Shhhhh Friday, December 15, 2006 9:44 AM Re: another mouse story for the stew.... I replied to this previously, but mail sent me a message saying it could not make contact with groups so it deleted it! Anyway, I am thinking about getting a kitty. I'm a little reluctant because I have two dogs, one small and sweet dog who will probably love it, and one large and crazy dog who may not be able to stop chasing it. There is a program at our local animal shelter called Paws to Consider, where you can take the pet home to try, and if it doesn't work out you can take it back, but it would be very difficult for me to take an animal back to the animal shelter. But we have no end of mice in this house it seems. Caught another teensy baby. Where there is a teensy baby there are lots more teensy babies, you know. I don't want to see them killed, but I would like them to pack their bags and move. I have a really large basement, so would the cat have to go through the basement to get rid of them, or would it be enough that they are in the house? I swear last night I heard mouse nibbling in my bedroom while I was trying to go to sleep. There is ZERO food in there. peace, sharonjo <jo.heartwork > wrote: Hi Carolyn I think that is true. Our daughter was having mice trouble, and since she got a kitten (he caught two mice) hasn't seen any since. I think they must smell the cat. Jo - Carolyn H Thursday, December 14, 2006 6:10 PM another mouse story for the stew.... I may have mentioned a while back that my partner, Tim, and I bought a very old farmhouse, with barn, woods, etc., in the midwestern U.S. about three years ago. The first year we were here, we were overrun by mice, which we diligently caught in mousetraps I had ordered from Peta, took them up the hill and into the woods, and turned them loose. We regularly had to throw out food and scrub down every surface and utensil--it was a major pain in the arse and the pocket. Then....the cats came. When we took Bean Blossom in, she was so skinny she looked deformed. Then someone dumped CK, a big, fuzzy orange kitty, at the end of our driveway. We adopted the third cat, Dorothy (named by my young niece after Dorothy Gale), a big, solid white kitty, from my mom when she was forced, because of her Parkinson's, to leave her house and move in with my sister in Nashville, Tenn., U.S., this past May 14. OK, so far so good...... I love cats and dogs (in addition to the 3 cats, we've 5 formerly stray dogs and 1 refugee from the animal shelter gas chamber), but cats, as you know, are true carnivores, so they have to have meat, right? We give them lots of nasty dry cat food, and they're not allowed outside without supervision because there are coyotes and other predators around that can be lethal to housecats. Plus, outside cats are devastating to wildlife. Anyway, to bring my grinding story to a halt, we don't have mice now--at all. We've found only two murdered mice over the past two years (and we clean the litterboxes often and haven't found any evidence of indigestible mouse parts), which leads me to wonder if the mice communicate the presence of danger to their buds, or maybe they can smell "cat" in the house and garage and that's enough to keep them out. I haven't a clue. Do you? Carolyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 No, I wouldn't want to get a kitty to be a moustrap with fur. Perhaps it is a good excuse to get a kitty? It wouldn't be a tiny kitten because we'd get it from the pound, and they don't release them until they are old enough to have been spayed. But I was kind of thinking a younger cat might do better with the dogs. My big dog is a lab. She is not vicious, and she wouldn't attack the kitty. But she might scare the living daylights out of it by barking at it and chasing it. Bella (the lab) stays in a bedroom when we are gone, because she is so much bigger than Spike (a 6- pound miniature pinscher) that their play has to be supervised. I thought (if I did this) that I would get a tall cat tree so the kitty can climb up away from the little dog should he be annoying. I have two weeks off later this month and would be able to supervise their time of becoming acquainted. My basement is downstairs two stories. I have a gate across the top of the stairs so the dogs can't go down there. A kitty could probably climb the gate pretty easily. But we do have all of my mother's possessions stored down there and I would not want any boxes to fall on her, so again, I probably would not want her down there without supervision. Still just a thought, but I'd like somebody here to make the mice pack their bags and move their own selves! Right now I've gotta go and release a couple more!!! That's eleven now. peace, sharon , " Carolyn H " <wordwerks wrote: > > Sharon, > > Cats and kitties are wonderful in many ways, but we didn't get ours for the purpose of catching mice. they just needed a home, but I was still very upset about the two mice that died. > > We have a couple of big dogs--a pit bull and a chow mix--we keep the cats away from the pit. The chow backs down from the cats every time, which is not to say that every chow would. I guess it would depend on your big, crazy dog and the cat you take home. I've heard conflicting stories about whether mature cats or kittens are better with dogs, and I haven't read anything on the subject, so I don't know. Maybe someone on the list knows more about the cat-dog thing. I'd like to know too if anyone has any info. All our cats were adults when we got them, and they like most of the dogs and get on well with them. I don't know whether your cat would have to patrol the entire basement, but if you have an inside door to your basement, you might consider installing a cat door and giving your cat basement access. Then you could keep food and litter boxes down there--it's a very good thing not to have litter boxes right under your nose, although you can clean them often and buy some nontoxic stuff to put in with the litter to help control odors. > > Every dog I know loves to eat catfood and many like cat droppings-- another good reason you might want to consider the cat door. in my experience, catfood causes constipation in dogs so it's off limits to our canines. A basement cat door would also allow your cat to escape if the big dog got too aggressive. > > Whatever you decide, good luck with getting your mice to move out. > > Carolyn > > > - > Shhhhh<compassion2grace > To: < > > Friday, December 15, 2006 9:44 AM > Re: another mouse story for the stew.... > > > > I replied to this previously, but mail sent me a message saying it could not make contact with groups so it deleted it! > > Anyway, I am thinking about getting a kitty. I'm a little reluctant because I have two dogs, one small and sweet dog who will probably love it, and one large and crazy dog who may not be able to stop chasing it. There is a program at our local animal shelter called Paws to Consider, where you can take the pet home to try, and if it doesn't work out you can take it back, but it would be very difficult for me to take an animal back to the animal shelter. > > But we have no end of mice in this house it seems. Caught another teensy baby. Where there is a teensy baby there are lots more teensy babies, you know. > > I don't want to see them killed, but I would like them to pack their bags and move. I have a really large basement, so would the cat have to go through the basement to get rid of them, or would it be enough that they are in the house? > > I swear last night I heard mouse nibbling in my bedroom while I was trying to go to sleep. There is ZERO food in there. > > peace, > sharon > > jo <jo.heartwork wrote: > Hi Carolyn > > I think that is true. Our daughter was having mice trouble, and since she got a kitten (he caught two mice) hasn't seen any since. I think they must smell the cat. > > Jo > - > Carolyn H<wordwerks > To: < > > Thursday, December 14, 2006 6:10 PM > another mouse story for the stew.... > > > I may have mentioned a while back that my partner, Tim, and I bought a very old farmhouse, with barn, woods, etc., in the midwestern U.S. about three years ago. The first year we were here, we were overrun by mice, which we diligently caught in mousetraps I had ordered from Peta, took them up the hill and into the woods, and turned them loose. We regularly had to throw out food and scrub down every surface and utensil--it was a major pain in the arse and the pocket. Then....the cats came. When we took Bean Blossom in, she was so skinny she looked deformed. Then someone dumped CK, a big, fuzzy orange kitty, at the end of our driveway. We adopted the third cat, Dorothy (named by my young niece after Dorothy Gale), a big, solid white kitty, from my mom when she was forced, because of her Parkinson's, to leave her house and move in with my sister in Nashville, Tenn., U.S., this past May 14. OK, so far so good...... I love cats and dogs (in addition to the 3 cats, we've 5 formerly stray dogs and 1 refugee from the animal shelter gas chamber), but cats, as you know, are true carnivores, so they have to have meat, right? We give them lots of nasty dry cat food, and they're not allowed outside without supervision because there are coyotes and other predators around that can be lethal to housecats. Plus, outside cats are devastating to wildlife. Anyway, to bring my grinding story to a halt, we don't have mice now--at all. We've found only two murdered mice over the past two years (and we clean the litterboxes often and haven't found any evidence of indigestible mouse parts), which leads me to wonder if the mice communicate the presence of danger to their buds, or maybe they can smell " cat " in the house and garage and that's enough to keep them out. I haven't a clue. Do you? > > Carolyn > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 From friends who have had cats and dogs, I have not known of many problems at all. Some of them had dogs first and then got cats, some had cats first and then got dogs. When Peter was a boy he earned money dog walking for a family. The dogs were an English Setter and a Red Setter - very big dogs. The family had one cat, and the dogs felt very responsible for the cat, and protected it from other dogs. Jo - Carolyn H Friday, December 15, 2006 6:31 PM Re: another mouse story for the stew.... Sharon, Cats and kitties are wonderful in many ways, but we didn't get ours for the purpose of catching mice. they just needed a home, but I was still very upset about the two mice that died. We have a couple of big dogs--a pit bull and a chow mix--we keep the cats away from the pit. The chow backs down from the cats every time, which is not to say that every chow would. I guess it would depend on your big, crazy dog and the cat you take home. I've heard conflicting stories about whether mature cats or kittens are better with dogs, and I haven't read anything on the subject, so I don't know. Maybe someone on the list knows more about the cat-dog thing. I'd like to know too if anyone has any info. All our cats were adults when we got them, and they like most of the dogs and get on well with them. I don't know whether your cat would have to patrol the entire basement, but if you have an inside door to your basement, you might consider installing a cat door and giving your cat basement access. Then you could keep food and litter boxes down there--it's a very good thing not to have litter boxes right under your nose, although you can clean them often and buy some nontoxic stuff to put in with the litter to help control odors. Every dog I know loves to eat catfood and many like cat droppings--another good reason you might want to consider the cat door. in my experience, catfood causes constipation in dogs so it's off limits to our canines. A basement cat door would also allow your cat to escape if the big dog got too aggressive. Whatever you decide, good luck with getting your mice to move out. Carolyn - Shhhhh Friday, December 15, 2006 9:44 AM Re: another mouse story for the stew.... I replied to this previously, but mail sent me a message saying it could not make contact with groups so it deleted it! Anyway, I am thinking about getting a kitty. I'm a little reluctant because I have two dogs, one small and sweet dog who will probably love it, and one large and crazy dog who may not be able to stop chasing it. There is a program at our local animal shelter called Paws to Consider, where you can take the pet home to try, and if it doesn't work out you can take it back, but it would be very difficult for me to take an animal back to the animal shelter. But we have no end of mice in this house it seems. Caught another teensy baby. Where there is a teensy baby there are lots more teensy babies, you know. I don't want to see them killed, but I would like them to pack their bags and move. I have a really large basement, so would the cat have to go through the basement to get rid of them, or would it be enough that they are in the house? I swear last night I heard mouse nibbling in my bedroom while I was trying to go to sleep. There is ZERO food in there. peace, sharonjo <jo.heartwork > wrote: Hi Carolyn I think that is true. Our daughter was having mice trouble, and since she got a kitten (he caught two mice) hasn't seen any since. I think they must smell the cat. Jo - Carolyn H Thursday, December 14, 2006 6:10 PM another mouse story for the stew.... I may have mentioned a while back that my partner, Tim, and I bought a very old farmhouse, with barn, woods, etc., in the midwestern U.S. about three years ago. The first year we were here, we were overrun by mice, which we diligently caught in mousetraps I had ordered from Peta, took them up the hill and into the woods, and turned them loose. We regularly had to throw out food and scrub down every surface and utensil--it was a major pain in the arse and the pocket. Then....the cats came. When we took Bean Blossom in, she was so skinny she looked deformed. Then someone dumped CK, a big, fuzzy orange kitty, at the end of our driveway. We adopted the third cat, Dorothy (named by my young niece after Dorothy Gale), a big, solid white kitty, from my mom when she was forced, because of her Parkinson's, to leave her house and move in with my sister in Nashville, Tenn., U.S., this past May 14. OK, so far so good...... I love cats and dogs (in addition to the 3 cats, we've 5 formerly stray dogs and 1 refugee from the animal shelter gas chamber), but cats, as you know, are true carnivores, so they have to have meat, right? We give them lots of nasty dry cat food, and they're not allowed outside without supervision because there are coyotes and other predators around that can be lethal to housecats. Plus, outside cats are devastating to wildlife. Anyway, to bring my grinding story to a halt, we don't have mice now--at all. We've found only two murdered mice over the past two years (and we clean the litterboxes often and haven't found any evidence of indigestible mouse parts), which leads me to wonder if the mice communicate the presence of danger to their buds, or maybe they can smell "cat" in the house and garage and that's enough to keep them out. I haven't a clue. Do you? Carolyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 there is a spray which is sold over the internet which is supposed to deter mice, I don't know how vegan this is but it is basically the spray of fox Urine which supposedly mice hate. -- In , " jo " <jo.heartwork wrote: > > Hi Carolyn > > I think that is true. Our daughter was having mice trouble, and since she got a kitten (he caught two mice) hasn't seen any since. I think they must smell the cat. > > Jo > - > Carolyn H > > Thursday, December 14, 2006 6:10 PM > another mouse story for the stew.... > > > I may have mentioned a while back that my partner, Tim, and I bought a very old farmhouse, with barn, woods, etc., in the midwestern U.S. about three years ago. The first year we were here, we were overrun by mice, which we diligently caught in mousetraps I had ordered from Peta, took them up the hill and into the woods, and turned them loose. We regularly had to throw out food and scrub down every surface and utensil--it was a major pain in the arse and the pocket. Then....the cats came. When we took Bean Blossom in, she was so skinny she looked deformed. Then someone dumped CK, a big, fuzzy orange kitty, at the end of our driveway. We adopted the third cat, Dorothy (named by my young niece after Dorothy Gale), a big, solid white kitty, from my mom when she was forced, because of her Parkinson's, to leave her house and move in with my sister in Nashville, Tenn., U.S., this past May 14. OK, so far so good...... I love cats and dogs (in addition to the 3 cats, we've 5 formerly stray dogs and 1 refugee from the animal shelter gas chamber), but cats, as you know, are true carnivores, so they have to have meat, right? We give them lots of nasty dry cat food, and they're not allowed outside without supervision because there are coyotes and other predators around that can be lethal to housecats. Plus, outside cats are devastating to wildlife. Anyway, to bring my grinding story to a halt, we don't have mice now--at all. We've found only two murdered mice over the past two years (and we clean the litterboxes often and haven't found any evidence of indigestible mouse parts), which leads me to wonder if the mice communicate the presence of danger to their buds, or maybe they can smell " cat " in the house and garage and that's enough to keep them out. I haven't a clue. Do you? > > Carolyn > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 hi sharon, i grew up with Rats, in a bad neighborhood. There were holes in our building and the garbage was never collected. well it is a little scary trying to sleep at night, noises can be heard all over my room and when I would wake up the next day, some of my things were chew on. Including clothes. I am no longer scared. But I have four cats and a dog and they all get along good except one cat, who beats up my dog even though he is twice his size. I found my dog and one of my cats the same summer. On the street of ny. They were both kitten/puppy at the same time. so now they are best friends and sleep in the same bed. -anouk , Shhhhh <compassion2grace wrote: > > I replied to this previously, but mail sent me a message saying it could not make contact with groups so it deleted it! > > Anyway, I am thinking about getting a kitty. I'm a little reluctant because I have two dogs, one small and sweet dog who will probably love it, and one large and crazy dog who may not be able to stop chasing it. There is a program at our local animal shelter called Paws to Consider, where you can take the pet home to try, and if it doesn't work out you can take it back, but it would be very difficult for me to take an animal back to the animal shelter. > > But we have no end of mice in this house it seems. Caught another teensy baby. Where there is a teensy baby there are lots more teensy babies, you know. > > I don't want to see them killed, but I would like them to pack their bags and move. I have a really large basement, so would the cat have to go through the basement to get rid of them, or would it be enough that they are in the house? > > I swear last night I heard mouse nibbling in my bedroom while I was trying to go to sleep. There is ZERO food in there. > > peace, > sharon > > jo <jo.heartwork wrote: > Hi Carolyn > > I think that is true. Our daughter was having mice trouble, and since she got a kitten (he caught two mice) hasn't seen any since. I think they must smell the cat. > > Jo > - > Carolyn H > > Thursday, December 14, 2006 6:10 PM > another mouse story for the stew.... > > > I may have mentioned a while back that my partner, Tim, and I bought a very old farmhouse, with barn, woods, etc., in the midwestern U.S. about three years ago. The first year we were here, we were overrun by mice, which we diligently caught in mousetraps I had ordered from Peta, took them up the hill and into the woods, and turned them loose. We regularly had to throw out food and scrub down every surface and utensil--it was a major pain in the arse and the pocket. Then....the cats came. When we took Bean Blossom in, she was so skinny she looked deformed. Then someone dumped CK, a big, fuzzy orange kitty, at the end of our driveway. We adopted the third cat, Dorothy (named by my young niece after Dorothy Gale), a big, solid white kitty, from my mom when she was forced, because of her Parkinson's, to leave her house and move in with my sister in Nashville, Tenn., U.S., this past May 14. OK, so far so good...... I love cats and dogs (in addition to the 3 cats, we've 5 > formerly stray dogs and 1 refugee from the animal shelter gas chamber), but cats, as you know, are true carnivores, so they have to have meat, right? We give them lots of nasty dry cat food, and they're not allowed outside without supervision because there are coyotes and other predators around that can be lethal to housecats. Plus, outside cats are devastating to wildlife. Anyway, to bring my grinding story to a halt, we don't have mice now--at all. We've found only two murdered mice over the past two years (and we clean the litterboxes often and haven't found any evidence of indigestible mouse parts), which leads me to wonder if the mice communicate the presence of danger to their buds, or maybe they can smell " cat " in the house and garage and that's enough to keep them out. I haven't a clue. Do you? > > Carolyn > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 16, 2006 Report Share Posted December 16, 2006 That sounds good. My lab is a bit on the shy side, so I'm not making assumptions, but hopefully she would be okay. peace, sharonjo <jo.heartwork wrote: From friends who have had cats and dogs, I have not known of many problems at all. Some of them had dogs first and then got cats, some had cats first and then got dogs. When Peter was a boy he earned money dog walking for a family. The dogs were an English Setter and a Red Setter - very big dogs. The family had one cat, and the dogs felt very responsible for the cat, and protected it from other dogs. Jo - Carolyn H Friday, December 15, 2006 6:31 PM Re: another mouse story for the stew.... Sharon, Cats and kitties are wonderful in many ways, but we didn't get ours for the purpose of catching mice. they just needed a home, but I was still very upset about the two mice that died. We have a couple of big dogs--a pit bull and a chow mix--we keep the cats away from the pit. The chow backs down from the cats every time, which is not to say that every chow would. I guess it would depend on your big, crazy dog and the cat you take home. I've heard conflicting stories about whether mature cats or kittens are better with dogs, and I haven't read anything on the subject, so I don't know. Maybe someone on the list knows more about the cat-dog thing. I'd like to know too if anyone has any info. All our cats were adults when we got them, and they like most of the dogs and get on well with them. I don't know whether your cat would have to patrol the entire basement, but if you have an inside door to your basement, you might consider installing a cat door and giving your cat basement access. Then you could keep food and litter boxes down there--it's a very good thing not to have litter boxes right under your nose, although you can clean them often and buy some nontoxic stuff to put in with the litter to help control odors. Every dog I know loves to eat catfood and many like cat droppings--another good reason you might want to consider the cat door. in my experience, catfood causes constipation in dogs so it's off limits to our canines. A basement cat door would also allow your cat to escape if the big dog got too aggressive. Whatever you decide, good luck with getting your mice to move out. Carolyn - Shhhhh Friday, December 15, 2006 9:44 AM Re: another mouse story for the stew.... I replied to this previously, but mail sent me a message saying it could not make contact with groups so it deleted it! Anyway, I am thinking about getting a kitty. I'm a little reluctant because I have two dogs, one small and sweet dog who will probably love it, and one large and crazy dog who may not be able to stop chasing it. There is a program at our local animal shelter called Paws to Consider, where you can take the pet home to try, and if it doesn't work out you can take it back, but it would be very difficult for me to take an animal back to the animal shelter. But we have no end of mice in this house it seems. Caught another teensy baby. Where there is a teensy baby there are lots more teensy babies, you know. I don't want to see them killed, but I would like them to pack their bags and move. I have a really large basement, so would the cat have to go through the basement to get rid of them, or would it be enough that they are in the house? I swear last night I heard mouse nibbling in my bedroom while I was trying to go to sleep. There is ZERO food in there. peace, sharonjo <jo.heartwork > wrote: Hi Carolyn I think that is true. Our daughter was having mice trouble, and since she got a kitten (he caught two mice) hasn't seen any since. I think they must smell the cat. Jo - Carolyn H Thursday, December 14, 2006 6:10 PM another mouse story for the stew.... I may have mentioned a while back that my partner, Tim, and I bought a very old farmhouse, with barn, woods, etc., in the midwestern U.S. about three years ago. The first year we were here, we were overrun by mice, which we diligently caught in mousetraps I had ordered from Peta, took them up the hill and into the woods, and turned them loose. We regularly had to throw out food and scrub down every surface and utensil--it was a major pain in the arse and the pocket. Then....the cats came. When we took Bean Blossom in, she was so skinny she looked deformed. Then someone dumped CK, a big, fuzzy orange kitty, at the end of our driveway. We adopted the third cat, Dorothy (named by my young niece after Dorothy Gale), a big, solid white kitty, from my mom when she was forced, because of her Parkinson's, to leave her house and move in with my sister in Nashville, Tenn., U.S., this past May 14. OK, so far so good...... I love cats and dogs (in addition to the 3 cats, we've 5 formerly stray dogs and 1 refugee from the animal shelter gas chamber), but cats, as you know, are true carnivores, so they have to have meat, right? We give them lots of nasty dry cat food, and they're not allowed outside without supervision because there are coyotes and other predators around that can be lethal to housecats. Plus, outside cats are devastating to wildlife. Anyway, to bring my grinding story to a halt, we don't have mice now--at all. We've found only two murdered mice over the past two years (and we clean the litterboxes often and haven't found any evidence of indigestible mouse parts), which leads me to wonder if the mice communicate the presence of danger to their buds, or maybe they can smell "cat" in the house and garage and that's enough to keep them out. I haven't a clue. Do you? Carolyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 16, 2006 Report Share Posted December 16, 2006 Hi Anouk. I once had pet rats, and they were some of the most remarkable creatures on the earth. I was sure being a rat was the last step on the way to becoming a dog, because they had such dog-like personalities. But I have seen the large rats even in pet shops, and they are a little scary looking. I don't think I would want them in my house, especially wild ones. The mice are absolutely as cute as can be, especially the babies of course. But they are ruining my food. Right now I have plastic tubs sitting on countertops and tables with food inside to be protected from the mice. So they really must go. peace, sharonflower child <zurumato wrote: hi sharon, i grew up with Rats, in a bad neighborhood.There were holes in our building and the garbage was never collected. well it is a little scary trying to sleep at night, noises can be heard all over my roomand when I would wake up the next day,some of my things were chew on. Including clothes.I am no longer scared. But I have four cats and a dog and they all get along good except one cat, who beats up my dog even thoughhe is twice his size. I found my dog and one of my cats the same summer. On the street of ny. They were both kitten/puppy at the same time. so now they are best friends and sleep in the same bed. -anouk , Shhhhh <compassion2grace wrote:>> I replied to this previously, but mail sent me a messagesaying it could not make contact with groups so it deleted it! > > Anyway, I am thinking about getting a kitty. I'm a littlereluctant because I have two dogs, one small and sweet dog who willprobably love it, and one large and crazy dog who may not be able tostop chasing it. There is a program at our local animal sheltercalled Paws to Consider, where you can take the pet home to try, andif it doesn't work out you can take it back, but it would be verydifficult for me to take an animal back to the animal shelter.> > But we have no end of mice in this house it seems. Caught anotherteensy baby. Where there is a teensy baby there are lots more teensybabies, you know. > > I don't want to see them killed, but I would like them to packtheir bags and move. I have a really large basement, so would the cathave to go through the basement to get rid of them, or would it beenough that they are in the house?> > I swear last night I heard mouse nibbling in my bedroom while Iwas trying to go to sleep. There is ZERO food in there.> > peace,> sharon> > jo <jo.heartwork wrote:> Hi Carolyn> > I think that is true. Our daughter was having mice trouble, andsince she got a kitten (he caught two mice) hasn't seen any since. Ithink they must smell the cat.> > Jo> - > Carolyn H > > Thursday, December 14, 2006 6:10 PM> another mouse story for the stew....> > > I may have mentioned a while back that my partner, Tim, and Ibought a very old farmhouse, with barn, woods, etc., in the midwesternU.S. about three years ago. The first year we were here, we wereoverrun by mice, which we diligently caught in mousetraps I hadordered from Peta, took them up the hill and into the woods, andturned them loose. We regularly had to throw out food and scrub downevery surface and utensil--it was a major pain in the arse and thepocket. Then....the cats came. When we took Bean Blossom in, she wasso skinny she looked deformed. Then someone dumped CK, a big, fuzzyorange kitty, at the end of our driveway. We adopted the third cat,Dorothy (named by my young niece after Dorothy Gale), a big, solidwhite kitty, from my mom when she was forced, because of herParkinson's, to leave her house and move in with my sister inNashville, Tenn., U.S., this past May 14. OK, so far so good...... Ilove cats and dogs (in addition to the 3 cats, we've 5> formerly stray dogs and 1 refugee from the animal shelter gaschamber), but cats, as you know, are true carnivores, so they have tohave meat, right? We give them lots of nasty dry cat food, and they'renot allowed outside without supervision because there are coyotes andother predators around that can be lethal to housecats. Plus, outsidecats are devastating to wildlife. Anyway, to bring my grinding storyto a halt, we don't have mice now--at all. We've found only twomurdered mice over the past two years (and we clean the litterboxesoften and haven't found any evidence of indigestible mouse parts),which leads me to wonder if the mice communicate the presence ofdanger to their buds, or maybe they can smell "cat" in the house andgarage and that's enough to keep them out. I haven't a clue. Do you?> > Carolyn> > > > > > > > > > Do You ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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