Cat and mouse
September 7, 2024 8:35 AM Subscribe
How do you set mouse traps when you have a pet who might stick a paw or nose in one?
We find evidence of mice in drawers and cabinets. Recently had to have a dishwasher pulled out from the wall and it was horrifying to see how much mouse ... activity is going on backstage.
I've twice had professionals in to plug holes in the house. It's not enough. I live in an area with a lot of urban wildlife and mice are always an ongoing battle, not something anyone solves once and for all.
Although I realize this is a debate, and even though I wish I didn't have to kill mice, in our case we do use snap traps.Live traps are not feasible in this situation, we do not use glue traps.
Last night, I found my cat toying with a mouse which escaped from her and vanished. I need more traps.
Previously I have put mouse traps deep inside cabinets and drawers where I've seen droppings, where the cat can't get to the traps, but they never catch any mice. I've refreshed these traps literally for a year with no luck.
We find evidence of mice in drawers and cabinets. Recently had to have a dishwasher pulled out from the wall and it was horrifying to see how much mouse ... activity is going on backstage.
I've twice had professionals in to plug holes in the house. It's not enough. I live in an area with a lot of urban wildlife and mice are always an ongoing battle, not something anyone solves once and for all.
Although I realize this is a debate, and even though I wish I didn't have to kill mice, in our case we do use snap traps.Live traps are not feasible in this situation, we do not use glue traps.
Last night, I found my cat toying with a mouse which escaped from her and vanished. I need more traps.
Previously I have put mouse traps deep inside cabinets and drawers where I've seen droppings, where the cat can't get to the traps, but they never catch any mice. I've refreshed these traps literally for a year with no luck.
I made a trap holder out of an old plastic tool container, but you could probably do the same with a sturdy shoebox. Basically, I cut a mouse-sized hole in the middle of the ends of the box. Then I opened the box and glued a piece of wood about 3 inches in front of each of the holes, 2/3 the width of the box and the whole height. That prevents cat paws from being able to get past it. Trap goes in the middle of the two pieces of wood, lid goes on top, heavy weight on the lid to prevent opening it. The mice can get around the pieces of wood by going around the sides, but the wood blocks the cat from sticking a paw into the trap.
posted by true at 9:21 AM on September 7, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by true at 9:21 AM on September 7, 2024 [2 favorites]
I came to recommend a covered trap or a bucket trap, and both are already covered. Live traps (the kind with bait in a little box that has a one way entrance) are safe for cats, too
posted by Acari at 10:12 AM on September 7, 2024
posted by Acari at 10:12 AM on September 7, 2024
Best answer: I use these Victor mouse traps in a house with 2 cats & 3 dogs. We have never had any problems with the pets setting them off. The trap doesn't go off until the mouse lifts the tiny door with its head to get to the bait. (I recommend cheap peanut butter.)
posted by belladonna at 10:15 AM on September 7, 2024
posted by belladonna at 10:15 AM on September 7, 2024
We have a few of these electronic mouse traps in our house, and they work great. The cats leave them alone, and they've been effective at getting rid of the mice that inevitably get into our creaky old house.
posted by maryellenreads at 10:23 AM on September 7, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by maryellenreads at 10:23 AM on September 7, 2024 [2 favorites]
We use those electronic ones too, and the cats have no interest in them.
posted by Stacey at 11:45 AM on September 7, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Stacey at 11:45 AM on September 7, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Bucket traps are a fairly standard advice for mouse plagues and it's not fast. They can swim around for ages before drowning and it's awful. I definitely regret.
I have done dispatches with a shovel on the back of the neck which is also awful (for me) but less awful for the mouse. (I had a mouse escape a snap trap and figured I needed to euthanize the poor thing I'd injured. )
posted by freethefeet at 10:05 PM on September 7, 2024
I have done dispatches with a shovel on the back of the neck which is also awful (for me) but less awful for the mouse. (I had a mouse escape a snap trap and figured I needed to euthanize the poor thing I'd injured. )
posted by freethefeet at 10:05 PM on September 7, 2024
Nthing the electronic trap.
It's more humane than any other trap, and very effective and efficient. They're designed so that it's difficult for other animals to get involved, the mice crawl right inside.
posted by Zumbador at 10:55 PM on September 7, 2024
It's more humane than any other trap, and very effective and efficient. They're designed so that it's difficult for other animals to get involved, the mice crawl right inside.
posted by Zumbador at 10:55 PM on September 7, 2024
Yeah, the only other thing that sets off the electric trap in my house are the occasional outsized house centipedes that poke their heads into the chamber - it was always safe for my cats. The only longish term complaints I have about the electric traps is that you kind of have to keep on top of making sure the bait hasn't gone all fuzzy and that the batteries haven't died. I just re-bait them every month and cycle through some name brand rechargeable batteries, and I get the occasional unwise little mousey every seasonal change.
posted by Kyol at 11:01 PM on September 7, 2024
posted by Kyol at 11:01 PM on September 7, 2024
Response by poster: Thanks all. I'm going to get both the bucket trap with no water to release ones I catch that way immediately and again if/when there seems to be another infestation, AND keep couple of the electronic traps out for longterm maintenance.
Thanks to everyone who answered. I marked the ones with info to return to for shopping etc but all answers were very helpful.
posted by ojocaliente at 11:01 PM on September 7, 2024
Thanks to everyone who answered. I marked the ones with info to return to for shopping etc but all answers were very helpful.
posted by ojocaliente at 11:01 PM on September 7, 2024
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posted by fifthrider at 9:04 AM on September 7, 2024 [1 favorite]