[knittenkitten]

We have a somewhat mature cat who used to be very playful and chased little creatures and such. Now that she is older she does not partake in these activities much. But, we have mice in our basement. My husband and I are talking about getting another cat to be a mouser.

I just talked to a woman who has 2 female kittens she wants to give away. I am thinking about getting them to be mousers. I'm not sure how our older cat will react to new fur babies in her domain though. If we do get another cat I am thinking about getting both of them so they will keep each other company and leave the older cat alone. What to do?

[Kitty]

This is just my own personal opinion.....but I'd hire an exterminator for the mice and let the cats enjoy each other's company.

[SallyC]

I agree with Kitty, but be carefull of the poison!!!

[mrsD]

We have had alot of cats. And only one has been good at catching rodents (Oreo we have now).

If the mother cat did not teach the kittens, they may not be interested at all in catching mice. Our other two cats regard Oreo's catches with HORROR actually!

I would consider that possiblity.

[knittenkitten]

The decision is no cat. We decided it would be too hard on our current cat to adjust to new ones, especially kittens. The mouse situation is more of a bother than an infestation. We catch maybe one mouse per week to week and a half and only in our basement. The house is old and it would be really hard to plug up all the holes so we decided to keep going with the traps and let our Ezri enjoy her golden years as an only cat. We'll think about kittens after she is gone which I hope will not be for many more years.

[Dejibo]

Mousers can be very valueable, but you must remember that mice/rats carry diseases and can cause your animal to be quite sick if ingested. I am glad you are going the route of safety.

There are several really good mouse traps and they have really improved over the years. a good NO touch one is...

http://www.orthohomedefense.com/smg/...temId=cat50086

There is also bait that you can put out, but be careful that its in a spot where your kitty wont get it. if you use food in a trap, mice like peanut butter better than cheese. The cheese dries out and doesnt throw scent a long way. The peanut butter smells yummy from far away.

If you trap one or two a week, you will be free in no time. bait allows them to carry the stuff back to the nest, and you will wipe out the colony before you know it.