Three cats, two mice, no sleep

[Cinder & Smoke]

Boots, da Mouser (NOT) rarely felt the need to either kill or eat a wayward
Mouse that was stoopid enugh to climb up the basement stairs to enter "Kat Country".

He'd discover the Intruder when the lil critter began raiding da Kat's Krunchie Kup
on the bathroom vanity ... "Hey - you wanna PLAY?"

"Play" to da Kat was to have a rousing game of "TAG! You're IT - now RUN!"
One Kat and ONE Mouuse could entertain themselves for about 45 minutes
(often overturning da Kat's litter box in the process).

It was *game over* when either da Mouse got smart and ran back under the
basement door to safety, OR died from a heart attack on the playground.

[sasvermont]

I will go under the sink and basin areas and put steel wool around the pipe area that is open enough for critters to come through. I will consider the traps, but often they catch the mice's leg and the little thing struggles so.

Heart attack sounds a bit cruel too, but at least they've been given a chance to run for the hills.

So far, no more mice......... I am sure the cats would welcome them back with open arms.......

Thanks for the advice.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I will go under the sink and basin areas and put steel wool around the pipe area that is open enough for critters to come through.

That is a usual route - around pipe areas. I had an apartment with mice. The landlord suggested a cat but offered no other help. I shudder when I remember how many mice I found.

Steel wool around the water pipes and drain pipes but also - if you have as I did then -- steam heat pipes.

Anytime I see any kind of opening in my house I stuff steel wool in it. A little quirk.

[Pinot's Mom]

Way back - my husband's and my first house with a mortgage - we had our now RB kitty Jamara. Jamara thought field mice were her toys. We occasionally got field mice. She would bat them around, claws receded, until the poor little things had heart attacks. This usually happened on the basement steps. We had to watch where we walked!

SAS-you probably have field mice, so they won't GET very big, there might not actually be larger ones. Not that this makes you feel any better! You do need to find where they're coming in, though. Ours were coming in with the plumbing behind the refrigerator. We were young, Jamara was young, no one was that concerned and we moved before it became a real problem, so I'm sorry, I don't have a solution! Good luck!

[whomeee]

The advice you got before is all good and works but as long as I have Rex the mouser dog I don't have to worry about it.
I herd a noise in the kitchen one night and looked in the kitchen and Sox the cat had a mouse. I told my husband to put the dogs outside so the cat can kill the mouse. Needless to say she lost the mouse under the washer, so we let the dogs back in and in less than 5 min. Rex (my JRT) had the mouse I herd one squeek and the mouse was dead. He didn't eat the mouse once it was gone he left it lay on the floor. I also don't have to worry about snakes he will kill them as well. Not any help but it is a cute story I think, good luck with your mouse proble.

[sasvermont]

I haven't seen anymore mice, thank goodness. The cats have stopped looking, as well.

I suspect it was due to the construction next door....little field mice found their way through a crack or two in the foundation of the house and then up a pipe.

We shall see what happens this fall, when the temperatures drop ..... !

[Husky_mom]

check you dryer´s out pipe... that´s where they enter at my parents house...

[Catty1]

Also - wash your hands REALLY well if you even hold them by just the tail...or use disposable gloves.

Here in Alberta anyway, there is some very nasty virus that the little dears can carry on their bodies.

Sounds like you have good mouse control - and free (temporary) toys for the Juni and Lucy!