Do cats really help keep mice and rats away??

Question

My aunt lives by open fields. So there is a lot of mice and rats in the area. She asked me if I thought she should get a cat to help keep the rats away. I have no idea what to tell her because I don't have a cat. Does anyone know if a cat would help keep mice and rats away?

Answer 1

Depends on the cat. If she has a lazy cat that don't like to play and isn't active, then I don't think so. If the cat is active and likes to play, then it probably will.

Answer 2

Mice, yes. Rats, it depends. Some cats won't tackle a rat. Once a cat has discovered it can take on a rat, then it will hunt them from then on. It is largely down to the cat's confidence and experience. Mice however, rarely fail to put a cat in 'hunt mode'.

My younger brother lived in a flat which had a mouse problem, none of the 'chemicals' or 'traps' worked. So he got a 12 yr old cat from a shelter and within a month, no more mice. So yes, extremely effective.

Usually, females are better hunters than males, but it isn't a golden rule, more a 'one average' kind of thing.

You must not starve a cat to get it to hunt. If the cat goes outside, lack of food will cause it to expand its territory and it will be away a lot. Feed it well, and it will stay closer to the house and catch more mice. This is common mistake.

Answer 3

It all depends on the cat. You will find that the majority of cats will chase and kill rats and mice.

There are few ones that appear to care less about chasing anything.

Your aunt could probably find one by checking the paper for free kittens. Sometimes you can also find someone wanting to give away a cat. But, there is probably a good reason why they want to do that.

If you aunt is partial to dogs she could consider getting a Rat Terrier, Jack Russell, or even a Schnauzer.

These dog breeds are breed to do that same thing.

Answer 4

It's usually not about whether or not the cat will keep mice and rats away, but about the smell the cat will leave in the general area. If your aunt is looking to get mousers to keep the mice away then she should go down to the pound. For our barn we use the scrapiest looking tomcats, because they'll fight just about anything including each other so the predator/prey instict is already used. We feed them a limited diet and the rest of the way they are on their own(i.e. mice, moles). If your aunt sees her cat eatting a snake take the snake away. Cats get a bone disease called rickets from snakes.

Good Luck

Answer 5

I also live in the country and we have a problem with field mice, as a matter of fact we got a kitten to help out with the problem, since kittens cry alot we thought the mice would be scared. Well , let me tell you i think the only one who's scared is the kitten, so no i don't think cats do the job.Also i wanted to mention my neighbor has a full grown cat and he will have nothing to do with mice as a matter of fact if you put a dead mouse next to him he will start gagging it's really funny.

Answer 6

not away, really, until the mice and rats learn to stay away, but a good hunting cat will at least keep the populations down

Answer 7

Most cats will. They are hunters by nature - a smaller, domesticated version of the lions and tigers you see hunting prey on tv.

There are quite a few lazy cats around that have no interest in it. But if they are outside cats from birth - at least during the day anyway - their hunting instincts will take over.

Answer 8

Cut your cat's daily food intake back...so that it will get a little hungrier. But primarily when you are out looking at cat's and kittens make sure that the one you chose is 'very' active and has a good eye for following things. Female's tend to be the better hunters...(Skinny, my orange tabby was an exception. He was a phenominal hunter and would take down mice, roaches, and lizards. But needing lots of phrase he would bring them to me lay them at my feet.. and we would watch these thing scamper off. Because he loved bringing me 'live' animals.)

Answer 9

And snakes! My sister feed the strays and provides them with warm shelter during the cold months (on her back porch) for this purpose. She is careful not to get attached but an occasional kitty decides it would like more than a working relationship with someone in the family and becomes a favorite.

Answer 10

Absolutely! I live on 1.5 acres of land...have a cat outside and one inside..never have a mouse problem....mice won't come around if they smell a cat present!