Calvin and mouse :( Need suggestion

From last evening both Calvin and Hobbes were spending all their time in the basement. Our basement has a finished portion which does not have doors and we have set it up as a media room and go there to watch TV. The unfinished portion which houses our washer/ dryer and has our boxes etc for storage, is out of bounds for the kitties. We had a futon in the basement that we gave away on Tuesday and are waiting for new furniture to be delivered on Saturday. DH thought that because of all the free space the kitties are spending their time there. This morning when Calvin did not come for his cuddles (this is very unusual), DH went downstairs and saw Calvin with a live mouse in his mouth. He was trying to protect it from Hobbes. There was a lot of hissing etc and in the process the mouse died. The first thought that came to my mind was to take away the mouse from Calvin and after a lot of chasing we were able to do it. Calvin is, of course, not happy. I don't know if I did the right thing but I thought:
1) who knows if this can make him sick
2) calvin may like eating the mouse and may give up his regular food (and he is a picky eater)
3) the mess this will make
4) hobbes will be left out and this was already resulting in a lot of hissing and growling since Hobbes wanted a piece of the (proverbial) pie.

Do you think I did the right thing? I really was not thinking this through but my gut reaction was to take away the mouse. I went and loved on Calvin a lot and I hope he forgives us but I feel so guilty.

Also any suggestions as to how to get rid of the mice? I have never had to deal with mice infestation and it is freaking me out. I'd rather not let Calvin and Hobbes loose on them. Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Our Bridge baby, Hydrox The Old Coot, caught several mice during his lifetime. Some he killed and ate; others we caught while they were still alive and we always took them away. I'm like you; the idea of eating a mouse? Ick. And I worried what it would do to his stomach. (Although cats have been killing and eating mice for a long, long, long time!)

Our mice would come into the basement, we think, from holes under our front stoop. DH plugged the holes up outside and then went into the basement and tried to plug the holes up there, too. We also put traps and mice stuff (Combat, I think it was) in various areas of the basement. (We don't let the cats down there at all as we are in the renovation process and don't want them getting into any kind of trouble.) You could try something like that and keep the cats on the main living floors for awhile....out of the basement. Or only allow them there when you're there to keep on eye on them?

We haven't had mice in the basement now for years...ever since he did that. At least, not that we know of. **knock on wood** Hydrox used to hang out in the foyer of the house and we think it's because he knew the mice could come up into the house from under the basement door. They're just little field mice, but I don't want mice in the house. Period!

Originally Posted by Winchester

Our Bridge baby, Hydrox The Old Coot, caught several mice during his lifetime. Some he killed and ate; others we caught while they were still alive and we always took them away. I'm like you; the idea of eating a mouse? Ick. And I worried what it would do to his stomach. (Although cats have been killing and eating mice for a long, long, long time!)

Our mice would come into the basement, we think, from holes under our front stoop. DH plugged the holes up outside and then went into the basement and tried to plug the holes up there, too. We also put traps and mice stuff (Combat, I think it was) in various areas of the basement. (We don't let the cats down there at all as we are in the renovation process and don't want them getting into any kind of trouble.) You could try something like that and keep the cats on the main living floors for awhile....out of the basement. Or only allow them there when you're there to keep on eye on them?

We haven't had mice in the basement now for years...ever since he did that. At least, not that we know of. **knock on wood** Hydrox used to hang out in the foyer of the house and we think it's because he knew the mice could come up into the house from under the basement door. They're just little field mice, but I don't want mice in the house. Period!

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Unfortunately, there is no way of keeping the kitties out of the finished part of the basement since there are no doors. However, after I took away the mouse from Calvin, the 2 have not gone downstairs.
I am really concerned about a potential mice infestation. The unfinished part of the basement has the washer/ dryer and a lot of boxes from our move (we will be moving in 2 years and so am keeping all the good boxes we have) and many other miscellaneous things. Since a lof of the things we have not used in over a year now, I think we should go there and get rid of a lot of things. I just feel that the moment I will throw of something, the next day I will end up needing it. Hope DH will have some time this weekend to go in and take stock of the basement with me. We will have to lock the kitties in a room on the main level - that will not be easy since they hate being locked.
This is a rental house and we do not know the nitty gritties of the house (I doubt my landlord knows either - since the previous renters were here for 11 years and they did all the fixes themselves and never informed the landlord - needless to say, the home was not in a good shape when they left and the landlord did a lot of work after they left). But there is a yucky open drain where the outlet of the washer/ dryer goes. So that may be a problem. I have emailed my landlord and will see if he responds but I will definitely bring that up with him.

For 12 years I've had a house that is now 85 years old. There are holes in it that I'll never find. In addition I live very near a large river and lots of woods. Just last night, while sitting on a porch, I saw a raccoon and a skunk come by to sip from the on ground bird bath. There is lots of wildlife here.

In the 12 years, 2 or 3 chipmunks (they live under my porches and garage), a couple of mice, and one bat got in. My cats killed the mice, and one chipmunk, before I could intervene. However, they may have killed and eaten others that I don't know about.

This is natural behavior for cats. It is "what they do" and why they have a place in human society. A mouse is, by far, the most perfect food for a cat. There are people who feed raw who buy mice to feed their cats.

I would have taken the mouse away, but I wouldn't felt bad bad about it at all. If my cat ate a mouse, I wouldn't worry about it, though I would keep an eye out for worms (though I've never had a cat with worms - that I remember - in 50+ years with cats). I would not use mouse baits or anything, unless I saw several more mice. I'm more afraid of the poisons for them than I am of them. And I think they soon learn that there are cats about, and they stay away. They aren't stupid. I haven't seen a mouse in my house in years now.

Robin

Hi I would have taken the mouse away immediately as well. And, would not feel bad about it at all. You did the right thing IMO. Also, your boys will get tapeworms from the mice. I wouldn't use any of that mice/rat poison, because if one of your cats eats that mouse that just ate some poison, it will make your boys very, very ill and possibly fatal. So don't let the landlord put any of that stuff down. You could call an exterminator and get some suggestions on the phone also. Hopefully your landlord will be of help to you. From Calvin and Hobbes point of view, this is just a great activity for them and quite natural and exciting....... But for us, not so

Originally Posted by bastetservant

For 12 years I've had a house that is now 85 years old. There are holes in it that I'll never find. In addition I live very near a large river and lots of woods. Just last night, while sitting on a porch, I saw a raccoon and a skunk come by to sip from the on ground bird bath. There is lots of wildlife here.

In the 12 years, 2 or 3 chipmunks (they live under my porches and garage), a couple of mice, and one bat got in. My cats killed the mice, and one chipmunk, before I could intervene. However, they may have killed and eaten others that I don't know about.

This is natural behavior for cats. It is "what they do" and why they have a place in human society. A mouse is, by far, the most perfect food for a cat. There are people who feed raw who buy mice to feed their cats.

I would have taken the mouse away, but I wouldn't feel bad about it at all. If my cat ate a mouse, I wouldn't worry about it, though I would keep an eye out for worms (though I've never had a cat with worms - that I remember - in 50+ years with cats). I would not use mouse baits or anything, unless I saw several more mice. I'm more afraid of the poisons for them than I am of them. And I think they soon learn that there are cats about, and they stay away. They aren't stupid. I haven't seen a mouse in my house in years now.

Robin

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Yes, I am apprehensive about things that I can use to get rid of mice - I know the unfinished part of the basement is out of bound for the kitties, but it's still close enough. I think we need to survey the basement really well this weekend to see what's going on there. I totally agree with you that mice can figure out that there are cats but if they mostly stay in the clutter of the basement, and only occasionally venture out to the other side, they may not figure it out - does this make sense?

I completely understand their instinct to catch and eat mice but I just have not been able to wrap my head around it. Am sure it would be messy - mess that I would have to clean from carpeted floor. Plus i think that those who feed mice to their cats usually get them from suppliers who raise mice for consumption and I do not know where these ones in my house has been and eaten. I will definitely keep an eye out for worms.

Yes, the mice - those fed to pets - are raised for that. And you don't know where the ones in the basement have been.

Calvin and Hobbes aren't allowed in the unfinished part of the basement because? Mice can get in very tiny holes. If you call a pest control company, they are sure to have a solution for you, for a price. But I don't trust them, or trust them with my cats' health. Your landlord probably won't want to pay them anyway. And the mice/rat baits are not safe for cats (though I've used ant baits for years, but I haven't any plastic chewers).

I still say, wait and see. Do a thorough search of the storage part of the basement to see if anything is obvious. But I wouldn't get too worked up about it at this point. One mouse is not an infestation.

Do you have bird feeders near the house? I do, and they draw rodents, including mice. I sometimes see them on the ground under the feeders. But I don't worry about them, because I have cats.

Robin

Originally Posted by bastetservant

Yes, the mice - those fed to pets - are raised for that. And you don't know where the ones in the basement have been.

Calvin and Hobbes aren't allowed in the unfinished part of the basement because? Mice can get in very tiny holes. If you call a pest control company, they are sure to have a solution for you, for a price. But I don't trust them, or trust them with my cats' health. Your landlord probably won't want to pay them anyway. And the mice/rat baits are not safe for cats (though I've used ant baits for years, but I haven't any plastic chewers).

I still say, wait and see. Do a thorough search of the storage part of the basement to see if anything is obvious. But I wouldn't get too worked up about it at this point. One mouse is not an infestation.

Do you have bird feeders near the house? I do, and they draw rodents, including mice. I sometimes see them on the ground under the feeders. But I don't worry about them, because I have cats.

Robin

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The unfinished part of the basement is - well- disorganized. We dumped all the boxes from our move there - actually stacked them up. Also there's a ratty old shelving unit there that came with the house where we've put some electrical/ electronic stuff, the heating /cooling units and the washer /dryer. With the drainage hole on the floor, the boxes where Calvin could hide (he was tiny when we got him and that's when we took the decision) and nails sticking out from the back of the stairs that's there, we were just too scared to let him go there. Plus the basement was not too clean (cobwebs/ dust etc - nothing more vile, though) when we moved in and it will take a ton of effort to clean it. Then with Hobbes's asthma, we just thought it was not worth the risk.

I do have a birdfeeder that I put up this Spring - never thought that that could be an issue. We do have tons of squirrels here and I have a "squirrel - buster" feeder. I have seen squirrels picking up seeds from the ground but never saw rats/ mice. But am sure they are sneaky and I would not know of their presence.

Yes, checking out the basement thoroughly is important and looking for droppings etc will be key. I honestly, do not want to pay for an exterminator on a rental and doubt if my landlord will either. He is a "do-it-yourself" guy and am sure will suggest poison, which, as Lauren pointed out, can be fatal. Seems it will be a rough weekend since we already have a lot of work on our plates.

All my cats have caught mice during their lives, inside or outside the house. If I can I take them away, not because of mess, because there often isn't any when they have finished (if they eat them which not all cats do) but because of hte danger of parasites - fleas and worms that they carry. But my two that go out (|Ellie and Bonaparte) both catch things all the time that I never see.

In hte house, you can use a humane trap that loeaves the mice alive and undamaged and place it near the place where you think they may be getting in. Then either release them again outside (they will come back) or kill them by flushing them down the toilet. But in an old house (and mine is over 200 years old) it is impossible to keep them out entirely.

Hubby called a while back to ask how Calvin was doing (he had to leave for work right after we took the mouse away from Calvin) and if he is overtly mad at us. He then said how sweet Calvin was looking with the mouse in his mouth . Come to think of it, he was looking adorable - just wish it was one of their toy mice than a real one.

On the related topic of eating random stuff:
Since it's gotten warmer, Calvin and Hobbes have been hunting and eating any occasional houseflies that stray inside the house and I have not paid that much attention. We take them away if we can. Flies are nasty for all the places they've been - should I worry much? Anything I can do to prevent/ keep my cats healthy?

When Chum was living over in the trailer, a mouse got in and he caught it and ate part of it. I talked to the vet, and we gave him drontal to kill any potential tapeworms. But if Calvin didn't eat any of it, I doubt that would be a problem.

When we lived in a house with an unfinished basement, the occasional field mouse would pop through. The washer and dryer were down there, so I'd just check the boxes we stored down there every time I did wash to make sure there weren't any nests being built. You might want to spend some time reorganizing the stuff you've got stored down there so it's easy to see if you've got any mice that "moved in" instead of mice that are passing through.

As to the flies... I'd probably just call the vet and ask if there's anything you should do. I doubt they need Revolution or something. I know Ming Loy eats the odd moth or spider. But it always feels better to ask!

Originally Posted by Calvin&I

Hubby called a while back to ask how Calvin was doing (he had to leave for work right after we took the mouse away from Calvin) and if he is overtly mad at us.

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Calvin will get over it I doubt he considered that mouse as a meal. I think it was more about the "toy" was moving and being interactive so Calvin became possessive of it.

But I'll bet he will be down in the basement on vigilant guard looking for the next interactive toy!

My cats have always eaten what bugs they can find. There are a lot of spiders, particularly, in the basement. Never caused any problems. I consider it one of the ways they earn their keep.


Robin

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Calvin will get over it

I doubt he considered that mouse as a meal. I think it was more about the "toy" was moving and being interactive so Calvin became possessive of it.

But I'll bet he will be down in the basement on vigilant guard looking for the next interactive toy!

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You would think so, right? But they have not been to the basement since morning when we took away the mouse.

@jennyranson
I don't know how much of a mess it would be but it was also in my mind along with Calvin falling ill, since this would be a huge change in his diet. I actually can see that for Calvin it could have been a "toy" as Natalie_ca suggested since we do not know how long Calvin had it and since he was not really eating it but holding it in his mouth. Also the picky eaters that Calvin and Hobbes are, i also thought that what if after eating a mouse, if they don't want to go back to eating canned food (which they are not eating either ways - but that's another post )
I have been googling a bit and a humane trap may be the way to go, if we find a mice infestation. I just don't know how I will bring myself to killing them and so releasing them would be the way to go, I suppose.

@ Laurie
Yes, will have to organize the basement - it's going to be a ton of work but we need to know what's going on. I sent a msg to our petsitter (who I am friendly with) and who works front office at our vet's clinic about the fly - let's see what she says.

@ Robin
I have not really restricted them from their fly hunt since they really seem to enjoy it and "earning their keep" is a great way to look at it.

A note on spiders in the basement . We have to spray every Fall and Spring down there. For some reason, we get very large spiders from the woods, I think. A couple of years ago, I think Pipsqueak was bitten from playing with one and trying to kill it. He got very, very sick and needed emergency care (on a Sunday, of course). He was extremely lethargic, couldn't really move and would not eat/drink. He was fine in twenty-four hours, thank God . The vet at the emergency found a large bite at the base of his ear and upon inspection, I could see it. That spider bite cost a pretty penny and alot of pain/stress for Squeak. . So after that, we religiously spray for spiders now.

What a scary thing with Pipsqueak! I sure can understand wanting to prevent that and doing the spraying for the spiders. But, again, I'm much more afraid of the chemicals for pest control than I am of the actual pests. I had 3 cats die of various cancers in my life, and I'm very suspicious and wary of environmental contaminants, in general.

For example, I'm highly allergic to wasp/bee stings (have to have an EpiPen near at all times because of that and other allergens), but I don't spray them in my yard, and there are lots of nests on my house and garage. And I spend a lot of time in the yard.

I guess one has to choose one's "poison" so to speak and decide which risk is the greatest in one's mind.

And I think killing spiders is unlucky, for me that is, not for my cats. Also, spiders help control the insects in the house.

Robin

Lynxx was an excellent mouse hunter! Even at the end when he was sick, he still got the mouse Once when he got a mouse he started constantly eating, always hungry, but not gaining weight. We took him to the vet, they gave him a pill because he got some type of parasite from the mouse. After that every time he caught a mouse, we took him right to the vet.

There's a mouse some where in the house now. Luna was chasing it, but it was coming right at me, so I screamed. That scared her, and she ran into my room. Midnight got scared from me screaming, and he hid in the living room. After that night I haven't seen any signs of the mouse. Either the cats got him, or he managed to get out when the door was open.

We use Havahart mouse traps. The mouse gets trapped inside, you take it outside, open it and let him go. The trap won't kill the mouse, and most important it won't hurt your cats. We used it to save 1 mouse from Lynxx . So far it's not working with this mouse (assuming the mouse is still alive, and still in the house).

@Lauren
That's so scary - am glad that Pipsqueak recovered but it must have been rouch on him. Poor baby.
We do not see many spiders and they are usually small ones but small ones can be dangerous too. My one concern is the chemicals and we do not have any way to air out the basement so the chemicals would linger there and make it through the vent. Are there any special kinds of sprays that are safer for the kitties? This is such a dilemma. I hear spraying outside often works. I think I should look into it.
@ Robin
I totally understand and share your dilemma. It's unfair the choices one has to make. I will be taking stock of the basement tomorrow and see exactly what the situation is down there and then will have to take some decisions.
@ My4LLMA
Thanks for sharing Lynxx's story. Yes, it's the scare of what the mouse may be carrying was one of the major reasons why we took it away from Calvin. I will look into the Havahart mouse trap, if it comes to that.

Originally Posted by Feralvr

A note on spiders in the basement

. We have to spray every Fall and Spring down there. For some reason, we get very large spiders

from the woods, I think. A couple of years ago, I think Pipsqueak was bitten from playing with one and trying to kill it. He got very, very sick and needed emergency care (on a Sunday, of course). He was extremely lethargic, couldn't really move and would not eat/drink. He was fine in twenty-four hours, thank God

. The vet at the emergency found a large bite at the base of his ear and upon inspection, I could see it. That spider bite cost a pretty penny and alot of pain/stress for Squeak.

. So after that, we religiously spray for spiders now.

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That happened here, too, and we almost lost BooBoo. When he was younger, he was playing with a spider in the foyer and I didn't think too much of it. Well, he swallowed it and, on the way down his throat, the spider must have bitten him. He was almost trance-like for a few minutes and then he just started screaming. We had to rush him to the vet (on a Sunday morning, too, Feralvr) and he was placed in an oxygen tent overnight. Thankfully the next morning, the vet called and asked that I come down and bring the boy home as he was yelling and carrying on for his breakfast and, evidently the other cats in the room were not amused.

I don't allow our cats to play with any kinds of bugs, insects, or anything like that. As soon as they see one, I remove it with a paper towel. It's just too dangerous.