Do cats keep rats and mice away??

Many people decide to keep cats as pets to use them as a deterrent to mice and rats. However, even if the cat can help to keep the number of rodents down, it is not the best way to ensure that your place will be mice free. There are many factors that will contribute to the success of the cat as a deterrent, and this includes how the mice reproduce, the palette of the cat and the diseases the rodents may carry. The mice are able to detect the presence of cats or predators from their scent, and this will act like a deterrent. However, this deterrent effect is not a guarantee of a rodent free home, and when there is the pressure of the cold air and a dwindling food supply, the effectiveness of using cats as a deterrent is going to decrease.

Even if the cat can help to keep mice out of your living space of the home, it will leave the inside of the ceiling, walls or basement and attic free for the mice to live in peace. The rats or mice may choose to venture outside in the night to get food and they will continue to live hidden away from the cat’s eye in the unoccupied portion of the home. This means that they will keep away from the reach of the cats but will continue to be close to you, and they can continue to spread diseases and damage your home.

The mice or rats may reproduce at the rate of at least 30 to 60 offspring each year, but some may go even higher. The offspring may reproduce at the age of 6 weeks. This means hundreds of mice each year can be produced by only one breeding pair. This is why you have to ensure that you use other methods to kill the rats or mice that cannot be killed by the cat.

The cat might kill the mice and rats, but there is a high level of disease risk and the mouse may get the last laugh. The mice in the home translate into a risk of disease in the humans and the pets. The diseases like Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome may be spread by the mouse to a cat or from the mouse to a human. The money you save by using the cat to catch your mice may be offset by too many bills paid to the vet.

With all the food that you provide to your cat, sometimes they will not be motivated to eat the mice. It is recommended to use professional pest control to ensure that you are able to keep the home free of bugs, pests, rats and mice.

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