Cat behaviouralist needed

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TwoSeven

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#1722350 18-Feb-2017 18:13

Rikkitic:
I wrote a post earlier that somehow disappeared. I can't figure out what happened to it but I was trying to clarify my issue since people seem to be getting the wrong impression.

The problem is that the cat brings live mice inside and lets them go. Then he destroys the house catching them again, usually several times. If I try to intercede in any way, this just encourages him to let them go sooner. I am looking for a way to get him and the mouse outside before he lets it go, but as soon as he sees me make any move he runs further inside instead of outside, even going around me to do so, and then lets the mouse go. I am not fast enough to catch the mouse myself so my goal is to find a way to get him back outside without him releasing the mouse first.

Edit: I forgot to add that if I don't do anything, he keeps letting the mouse go until inevitably it finds a place to hide that he can't get at. Then he walks around in circles yowling until he gets bored and goes to sleep and I am left with another live mouse in the house. This is the part I would like to try to avoid.

I would suggest that the live mice in the house is normal, some people would suggest this is a later stage of your cat teaching you about food - it can also be a practice technique for the cat. The trick really will be in training your cat (as I mentioned previously).

As part of said training, it can be useful to also teach it to take the mouse into a room where it is easier for you to catch said mouse/and or cat.

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wazzageek

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#1724805 22-Feb-2017 23:20

Our last cat I taught through perseverance - If I saw the cat with the mouse, I would lock the cat outside (Until the cat gave up on the mouse or killed the mouse)

If I was too slow (and this might not work from your description) I would catch the mouse as soon as possible, then in view of the cat, kill the mouse and dispose of it. Thankfully the cat wanted to show me the catch, but also wanted to continue to play with it. By destroying it immediately she got the message pretty quick. (I also encouraged her to play outside with the mouse).

Failing the above, I have found the "better mouse trap" laced with peanut butter dispatches mice effectively.

Rikkitic

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#1724962 23-Feb-2017 10:14

There are some good suggestions here but unfortunately they don't really apply to my situation. I live in an old farmhouse out in the countryside. Because of the location our doors are never locked and have never needed to be. Instead of installing a cat door I just leave one door open at night so the cats can come and go. They are used to this and cats don't like changes in their routine so I don't want to lock them in or out. The door they use goes through my room, which is full of nooks and crannies and general rubbish. The cat often brings the mouse in late at night while I am sleeping and starts chasing it around the room, crashing into stuff. A favourite game is to keep letting the mouse go and then catching it again so this goes on for a very long time. I am old and slow and incapable of catching the mouse myself most of the time, and I don't really want to anyway. When the cat catches the mouse, it holds onto it and prances around the room with the mouse clamped in its jaws. The easy solution is to persuade the cat to take the mouse back outside but it never wants to do this. If I make any move to try to herd the cat to the door, it either runs further into the room or drops the mouse. I have had the mouse run over me in bed. I would really like to find a way to avoid this in the future that does not involve denying access to the cats. Maybe that is not possible. I thought someone might have a bright idea I hadn't thought of.

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Geektastic

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#1724998 23-Feb-2017 10:32

My mother told me yesterday of a similar issue with her cat.

She has a large fenced area that the cat can go in (we call it the Guantanamo Bay Cat Fence) and the cat kept bringing her live mice.

She now shuts the window when the cat is out so that it must 'ask' to come in. This has two benefits. First, she can see if their is livestock and second if the cat opens it's mouth to make it's presence known, the livestock can escape!

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#1725001 23-Feb-2017 10:34

PS Although you probably do have rodent poison down, since you live in the countryside, if you do not then perhaps putting some bait stations out would reduce the local population a bit, lessening the availability of presents the cat can bring you...

kiwifidget

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#1725013 23-Feb-2017 10:50

I think a human behaviorist may be better suited to your problem. :)

Its time you showed the cat who is boss, coz at the mo, the cat owns you.

It is common for cats to think they are the boss, indeed this is the real definition of a cat, a feline animal free-loader that exerts considerable control over humans.

Time to put your big undies on, and let the cat know its "your" house, not the other way around.

BTW, I love cats and miss mine terribly, but I wouldn't put up with what yours is doing.

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Geektastic

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#1725022 23-Feb-2017 11:01

kiwifidget:

I think a human behaviorist may be better suited to your problem. :)

Its time you showed the cat who is boss, coz at the mo, the cat owns you.

It is common for cats to think they are the boss, indeed this is the real definition of a cat, a feline animal free-loader that exerts considerable control over humans.

Time to put your big undies on, and let the cat know its "your" house, not the other way around.

BTW, I love cats and miss mine terribly, but I wouldn't put up with what yours is doing.

That's what I said to my mother, who refused to travel to visit family because "the cat wouldn't like it".

She used to have a sign that said "The ancient Egyptians worshipped cats as gods and cats have never forgotten that!"

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