Mice are destructive creatures when they invade your home. They tear up building materials, leave droppings around your house and have the capability of spreading disease. Although the rodents are small and seem unexceptional, they’re not easy to control when they make a nest on your property. Mice are agile mammals that are more intelligent than you think, and their aggressive breeding practices can add up to 60 mice in a year. There are several techniques used for rodent removal, but are cats effective in controlling mice?

The Rivalry Between Cats and Mice

The relationship between mice and cats is a topic that’s referenced in popular culture frequently, but often, the myths about the rivalry distort the truth. Cats enjoy hunting and sometimes consuming mice, but they’re a far cry from an effective predator. Cats feast on mammals more than any living thing in the wild, but domesticated cats have fewer reasons to expend energy on a mouse hunt. If you have a cat in your home, you’re unlikely to rely on mice to keep the animal healthy. Since cats enjoy commercial cat food and sometimes human treats, they have less of a drive to hunt for food. Cats retain their wild instincts and will chase a mouse in your home, but they’re not going to stalk around your house looking for the nest.

The Effect of Multiple Predators

In recent years, researchers have discovered that the relationship between cats and mice is more complex than previously believed. A single feline living in a house is not a strong deterrent for a mouse invasion. Although mice fear cats, the rodents can maneuver through small passages and cracks where cats cannot follow. However, a home with multiple pets can convince mice to stay away at least temporarily. If you have a cat and a dog or two cats, mice are less likely to build a habitat in your home. The threat from multiple predators can convince rodents to find a less hazardous environment to make a family.

How Mice Detect Cats

Mice can detect the presence of cats from the smell of their urine, and as soon as they get a whiff, they’ll move in the opposite direction. Mice are hardwired to recognize the smell and fear it, but some mice have a different reaction to the scent. Mice who were raised inside buildings instead of the wild are less likely to fear cat urine. In fact, these rodents can become sexually aggressive towards the opposite sex after smelling urine.

How Mice Can Evade Capture

A mouse scurrying across the floor is a tempting target for a hungry cat, but they’re less likely to wander around when they sense a feline. Your cat may get lucky and grab a mouse, but the cat cannot dispose of a hidden nest. Nests are constructed behind walls and hard-to-reach areas in the attic. Cats are quick hunters, but they cannot scale walls or climb up electrical cords like a mouse. Mice can also warn their family with vocal commands if a cat approaches the area.

How To Prevent an Infestation

Keeping your home rodent-free is not tricky, but it does require a thorough inspection and possible modifications to your property. Check your basement, foundation, attic and walls for small cracks or holes and fill them to block access. Mice can squeeze into a hole with a diameter of a quarter, and they can climb virtually any wall with a texture they can grip. Clearing your property of old brush, food waste and decaying wood can make your property less hospitable to rodents.

When you require pest control in Cambridge, you shouldn’t attempt to remove them with ineffective commercial products. Rodents could attack if you approach a nest, but you can trust professional technicians to handle your mouse problem effectively. Contact Truly Nolen to remove the mice humanely and prevent another infestation.