If rodents are a problem in your home, two options are available to you: get a cat or hire an exterminator. Naturally, the second choice has a lot of advantages.
Certain feline breeds are better at catching mice than others. The greatest hunters are thought to be the American Shorthair, Persian, Siamese, Manx, Burmese, Turkish Angora, Chartreux, Siberian, Maine Coon, and Japanese Bobtail.
You’ll still need to ensure the cat has a killer instinct because every cat is different. You welcome a new family member into your house when you adopt a cat to serve as a mouser. You must handle the cat appropriately.
Cats are entertaining and lovable pets that make excellent companions, but they also have natural hunter instincts that you can use to keep mice at bay in your home. One significant advantage of having felines around is their fondness for catching mice. You can teach a young kitten how to hunt mice and help it develop the skills and speed required to catch mice in your home.
With a good mousing cat in the house, homeowners frequently notice a decrease in mouse sightings. Is it possible to train a cat that isn’t a good mouser?
This post is for you if the most active your feline gets is when you open a can of tuna. There are things to try and help your cat learn how to mouse or improve its mouser skills.
How to Train a Cat to Be a Hunter
Regardless of what popular films teach us about action heroes, it is not always the oppressed and desperate who make the best vigilantes. Take, for example, hungry cats.
Do you produce your best work when distracted by hunger? Certainly not! Similarly, if your cat’s stomach is grumbling, it will become a garbage hunter. If a cat’s stomach is kept full, it is more likely to hunt for entertainment or sport.
Peer Pressure
When the human touch isn’t enough, your cat will require an older mentor of the same species to show them the ropes. Place him with a true mouser and observe how they share their secrets.
Having your cat observe an experienced, mousing cat will assist them in learning. Having an older feline “show them the ropes” will aid the kitten in learning faster, especially if the cat is young.
Female cats are said to be the best mousing cats because they guide their kittens to mouse when they’re young. Allow your cat to learn from a pro.
Use Increasingly Elaborate Toys
Cats are naturally playful and good at stalking. By honing and practicing that skill, your cat will feel the urge to pounce when seeing a mouse.
When playing, begin slowly and gradually increase your skill level. Get your cat accustomed to chasing a length of string, then add a fake mouse after a while to get them in the mood!
Toys or games for cats with strings or feathers to chase are a great place to start. Create games with your cat in which they can practice hunting and then be rewarded with a treat if they are successful.
Entice Them With Food
Cats are excellent at reasoning with their stomachs! If there appears to be a rodent population in your home, leave treats in that area to encourage the cat to visit. This will also incorporate your cat’s scent, which will help keep rodents away.
It is never a great idea to starve your cat to develop hunting skills. Make sure your cat is eating quality food and in good health. Cat food high in protein keeps their muscles and bones strong, granting them more energy to play and hunt.
The Follow-Through
However, preparing is only the first step; you must also know how to respond to and encourage your cat’s hunting behaviors once they start to assert themselves.
When You Discover Your Cat’s “Gifts,” React Positively
If you play the cards right, your feline will eventually start delivering little gifts onto your front porch, into your slippers, or, if you are especially loved, into your pillow. Prepare for it, and if in doubt, wash everything.
Compensate Them for a Job Well Done
Cat owners frequently discover a whole or piece of a mouse on their doorstep. They will occasionally bring the mouse to you. They’re trying to convey to you how valuable they are, and complimenting your cat on its hunting abilities will help.
Don’t be alarmed if you find dead mice all over your house! Congratulate your cat and lavish them with extra treats.
You’ve prepared for it! Make it clear to your feline that you are proud of them.
When Everything Else Fails
Of course, you could do all this to get your cat to react like a meatloaf. Some cats would prefer to sleep for 20 hours than do anything. Alternatively, if your cat decides to play hide-and-go-kill with rodents, you may later decide that the unsanitary outcome is not for you.
When this occurs, it is time to provide your superhero with a sidekick: a mouse trap.
Keep in Mind Their Age
Your cat may slow down and become increasingly lazy as it ages. This is a normal part of feline aging, and their ferocious hunting abilities may begin to wane. This is normal; your cat is tired and may not have the energy to hunt as much as it used to.
If you have a senior cat, here’s what you have to know when caring for them.
Keep Your Cat Safe
As your cat learns to mouse, you must remove any rodent poisons or traps you have set out. They can be harmful to pets.
It’s critical to remember that you should never use a cat to replace good pest control. While cats aid in keeping the rodent population in check, expert rodent control is required if the problem becomes too severe.
Choose a pest control that is completely safe and non-toxic. As your beloved kitten hunts for mice, rest assured that rodent control is safe for your pets and children and effective and geared to remove rodents efficiently.
A Few Last Words of Advice
Teach your cat how to make mouse traps. Sure, this may be impossible; nonetheless, why not try? Some people train cats to do amazing things, so why not up the ante?
Allow your cat to watch the film “Mouse Hunt.” Mouse Hunt (1997) is a good laugh and an instructional video for your cat if you wish to teach them what not to do when chasing after mice.
Teach your cat to be humble. Nobody likes being roused at three a.m. with a dead mouse on their sheets and their pet staring them down.
This is the outcome of using toys to train them, but there’s a way to avoid it: teach your cat to utilize a proper burial unit in your home. If your cat is an outdoor/indoor hunter, this could be the toilet (you’ll need to train them to flush), a bathroom wastebasket, or an outside area. This is where the treats serve a purpose once more.