# A mouse in the house **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 15, 2019, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545 "2019-06-15T06:22:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/1 "2019-06-15T06:22:04Z")
A while ago, I was working upstairs, and my husband was asleep in the bedroom. The cat, downstairs, started meowing loudly. She wouldn’t stop. I tried to engage her verbally, to let her know that I was upstairs. She still meowed quite loudly. This behavior was not typical of her, and it occurred to me that maybe something was wrong, that perhaps she was sick or injured in some way. I was about to go downstairs, when she came up and was furiously engaged with something in the corner of the hallway. I couldn’t see what it was, until she brought it out and dropped it onto the bedroom floor, next to the bed. It was a dead mouse, about 2 inches long, not counting the tail. We had never had any critter in the house larger than an occasional centipede, years ago. It must have gotten in when the DirecTV installer had the patio door open. I spent the next 5 minutes disposing of the still-warm body and praising the cat for the good job she’d done. My husband slept through the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/2 "2019-06-15T16:08:33Z")
Our cat, Sabrina, is also a good mouser. Many’s the time I’ve gone out to feed her and found a little corpse (or maybe just that mysterious green-grey organ) brought up onto the doorstep for me to inspect. We call her The Mighty Hunter. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/3 "2019-06-15T18:38:06Z")
In one of my old apartments in NYC, I used to get very tiny mice, about the size of my fingernail. One of my cats loved to leave them, still semi-alive, in my shoes. The cat in the OP, by the way, has been declawed. Still a good mouser. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/4 "2019-06-15T18:58:58Z")
When I was at uni I lived in an old Victorian rambler of a house, one night a bat came in through the old fireplace! Yikes! The house was segmented into apartments in such a way that there was no easy exit available. So it just kept swooping up to the high ceiling then down near the floor, no doubt seeking an Exit! I ran out onto the porch to get away from it and our cat, who was out there became interested in what all the commotion was about and headed inside to see for himself. Once in the room he immediately assumed that tiger like, ready to spring crouch. On the next swoop downward he snatched it right out of the air, put it into his mouth and went and stood at the door to go out! When I let him out he went two feet onto the porch and, with one or two crunches, ate the bat! The whole process took less than a minute I swear! BEST house pet EVER ! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/5 "2019-06-15T19:10:46Z")
If you say it with a Canadian accent, is it a moose in the hoose that wants to get oot? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/6 "2019-06-15T20:02:40Z")
It’s lucky Bruce Wayne didn’t own a cat. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/7 "2019-06-15T23:30:37Z")
My cat Atilla caught a mouse last night. It was alive, at first, as the cat was toying with it. I tried to get it from him, to kill it myself, but he grabbed it again and ran off. I hope he ate it and disposed of it that way. Once, several years ago, he left the back end of a mouse for me to find, back feet, tail, and a few guts. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/8 "2019-06-15T23:58:59Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > If you say it with a Canadian accent, is it a moose in the hoose that wants to get oot? Ah, the majestic mouse. A mouse once bit my sister. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2019, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/9 "2019-06-16T00:28:46Z")
You want this. > **[Amazon.com : Victor M310S TIN CAT Live Catch Mouse Trap : Patio, Lawn &...](https://www.amazon.com/Victor-Humane-Live-Mouse-M310S/dp/B01LN44X8G)** > > Amazon.com : Victor M310S TIN CAT Live Catch Mouse Trap : Patio, Lawn & Garden They work, trust me on that. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/10 "2019-06-16T03:57:41Z")
Humane, hell. Any mouse inside a house deserves to DIE. Congrats on the kitty being a good baby! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2019, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/11 "2019-06-16T08:54:29Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > When I was at uni I lived in an old Victorian rambler of a house, one night a bat came in through the old fireplace! Yikes! The house was segmented into apartments in such a way that there was no easy exit available. So it just kept swooping up to the high ceiling then down near the floor, no doubt seeking an Exit! I ran out onto the porch to get away from it and our cat, who was out there became interested in what all the commotion was about and headed inside to see for himself. > > Once in the room he immediately assumed that tiger like, ready to spring crouch. On the next swoop downward he snatched it right out of the air, put it into his mouth and went and stood at the door to go out! When I let him out he went two feet onto the porch and, with one or two crunches, ate the bat! The whole process took less than a minute I swear! > > BEST house pet EVER ! I seem to remember that in one of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” tales, the heroine gets herself tied in verbal knots wondering “Do cats eat bats?” and / or the other way round. Here’s her answer ! ---
**Author:** ![48Willys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/db5fbb/32.png) [@48Willys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/48Willys)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/12 "2019-06-17T01:13:37Z")
Panache45, Unless you want more mice, you might want to look at the hole the DirecTV installer drilled in the house to snake the cable through. If it is not sealed well, you might just have a mouse highway. I am proud of your cat she is a keeper! ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/13 "2019-06-17T02:09:07Z")
> [@48Willys](#): > > Panache45, Unless you want more mice, you might want to look at the hole the DirecTV installer drilled in the house to snake the cable through. If that’s how the mouse got in, chances are quite good that the cat is already looking at that hole. Because she does want more mice. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/14 "2019-06-17T04:29:09Z")
We had two half-sister cats. Same Tom, different mothers. One was an excellent hunter and could catch insects or the occasional mouse, but loved to play with the things rather than finished them off. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/15 "2019-06-17T10:22:39Z")
> [@48Willys](#): > > Panache45, Unless you want more mice, you might want to look at the hole the DirecTV installer drilled in the house to snake the cable through. If it is not sealed well, you might just have a mouse highway. Yes, since the mouse episode there have been two large centipedes. And those are just the ones I know about. Time to patch that hole. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/16 "2019-08-09T05:31:13Z")
I was just down in the basement, and witnessed something scurrying away. All I got a chance to see was a long black tail before it disappeared. Probably another mouse. So they’re somehow coming in through the basement. With all the hidden nooks and crannies, good luck trying to find their entrance locations. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/17 "2019-08-09T08:22:15Z")
Or it came in the other hole and found its way to the basement. Actually, did the DirecTV installer put boxes in more than one room? There may be more than one hole drilled into the house. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/18 "2019-08-09T12:52:37Z")
No, there’s only one hole, and it’s too small for a mouse. We live in an 80yo house, and the basement has areas that are totally inaccessible, but may be hiding entranceways for a mouse. But we’ve never had this problem before. The basement door is kept closed, and it’s flush with the floor. I’m not even sure whether what I saw was a mouse. It could have been some kind of small lizard; all I saw was a long black tail. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/19 "2019-08-09T13:51:26Z")
We had a rat chew through A/C wires; I foamed the hole in cinder block where the wires entered the house. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545/20 "2019-08-14T06:48:38Z")
I noticed a furry little intruder in my living room just the other night. I already had a couple of glue traps still deployed from the last time I had such a problem, and I was able to bolster that with a spare pack I hadn’t needed to open, so I think my defenses are in pretty good shape. Now I just sit in anticipation of hearing some anguished squeaking. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mouse-in-the-house/835545.md?page=2)