# Poll: Dealing with a mouse **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 8, 2017, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838 "2017-09-08T20:12:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/21 "2017-09-09T00:04:26Z")
Try this: Buy Boric Acid at a hardware store. Put it in the mouses path. (You cannot have house pets to do this) It’s poison to mice and roaches and I’ve been using it all my adult life. ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/22 "2017-09-09T01:14:10Z")
I’ve got a _cat_ in this hypothetical, you say? Well, then, I’d think the cat would take care of the mice problem \*for \*me, and be pleased to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/23 "2017-09-09T01:21:04Z")
I use mouse and rat poison, first. Since I live out in the country,there is a block under the sink everyday of the year. So far that has handled any problem. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/24 "2017-09-09T01:26:22Z")
Trap. A professional will only enter the picture when I have failed to kill said rodents and the signs/damage continue for more than a week. Or maybe more if the damage seems slight and not serious. So far, over the course of my life, no mouse has lasted past the third day. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/25 "2017-09-09T01:29:36Z")
> [@DLuxN8R-13](#): > > I’ve got a _cat_ in this hypothetical, you say? Well, then, I’d think the cat would take care of the mice problem \*for \*me, and be pleased to do so. You would think so…but he appears to be completely useless in that regard. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/26 "2017-09-09T03:14:57Z")
> [@Cub\_Mistress](#): > > I use mouse and rat poison, first. Since I live out in the country,there is a block under the sink everyday of the year. So far that has handled any problem. He has a \*cat. \*I assume he doesn’t want a _dead_ cat. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/27 "2017-09-09T03:16:57Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Try this: Buy Boric Acid at a hardware store. Put it in the mouses path. (You cannot have house pets to do this) It’s poison to mice and roaches and I’ve been using it all my adult life. The Op stated he had a cat. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/28 "2017-09-09T03:46:07Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > You would think so…but he appears to be completely useless in that regard. You’re not the only one. My two are hopeless. We’ve had the occasional mouse and we use traps out of kitty paw reach baited with peanut butter. We don’t use poison anywhere, even place to which the cats don’t have access because even though my cats are hopeless, I don’t want to risk them ingesting a poisoned mouse. Plus, traps are fast. Internal hemorrhaging from poison is an awful, slow way to go. I don’t like the little jerks, but I don’t want to cause suffering, either. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/29 "2017-09-09T03:54:09Z")
Stalking and chasing and pouncing are instinctual to cats, but the actual killing part has to be learned from mama cat, I think. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/30 "2017-09-09T04:47:24Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > He has a \*cat. \*I assume he doesn’t want a _dead_ cat. Depends. Warfarin based poison probably won’t harm cats unless they’re regularly chowing down on the poison straight. But other chemicals may be worse. > [@DrDeth](#): > > The Op stated he had a cat. I don’t think boric acid is harmful for cats OR mice, and doesn’t work on the latter, only invertebrates, no? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/31 "2017-09-09T05:00:47Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Depends. Warfarin based poison probably won’t harm cats unless they’re regularly chowing down on the poison straight. But other chemicals may be worse.I don’t think boric acid is harmful for cats OR mice, and doesn’t work on the latter, only invertebrates, no? Well, I dont think boric acid is all that dangerous, but "Originally Posted by drad dog View Post _Try this: Buy Boric Acid at a hardware store. Put it in the mouses path. (You cannot have house pets to do this) "_ ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/32 "2017-09-09T05:22:40Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Well, I dont think boric acid is all that dangerous, but "Originally Posted by drad dog View Post > _Try this: Buy Boric Acid at a hardware store. Put it in the mouses path. (You cannot have house pets to do this) "_ Sorry, should have quoted him, not you. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/33 "2017-09-09T05:35:40Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Sorry, should have quoted him, not you. Ok, NP. And you are mostly correct: > **[Is Boric Acid Safe Around Cats?](https://pets.thenest.com/boric-acid-safe-around-cats-6976.html)** > > Boric acid is effective for getting rid of pests like cockroaches and fleas. Even if your cat is sometimes a pest, be careful where boric acid is placed or it could have an unwanted effect on him. T_oxicity Compared to many other household chemicals, insecticides and flea control products, boric acid is not very toxic. A healthy adult cat is not likely to become seriously ill unless a very large amount is ingested. Symptoms usually subside as the boric acid leaves the body, and normally there are no long-term effects. Young kittens, elderly cats or cats with chronic illness may suffer more serious effects._ ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/34 "2017-09-09T14:14:33Z")
An update: we emptied out the cupboard under the sink, and the evidence is undeniable: chewed paper, mouse turds. Bought mouse traps last night (although my wife may want to also bring in an exterminator to find out how it got in, which I suspect will be fruitless…but marriages are built on compromise.) The trap is set. Now we wait. ---
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/35 "2017-09-09T23:19:22Z")
Cats are the best option. But having a cat and glue traps around is not, albeit very funny, a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/36 "2017-09-10T15:50:46Z")
Update: Got 'im. The cat did his bit, by dragging the trap + corpse out into the middle of the kitchen floor. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838/37 "2017-09-10T17:01:18Z")
Good kitty … word got to her over the caternet that I was going to suggest a better cat … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-dealing-with-a-mouse/795838.md?page=1)