Absolutely, I would say the stove may be one of the most common places for them to hide. Mice are nocturnal, so they need to nest someplace where they’ll be undisturbed (and unseen) during the day.
You can get covered traps that are essentially a small box the mouse goes into. The snapper is enclosed, so kids and pets are much less likely to get snapped. They’re a little more expensive ($2-$3 each) than the traditional trap ($0.50 - $1), but offer another advantage… you don’t have to see the dead mouse. If you’re squeamish, it’s probably worth the extra buck.
Ditto on this. I got my son to help, because using the foam apparently produces a nirvana like state in adolescent males. He sealed up anything that remotely looked like an opening and several dozen areas that clearly didn’t need anything. If the can hadn’t run out, he’d still be foaming stuff.
The mesh is great for sealing up vents and other openings that need to remain open. Home Depot carries it with its fence supplies.
Sealing is good but I think mice can get into any building no matter how well you think it’s sealed. Best to use traps and get rid of them before they reproduce.
These traps work great, but I’ve found a variation on this to be safer because it can be covered. Get a dowel about 5" longer than the bucket’s diameter, and one about 5" long. Use a spade bit to drill half way through the middle of the short piece, and 1/3 down the length of the long piece. Assemble to form a “t” shape. Drill holes in the bucket about 3-4" from the top directly across from eachother, and thread the t-stick through. Drill a hole above the dowel so the mice can get in, and set the trap where they can get to the dowel. Put peanut butter on the short ends of the t-stick.
Mouse walks in along the dowel, leans out to get the peanut butter, dowel spins, mouse fails first swimming lesson.
I’ve caught up to 5 mice a night with this. You can use non-toxic antifreeze instead of water to prevent odors from the rotting mice if you don’t check it often enough.
It depends on the general lifestyle of the cat. A big fluffy neutered male with lots of toys, will probably not be aware of a rodent situation because he doesn’t explore. I’ve seen the best results from spayed females.
Some people think that just by owning a cat, it will keep rodents from entering the house. If the presence of humans doesn’t bother them, neither will cats.