Do Cats Keep Mice Away? Pros & Cons

Does raising cats to keep mice away from homes? Let’s find out if their litter and scent also scare mice.

A lot of times, important questions are raised about rodent control. These questions border on how to deal with particular pest issues. This article starts with a question; do cats keep mice away?

For a lot of readers, the answer to this question might seem obvious.

As such, most responses will be in the affirmative. However, experience has shown that mice’s presence is not completely gotten rid of by simply having a cat around.

Stick with us as we discuss more on the vital role cats play in mice control.

Are you ready? We are!

Yes. Cats Do Keep Mice Away

Cats are known to prey on mice; however, wild or feral cats are known to be more of mice predators than their household counterparts. Some people might end up getting disappointed at their cats for not being effective hunters.

Well, most cats people keep are being fed. This creates a situation where cats don’t feel obligated to hunt mice. As long as there’s food, hunting down mice are only seen as a game and aren’t as intense and as bloody as feral cats do.

When you bring a cat home, mice can easily pick up their scent. The scent of a perceived predator creates fear.

Such mice are unable to move freely as they did in the past. However, that doesn’t mean they disappear from your home completely.

Rather, such mice will follow or use paths that aren’t easily accessible to cats. This enables them to still live in the same space with cats while avoiding them.

More About Cat Scent

Does cat litter keep mice away? Yes.

One of the ways mice sniff out cat presence is through their litter. The urine and litter have a distinct smell which is recognized by mice. This won’t be too noticeable to you depending on where such litter lies.

As such, you can rest assured that cat presence will do some good.

A Cat Won’t Totally Solve your Mice Problem

If you thought the presence of cats in your home was enough to solve your mice issues, we’re sorry to announce to you that it won’t. As stated earlier, mice will still try to live within the same house with cats but avoid them as much as they can.

So does that mean that cats do not affect mice’s presence? They do!

The point is, when cats are brought in, there’s a noticeable drop in mice activity. Some of these will leave the environment altogether due to safety concerns or fear of cats while the brave ones stick around.

Why Cats Won’t Entirely Fix Your Mouse Problem

We’ve made mention of the fact that although cats do keep mice away, they don’t entirely or completely solve the problem. Some mice remain and thrive even with cats being present.

So, why are cats limited when it comes to tackling a mice issue? It’s due to the following reasons.

  • There Are Still Openings

As long as there are openings around which are used as mice entryways, you’ll hardly find a complete solution to your mice problem. Mice will always find a way in whenever they’re chased by mice.

This back and forth situation between prey and predator continues as long as you don’t seal up your home.

  • Mice Nesting Areas are Out of Reach

Are you still wondering why you still find mice around despite one or more cats?

Well, the reasons might be partly due to mice nesting areas being out of reach. Certain parts of your home might be difficult to access for cats but easy for mice.

This gives mice the advantage and enables them to thrive despite cat presence. Likely nesting spots include crawlspaces, basement, walls, or attics. Any of these areas will be considered ideal by mice but unfavorable territory for casts.  

  • Fast Reproduction Rate

Without a doubt, mice are known to have a fast reproduction rate. Theirs is faster than cat’s This gives them a clear advantage as they always outnumber cats. As a matter of fact, for every mice killed by cats, several more are replaced.

This tilts the balance in favor of mice as they’re ever-present and adding in numbers you can hardly keep up with.

  • Cats Have Different Personalities

By having different personalities, we mean to say not all cats are effective mice hunters. In fact, you may be surprised to find out that some cats are afraid of mice. For others, mice may only be seen as play toys to pass time or exercise.

All of these possible reasons will have a significant impact on mice’s presence. With docile cats around, mice may be initially scared but later become bolder and have a field day.

As such, you might want to know your cat’s personality to determine how effective it will be in mice control.

  • Risk of Disease Exposure

Even with the best mice-hunting cats around, you stand the risk of exposure to diseases, but how so?

Remember, mice are likely to carry all sorts of pests and diseases. Having your cats chasing killing them means such pests or diseases easily get transferred.

This exposes your family to risk as you come in contact with such pets. Your best bet is to try as much as possible to adopt optional mice control methods if you can. This helps protect your family as well as pets from such diseases or pests.

Adopting Preventive Treatment

It’s necessary not to allow a mice infestation break out before trying to play catch-up. Certain preventive measures ensure you don’t deal with mice infestation in the first place. These are easy and straightforward strategies that must be observed.

They include checking for cracks around your walls and foundation and filling or caulking any up.

One of the reasons why you have a mice problem is due to easy access to food. Therefore, consider keeping your kitchen area as well as pantries clean. All foods must be properly stored and kept out of the reach of mice.

What more? Bushes provide cover for mice. Therefore, consider trimming back such bushes and trees which are too close. Install door and window screens as well as door sweeps across all entries.

Cats do keep mice away.

However, we’ve seen that such is limited in the sense that these feline pets aren’t effective predators. To fully contain a mice problem, it’s necessary to take action early enough through the adoption of preventive measures as highlighted above.

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