cats and mice
Angela St.Aubin
I am thinking about getting a mouse, but i already have cats. Obviously, i
would keep them separate, and keep the mouse 's cage on a high shelf, but
would the cats and mouse be able to "sense" each other?
Kelly
sense of smell. When I bring my rat to my parents house, she becomes
terrified because she can smell the cats (even though they are physically
seperated). In addition, cats have very good hearing and if they hear the
mice rustling around in the cage, they will do whatever it takes to reach
them (including climbing shelving).
The only way cats and mice can be in the same house is if the mice are
seperated in a room with the door closed at all times. Even if the cats
don't want to kill the mice for food, they will want to play with them, and
if they achieve this they will mall the mouse to death. Putting them on a
high shelf won't work, the cats will inevitably reach the mice.
K.
"Angela St.Aubin" <bo...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:ZkQyb.4333$yd.7...@news20.bellglobal.com...
Meghan
I currently have 4 cats and 5 mice, so I think I can answer your question.
My cats were first, and I got my mice almost a year ago. The first thing I
learned was that sight is only one sense that animals have to sense each
other. More often they use smell and sound to know when something else is
present. When I first brought the mice in, I made sure they had a strong
cover over their (glass) tank. The cats would sit on top of it, which at
the time I thought was ok. Quickly I found that the cats were going CRAZY
trying to get in to the tank (they would run face-first into the glass) and
once they knocked it off the desk and smashed the whole thing. I was VERY
lucky no cats or mice were injured.
Luckily I was able to find a "nook" that was the right opening for the mouse
cage. It is covered by a cabinet and is only as tall and wide as the tank
itself. This way, the cats can't jump on top of it. It is also high up on
a shelf so they can't jump up there either. The cats do still watch, but
from a distance.
It depends on your cat. I had one cat who literally couldn't care LESS that
there were mice in the house. I had one cat who pawed at the cage day and
night. The other two were in between.
Basically, yes I believe they can sense each other. When I take my mice out
to play I make sure the cats are in another room. Think of how scary it
would be for the mouse to smell a predator nearby. And how much of a tease
to dangle a little mouse in front of a cat, who is genetically programmed to
want to chase it. I had one crazy accident where the mouse jumped out of
my hand and down the couch and the cat was trying to catch it - what a mess!
Luckily the mouse was safe.
Since the initial learning stages, my household gets along just fine. Just
be sure that you can find a place to keep your mouse cage where that cats
won't be clawing at or jumping on top of it day and night, and where the
cage can't fall. Then sit back and laugh when you tell people you have cats
AND mice for pets. They'll never believe it. :-)
Meghan
"Angela St.Aubin" <bo...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:ZkQyb.4333$yd.7...@news20.bellglobal.com...
>
Meghan
shelf, but on a specially designed "nook" that is part of a wall. It is
literally like a hole in the wall. I agree that cats WOULD climb shelving
to get to mice. If I didn't have this nook, I would keep them separated in
a different room at all times.
Meghan
"Meghan" <meghan...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:X_Syb.845$Oe5...@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
Flykiller
>would keep them separate, and keep the mouse 's cage on a high shelf, but
>would the cats and mouse be able to "sense" each other?
the cats will sense the mice, and they will never stop trying to eat the mice.
they will jump, they will climb, they will wait, they will lurk, they will
stalk, they will hide and wait for you to walk away and then leap at every
opportunity. you will have to watch the cats every single moment of the day.
I recommend you simply skip the mice and enjoy your cats.
--
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the father, but
through me." john 14:6
Kelly
"Flykiller" <flyk...@aol.com.com> wrote in message
news:20031201222720...@mb-m14.aol.com...
> > I am thinking about getting a mouse, but i already have cats.
Obviously, i
> >would keep them separate, and keep the mouse 's cage on a high shelf,
but
> >would the cats and mouse be able to "sense" each other?
>
> the cats will sense the mice, and they will never stop trying to eat the
mice.
> they will jump, they will climb, they will wait, they will lurk, they will
> stalk, they will hide and wait for you to walk away and then leap at every
> opportunity. you will have to watch the cats every single moment of the
day.
> I recommend you simply skip the mice and enjoy your cats.
I disagree. I have enjoyed mice and currently enjoy rats in the company of
my cats. I keep the cage locked in a spare bedroom so the cats cannot get
at it. And when I take Lucy (my rat) out with me (like when I'm watching
TV) I keep her in a towel where she usually falls asleep in my lap. Most of
the time the cats are off sleeping somewhere and don't go out of the way to
bother with Lucy while she's out with me. And if they are active, they
usually go check out the empty cage that has a more strong rat smell than
Lucy in my lap. I make sure the cats don't visually see Lucy however, or
else it's a dead giveaway and they will lurk in hopes that I might drop her
or something.
A person can definitely safetly have cats and mice.
K.
Kelly
Animals also have a highly adapted sense of smell to detect one another.
And I really have to comment about keeping mice in an enclosed tank. I
really don't recommend this to someone new to mice. Mice are best kept in a
tank with a wire mesh topping, or in a wire cage. Mice urine has a strong
smell and the ammonia build up from the urine inside a tank that is
completely covered or in shelving quickly overwhelms the mice. Unless you
clean out the tank once every couple days, it's no good to keep mice in an
enclosed space.
K.
"Meghan" <meghan...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:X_Syb.845$Oe5...@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net...
Meghan
I guess I wasn't too clear on my setup - of course I would never keep them
in a completely enclosed location - that would be terrible. They do have a
wire mesh top which fits snugly and fresh air flows in and out readily. I
will say that 3 of my mice were born in this tank, so they have known the
cats' scent since birth. My cats never try to get at the tank because, as I
said before, it is an impossible location for them to get to (a literal hole
in the wall). After a few tries they gave up and now only watch
occasionally from the other side of the room. It can be done but only under
the right conditions.
Meghan
"Kelly" <kell...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:5rUyb.5126$zf2.7...@news20.bellglobal.com...
Phil L
Yes, almost immediately they get in the same house!
the cats will never stop wanting to get to the mice so if you do get mice
they will have to be seperated completely at *all times.*
one moment while you are seeing to the mice, then the phone rings or someone
calls and you leave them unattended, the cats will not hesitate to kill
them.
Goldmoon=Hex is Beat
"Angela St.Aubin" <bo...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:ZkQyb.4333$yd.7...@news20.bellglobal.com...
>
Well I guess I will throw my two cents in here too.
I'm a new mouse owner myself. I have two cats and a dog. It is true that
they will since each other. Plus every time Noodles (mouse) eats my cat
(Mango) will hear him. So far I have been lucky with all my pets not going
after the mouse so far. Mango has caught wild mice in the past. He is
interested in the mouse a lot, however I do have him well trained and scared
as all hell of me being mad at him. <G>
This is what I did. For the first two weeks I kept the mouse in a bedroom
with the door shut when I'm sleeping or not home to watch them. Now Noodles
cage is on top of my desk. The cats totally ignore him now when he is up
there. Of course I would not recommend this unless you have well trained
cats. Personally knowing how most cats are it would be best to keep the
mouse in a separate room. Now you may luck out and your cats could be like
my other cat Doorway who is afraid of the mouse. She just recently got where
she will watch him in the cage when I have it down. But when I take the
mouse out she runs. Mango however I do lock up in another room when Noodles
is out. He does listen to me, but I still don't trust him totally. It only
takes a cat a split second to attack. You know your cats better then anyone
else. So your going to have to just try things out, just do it with extreme
caution though. Not every one lucks out as I have.
--
Goldmoon
Richard Casady
wrote:
>The only way cats and mice can be in the same house is if the mice are
>seperated in a room with the door closed at all times. Even if the cats
>don't want to kill the mice for food, they will want to play with them, and
>if they achieve this they will mall the mouse to death. Putting them on a
>high shelf won't work, the cats will inevitably reach the mice.
What nonsense! One of our cats naps on the cover of the mouse tank.
The mice are used to it.
Casady