cats and fieldmice

[butterfly76]

I have recently moved to the country and have a big problem with my cat constantly killing field mice or me trying to catch them around the house because they have managed to get away. Has anyone got any ideas how I can make him stop? Thanks

[Lillabet]

Your chances of changing his hunting instincts are very low. Instead why not make it harder for him? A bell on his collar could help alert the mice to the cat's presence and increase their chances of escaping and not being brought in to your house.

[tetherend]

Lillabet's advice is good, but your moggy is only doing what comes naturally.  He/she probably thinks you should be proud of what they've hunted.

[netibiza]

Welcome to the world.  My cat is always bringing  mice, rats and lizards into the house.  The lizards are alsways chomped in half, the mice run riot and I have to "broom" them out, luckily the rats are always dead on arrival, but as field rats are only like big mice.  Wish I could stop this instinctive killing.  In winter every robin which appears gets killed.  I hate it but its nature.

[Artful]

The bell is a good idea but my vet is very against anything around the cat's neck s it can easily get hooked on a branch or whateve and strangle the cat. As tetherend and netibiza have said it's instinct and terefore unnatural to try and go against the grain. My cat has been brought up with birds in the house and has larnt he doesn't go for them - result he has never been known to attack birds outside, he sits where he can see them but doesn't bother them. He hunts rodents but has never brought one indoors.

[hugoboss]

when i lived in scotland, my old cat used to bring in rabbits!! real live big ones!!

it's like they all say above, it is instinct, can't do a lot about that i'm afraid!

my cat has a collar with a bell, but the collar is loose enough for him to get his head out of it if he gets stuck somewhere. he's never brought any animal back, but that may have something to do with him being a lazy old thing!

[Artful]

Ah, hugoboss, that's why Boots never returns with a 'trophy'. A friend refers to him as The Indolent Cat!

[gazzawazza]

Netibiza, are you sure the lizards are actually chomped in half?  The reason I ask is that I can remember one of my primary school teachers telling us that if you catch a lizard by its tail it'll break off and another will grow.  I just wonder if this is what's happening with your cat but as cats have lightening reflexes the lizards are still not fast enough to escape.

[butterfly76]

Thanks for all the advice as for the bell, he does have one but it obviously doesnt work. Maybe he needs one that they use in a school playground round his neck, he wont be that quick then!