I might get a cat

[zinfamous]

Get a rat snake and release it in your crawl space. Far, far better rodent control than a cat. Best part is that you don't have to deal with it and you will likely never see the thing. If the snake is well-fed, it will just live in your crawl space and stay well-fed due to your rodent problem, which is a good thing for you. If it isn't, it will leave and find some other place with mice...which is also good for you because it means that you have no mice.

 

[DaveSimmons]

... and then a gorilla to deal with the Chinese needle snake

More seriously, that's just crazy enough to work. As long as it's a male snake, you don't want to end up like Samuel Jackson on that plane.

 

[ultimatebob]

Not all cats will catch mice. Over the years I have had two that could care less about mice.
Try cleaning up the food source and get the entry points closed up

Yeah, it depends on the breed and the personality of the cat. My domestic short hair (adopted barn cat) is a mouse killing machine, but my (adopted from a wealthy relative) Persian cat is afraid of basically everything that moves.

 

[FeuerFrei]

Feed it about a cup a day.

Easy to maintain, although ..
- Once a year you might get extra fluff on things, thanks to shedding.
- Cats like exploring new spaces, mostly looking for spots to curl up - boxes, cupboards, closets. Cat may leave debris behind in the chosen curl-up spot when it grooms itself - unless you have already fastidiously groomed it yourself.
- Cat may adopt a couch corner for clawing action. Usher it outside to find a tree root.
- Cat may be desperate to join you inside and leap onto a window screen. Pretty funny to see it peeking in, hanging on for dear life, but it's not good for the screens.
- If you feed it rich scraps, like fish flesh, it may subsequently puke on your coat that was lying on the bed. Have to be careful with luscious human-food morsels. Kitteh may come to find her normal kitty food below her standards.

Those are the pitfalls of my last female cat that lived 16 years.

 

[Rifter]

Same cats hunt mice, some dont.

My female cat will hunt anything she thinks she can take down, even tried to fight racoons before if she sensed they were hurt and she had an advantage.

My male cat on the other hand is a giant ball of furry purry love and never cared about hunting or hurting anything in his life, you can see it in his face that he even feels bad when he gets to excited playing and accidentally scratches you.

 

[john3850]

My wife has always had 6 to 7 cats for years as soon as one dies it gets replaced sad.
If you like a clean nice house avoid cats.
When I wake up I need to keep a open eye for hairballs etc.
I had to replace tiles in three rooms tiles are cheaper then area rugs.
After having my first and last cat declawed it lost one of its legs that cat lived another 16 years and loved to be loose outside.
The cat hair ends up in the pc were the fans cut it up to almost dust.
The only good thing is the cats get the mice the female cats are the best for mice.

 

[shortylickens]

have a mouse issue
I REPEAT CATS DONT SCARE THE MOUSE./...;.;.;.; THE MOUSE SCARE THE CAT!!!!!!!!!
You have been warned!

 

[esquared]

See, I'd like to avoid that. My cat's worship me, and if my girl runs in fear because she doesn't want to get ear pricks/shots, she won't have any kind of life to speak of. I guess I need to see where her sugar's at, and figure it out from there.

My previous cat of nearly 15 years, was diabetic. I had to give him 2 shots a day for 2 1/2 years. He didn't mind the shots, but in the end
cats that have diabetes live for 2+ years after being diagnosed. I eventually have to put him to sleep. It still hits me hard when I think about it.

The only way you can know for sure is take her to a vet so they can run a glucose curve. You will have to leave the cat there for the day.
http://www.vetsulin.com/vet/Cats_Monitoring_About.aspx

 

[LPCTech]

It is very important to get 2 cats or more. Not 1 solitary cat. You are dooming it to a lonely life where it will never have any of its own kind to interact with. And cats are way more social than you expect them to be. My cats wait for me to get home like 2 dogs. They roll around on the floor and want to be petted. When you are gone they can play and snuggle and not be alone. I feel so sad whenever I see someone that has just ONE lonely cat. Also, 2 cats improves the chances of catching mice and one more cat isnt that expensive. 2 cats cost about 1.5 cats. If you know what I mean. And always shelter, and siblings if possible. I feed my cats wet food twice a day and have kibble and fresh water always available.

 

[Thebobo]

Here's what you need

• Litter box
• Litter box liner
• Litter
• Litter scoop
• Dry and or wet cat food
• Bowls for food and water
• Cat toys
• Nail clippers (human nail clippers work ok)
• Squirt bottle
• Collar

What to look for:

All very good advice but a couple things I don't use liners
never used a squirt bottle , too much electrics.
Inside cat and it won't get out ever! Muhhaha no collar.

 

[ultimatebob]

I never used a cat box liner, either. Not a bad idea, though. The damn critters like to bury their pee in the corners of the litter box.

 

[Paratus]

All very good advice but a couple things I don't use liners
never used a squirt bottle , too much electrics.
Inside cat and it won't get out ever! Muhhaha no collar.

I never used a cat box liner, either. Not a bad idea, though. The damn critters like to bury their pee in the corners of the litter box.

Cat box liners are good for regular litter. With scoopable I don't use them.

 

[Thebobo]

Get your cat yet?

Buddy plays Riff

 

[Geekbabe]

Females are better mouserers but males are friendlier. We have two, Resident Evil, a tiny, 10 yr old female & Grayson, a 16 pound hunk of purrsonality who followed me home from the park & lived on my porch all summer.

My advice, get two, particularly if you want adult cats, many surrenders at shelters are cat pairs who have been together a long time, taking both makes the transition easier on them.

 

[evident]

I know getting from shelters is the right thing to do, but I got my two ragdolls from a reputable breeder and couldn't be happier. No ragrets

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Get your cat yet?

Buddy plays Riff

So cute. I used to house sit for my friend who had a kitten who would love to either sit on my computer or sit on my lap when I was gaming.

 

[jman19]

My cats have never had a problem catching mice. Even the lazy old beast I have now caught a mouse not too long ago before I even knew there was one in my abode.

 

[Linux23]

http://www.acehardware.com/product/..._clickid=67cc5844-973a-42e1-bd7c-889e7571b164

i have cameras in my house, these mice will navigate around traps and any other obstacles I place before them.

 

[Linux23]

Some cats will chase mice. One of our cats is our ourdoor mouse/squirrel/bird/rabbit'er and her daughter was our indoor mouser. Cats dont look at mice as food but as playthings that go splat and leave nice red streaks so if you do get a cat that likes going after mice make sure you are close enough to take its "toy" away from it or else you will be cleaning blood up from everywhere. You have been warned

Make sure to take your daughter with you when going to the shelter and have HER spend time with the cat. You need to see how it acts near little kids and how she acts near cats. At four she might not realize that tails arent handles, cats cant be ridden, etc. An older cat might be better if you can find one with a good attitude but it might not go after mice...

first, ew about the blood. lol

second, good point about taking my daughter to meet the cat so she has input on the matter.

 

[Linux23]

I'd suggest going to the shelter by yourself and find a cat you like. Then come back with your daughter. That way you can introduce yourself to the cat and then once the cat knows you, bring your daughter. Also avoids any issues if you decide to not get a cat after visiting the shelter (disappointing daugher)

excellent point as well.

 

[Thebobo]

excellent point as well.

No cat yet? omg omg omg omg hurry up already!.

 

[Linux23]

Yeah I think the breed makes a difference. I have a Ringtail cat and man he's a social guy. Sometimes he'll be scratchin at the door when I'm unlocking it after a longer day at work, and then proceed to do his famous "rear up" maneuver where he jumps up on his hind legs and brushes against me if I put my hand down. LOL it's so funny/cute. He also always sleeps next to me up on the bed at night and if I lay down on the futon to take a nap it's a matter of seconds before he jumps up and cuddles next to me.

KITTY

Loaf mode engage (I call it his "loaf mode" cause he looks like a loaf of bread lol)

LOL. so cute I have to admit.

 

[Linux23]

there are 4-5 cats that come through my backyard regularly, i just leave some food out. blue buffalo salmon, the good stuff

maybe i'll do that. i heard strays pick their owner.

 

[Linux23]

No cat yet? omg omg omg omg hurry up already!.

lmao. not yet. this is not like picking a case of beer.

you guys presented me with a lot of options plus the girlfriend is jealous of another pussy in my house. FML.

 

[Avalon]

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but you'll absolutely want at least 1 good scratching post. Cats need somewhere to maintain their claws. A post with sisal rope is often best, although sometimes your cat may prefer rug or cardboard posts. If you have a larger home, you may need more than 1 scratching post. This will save your furniture.