A PEST expert has debunked the myth that cats keep your homes mouse-free.
But they're not completely hopeless. He said they still have a role to play in keeping unwanted critters at bay.
He was commenting on one woman's experience on the front line of pest control in her house.
Her cat had taken its role seriously and was engaged in hunting down a mini rodent.
“So in our last home, we had a mouse infestation," she said. But she figured it was under control because of her moggy.
Think again said the experts. Felines do not fully address a mice infestation.
While this lady's cat successfully hunted down its prey, there were, in all likelihood, many more where that one came from.
Many many more, according to Pest World (@pestworld), the official TikTok account for the National Pest Management Association.
The numbers were scary: “Mice have an extremely fast reproductive rate. And so families will grow very quickly in a house," said one of the experts.
Don't think you've solved the problem if you have captured one.
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“If you see one there’s probably more to be found," he revealed.
Predatory cats are not the solution to a rodent problem.
“People tend to think that having a cat is going to keep their house mouse-free. But cats are not enough."
They might just move the issue around. But cats could help to protect your home, as their presence makes the mice "migrate" to other places.
“Cats can sometimes suppress mouse activity," he said. "The mice will be active where the cat isn’t."
To back up his theory, he quoted some work done looking at attempts to control the population of rats.
“There was some research in New York City that showed oftentimes, the populations of rats and feral cats, would overlap.
“But it wasn’t because the cats were keeping those rats at bay. They were just making those rats move to different areas."
It was unpleasant reading: “Once the cats were gone the rats came back."
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The moral of the story was don't rely on your cat to control your mouse visitors.
“It’s best to call a pro," he said. “Our pest experts have the best advice when it comes to unexpected pests."
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