Mice Advice 🐭

[IllusiveOwl]

My house is infested with mice and my cat has been regularly catching the ones that the traps don't, leaving me to have to deal with them.

This is literally a matter of life & death for these poor vermin. They're very cute, but I am unsure it's ethical to let them loose outside to freeze, be eaten by stray cats, or infest someone else's home.

Oneness, morality, spirituality, it's all lovely in practice but the blunt reality of it is staring me right in the face with two cute beady little black eyes.

Do any of you have opinions or advice from an esoteric point of view outside of "kill it quick" or "free it"?

This feels like a opportunity for us to prod out our underlying beliefs when it comes to dealing with "vermin" in our "homes".

[Edit: I'm realizing this should probably go into Q&A, but I'm unsure how to delete or move this thread. )

 

[Yazata]

When my cat catches a mouse I try everything I can to help the little guy escape and set him loose in the yard. It has only happened two times that it was already too wounded to have a chance of survival and then I killed as quickly as I could (put it in a paper bag and stomp on it as hard as possible). If the mouse looks to be fine but just scared I'd let it out if I were you.

 

[IllusiveOwl]

put it in a paper bag and stomp on it as hard as possible

Brutal. Did you say a prayer or try to trap its soul or something?

 

[Yazata]

No not a prayer necessarily but I did "speak to God" saying that I knew that to be the best thing to do.
If any insect or whatever comes in my house I will spend as much time as it takes to catch it and let it out. Live and Let live. Only exception is wasps because those will eventually attack you.

 

[Sabbatius]

As long as you do not use any poison, either place them in a cage and keep them inside or go ahead and let them out. Mice are communal so any nest outside is being built by those who have not come inside.

I also highly despise the use of poisons, in case you thought of doing so. Many raptors I have worked with have died after catching mice and rats that were poisoned by humans trying to clear their steads of the cute pesky furballs. The poison stays in their systems for days and they do not always die right a way. If outside and caught by a raptor, the raptor digestion almost instantly is

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and their avian digestion reacts quicker due to a higher metabolism than the mammals they consume.

 

[Faria]

Mice cannot abide the smell of spearmint. Get some quality spearmint oil and spray or wipe on all your baseboards.

 

[IllusiveOwl]

Mice cannot abide the smell of spearmint. Get some quality spearmint oil and spray or wipe on all your baseboards.

This is actually fire, I wish that was a reaction emoji.



My girlfriend drowned the mouse with a spatula and I sang a very passionate rendition of Amazing Grace, there was some poison on it so we couldn't release him.

Rest in peace, Stewart, I promised him I wouldn't use his blood for ritual, even though I wanted to.

 

[Faria]

I keep an empty habitat in the garage with shelter and an exercise wheel. When the cat brings in a rat or something, I put the creature in there until it recovers or the weather improves. Here's to hoping you can get some spearmint oil, we used to get it from New Directions.

 

[Rowena]

Some creatures lives are destined to be a brief crunchy squeak - and small prey animals like rats, mice, and small birds are going to end up as a snack for cats, foxes, and other small predators. All you are doing by 'rescuing' them from a cat, is denying the cat the expression of their nature as a predator, by pandering to your own squeamishness.
If you are squeamish, have a soft spot for rodents, and want a fluffy animal to pet, don't get a cat - get a pet chinchilla, rabbit, rat or other hapless beady-eyed critter instead.

Do any of you have opinions or advice from an esoteric point of view outside of "kill it quick" or "free it"?

Treat it as a learning experience, and use it to both learn about the cycle of life & overcome your squeamishness.

 

[IllusiveOwl]

pandering to your own squeamishness

You both added nothing to the discussion and went for the throat, ouch. Give the bad side of your bed my regards.

Squeamishness is not the case, I just happen to have an acute awareness that I will be bringing the Big Black Bag to the life of another creature, something that deserves respect and consideration.

denying the cat the expression of their nature as a predator

I have my cat shit in a literbox and clip her nails weekly because it is my apartment and want it undamaged, so I will not have her goring a rodent in my living room, predatory nature or no.

Thank you for your negativity, it allowed me a chance to grow in restraint and forgiveness ✨️

 

[Robert Ramsay]

We only ever had one mouse. I found out where it got in, blocked the hole, caught the mouse in an humane trap and released it in our local park.

I baited the humane trap with margarine, which apparently they love. Who knew?

 

[IllusiveOwl]

 

[Asteriskos]

Some interesting reactions here! I'm personally Not Heartless, but I Do Know This: "Nature is Red in Tooth and Claw!". And, I didn't read it in a Book! I've seen it with My Own Eyes, and Experienced it in my Life. It's definitely a Rite of Passage to be Sure! Do what You Feel is Right, Fuck Everything Else!

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As long as you do not use any poison, either place them in a cage and keep them inside or go ahead and let them out. Mice are communal so any nest outside is being built by those who have not come inside.

I also highly despise the use of poisons, in case you thought of doing so. Many raptors I have worked with have died after catching mice and rats that were poisoned by humans trying to clear their steads of the cute pesky furballs. The poison stays in their systems for days and they do not always die right a way. If outside and caught by a raptor, the raptor digestion almost instantly is

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

and their avian digestion reacts quicker due to a higher metabolism than the mammals they consume.

My wife and I have seen too much of this as well. We're semi-rural, and surrounded by unincorporated county woods. Cats roam around and get poisoned by sick rodents. I tried to save a beautiful hawk that I came across in a field, it was uninjured physically, but in agony and obviously ate a poisoned varmint, county animal control did the honors (after I raised hell) and put it to sleep. Neighbors put poison inside and outside of homes and yard barns, etc. Sooner or later it shows up in the domestic and wild animals food chain, Horrible way for animals to Die!

 

[IllusiveOwl]

Do what You Feel is Right, Fuck Everything Else!

Words to live by, thank you for that reminder & advice