Rats or mice in the kitchen can be your worst nightmare! Not only can it be quite a shock when you see one scurry around, or hear it rustling around at night, but it can leave unhygienic droppings lying around and make you generally concerned about the state of your food!
Mice and rats are fairly common in cities, and they can make their way in in surprising ways! If you have found that you are sharing your home with an unwanted furry guest, then there are a few approaches you can take. Here we look at what they are:
A Cat!
The most old fashioned method there is! Introduce a natural predator into your home and you may find that your mouse or rat is gone fairly fast. Of course, this isn’t completely reliable – while most cats are adept hunters, you do get the odd one that seems to be a pacifist!
Buying a cat purely to cure your mouse problem isn’t a good idea, because results aren’t guaranteed and cats do live for up to 25 years so as far as mouse control methods go it is a bit of a commitment! If you like the idea of owning one as a pet though, it can be one of the most natural ways to fight a rodent problem, and will also give you a new furry friend to keep you company.
Of course, there is really only one way this is going to end for the mouse, so if you don’t like the idea of killing it, even with a natural predator, then the cat option probably isn’t for you.
Traps
There are lots of traps available for rodents. You can choose a traditional mouse trap as so often seen in cartoons, where some bait is used and the mouse is impaled and killed when they try and eat it, or you can get humane traps where the rodent is caught in a box when it goes for the bait, allowing you to take it and release it outside.
This can be the best option if you don’t want to kill the rodent, but it can be a bit of a waiting game waiting for the animal to come and take the bait, especially if they are feeding themselves quite happily in your kitchen at night.
Professionals
If you really can’t stand the idea of rodents living in your kitchen for a moment longer, then the fastest way to get rid of them is to hire a professional pest removal company. They will be able to assess the situation and apply the right measures to either catch or kill and dispose of your rodents.
They will be able to advise on the methods available to you, and will also be able to find the weaknesses in your home where the mouse or rate got in in the first place, so if you haven’t got the patience to wait for traps or a pussy cat to do their job, this can be the best option.
This article is the brain child of Jade Rose who works at Peregrine, a well-known pest service provider in Alberta. She is passionate about her job and enjoys helping people by writing article pieces on various household issues.
