Catching a mouse; one humane way

How to Catch a Mouse in The House – The Humane Way!

There are dozens of mouse-trap designs out there, some quite barbaric (and bloody!), others more cleverly and humanely innovative. Yet, in my opinion, you don't need any of

The uninvited guest:

A mouse in the house is not something we typically invite, but sometimes they find their way in; probably more by accident, as they seek out warmth and food and shelter for their survival...just as we might do in their situation.

The dilemma:

Mice certainly have a right to be here on the planet with humans, and I surely don't feel I want to kill them just for trying to survive. On the other hand, it has been said that mice can carry dread diseases. Hmmm...what to do!

To trap or not to trap:

That is the question many of us ask when faced with a mouse in the house; and certainly many will opt to go ahead and set a killer trap so they can "delete" the nasty, germ riddled beast who dared to invade their sanitized space! Others might be more inclined to set a humane trap; one that doesn't kill; one that allows them to release the mouse back outside (do they immediately come back in, or do they wait a day or two first?).

Our all-natural, humane solution to a paradoxical situation: Whenever we get a mouse in the house, our two cats let us know. They don't seem to be interested in eating them, but they surely like to hunt for them and wait for them to scoot across the floor from their hiding places. The mouse usually hides for hours in tiny corners (like under the baseboard heating) where the cats can't get at it. At times, when the cats have succeeded in capturing the mouse, they have managed to cause its demise, and we are left to dispose of the poor creature.

Welcome the "mouse-whisperers":

Yep...you read it right! And why not? There are "horse-whisperers" and other kind of whisperers, why not "mouse-whisperers"? Ok...I know, it's not quite that simple. But, when we have a mouse in the house, we take a small cardboard, plastic or metal box; put a few crumbs of saltine cracker with peanut butter inside the box; place the box as close to where we have seen the cats waiting for the mouse as we can; then, believe it or not, using a flashlight and sometimes a small "prodding tool" (i.e., eraser end of a pencil), we coax the mouse into the box, quickly tip the box upright and close the lid. Once we capture the mouse in the house, we just bring the box outside and leave it under a bush so the mouse can go about its way.

Conclusion:

We are not attempting to encourage anyone to get any closer to a mouse in the house than they currently wish to be. All we are alluding to is the thought that the mouse in the house is most likely far more frightened and confused than we could imagine, and, consequently, might just jump at a chance to hide in a box with food in it! And guess what...? It works!