Will Cat Litter Keep Mice Away? Vet-Approved Facts & Info
Unless it’s a pet, the idea of a mouse running around in your house is troubling. Mice carry diseases and are considered a public health risk, particularly for children and those with compromised immune systems, and you may be curious about effective methods to get rid of them. Is kitty litter one of them?
Yes and no. It isn’t cat litter that will keep a mouse out of your house; it is the cat’s presence, scent, feces, and urine, with urine being particularly effective. Bear with us. Using pee to keep mice away isn’t as gross as it may sound, and it’s actually an inexpensive, relatively safe, and humane way to keep the little critters out. Keep reading to find out how this works and what other options you have if it doesn’t!
Using Cat Litter to Keep Mice Away
Most mice are instinctively conditioned to turn and run at the mere whiff of a cat, and they also seem to avoid cats if they can smell a cat’s urine or scent in an area 1. A litter box is an area a cat frequently visits and serves as a “beacon” of sorts when it comes to emitting these scents.
The ability of a cat’s scent, and interestingly, their urine 2 is what makes using cat litter such a good idea. However, it’s also important to keep expectations realistic. A litter box or cat may help deter mice to an extent; however, mice are clever and may use other routes to get into your house. In the event of an infestation, it’s best to seek help from pest control. However, if mice are a rare but annoying occurrence in your house, a litter box that’s strategically placed may prove helpful.
It is just as important to remember that a dirty litter box is very unhealthy for your cat. You shouldn’t purposefully delay litter box cleaning to produce a “stronger” repellent effect. A mouse’s sense of smell is far superior to ours, and a mouse can certainly smell a cat, their feces, and their urine well before we ever smell them.
Cat Litter Doesn’t Always Work
If mice are exposed to cat’s scents at a young age, they may react differently to the smell later in life. In fact, mice can permanently lose their innate aversion to any predator this way.
Mice can also lose their fear of cats if they're infected with a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite is found in many birds and mammals but only reproduces sexually in a cat’s intestines.
A mouse infected with the parasite may lose its natural fear response to the smell of cat urine, which makes it easier for a cat to catch and eat it, thus ensuring the parasite survives. However, this also causes you a problem. Toxoplasma is shed in a cat’s poop, and the same litter you are using to scare mice away could also be the reason it doesn’t work very well in the future. It is also a health risk for humans, particularly pregnant women.
Other Options Available to You
If using kitty litter doesn’t work out, there are other ways to keep your rodent problem under control. Prevent them from getting into your house in the first place by searching for any holes, cracks, or pipes they may use to enter your home. Make sure your house isn’t as tempting by keeping it clean, and ensure all food (human and pet) is stored in mice-proof containers.
Humane traps are an excellent option, but if you release mice too close to your home, they will track their way back, and you’ll just be repeating a never-ending process. In terms of mousetraps, cats are curious and can get hurt by them, too, and killing one mouse leaves a space for another to move in and take its place. If you end up turning to a professional and using an exterminator, make sure they know you have household pets before they create a plan for you.
Conclusion
Tom and Jerry provide insight into how complicated the relationship is between cats and mice. Sometimes, the presence of a cat and its litter box is enough to keep a family of mice away from your home, but you’ll need to use other methods if the litter is ineffective. Whichever technique you use, ensure you can resolve your rodent problem while keeping your pets and family safe.
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Sources
Featured Image Credit: EvGavrilov, Shutterstock
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Kerry-Ann lives in Scotland and would love to have a bigger garden so she could have her very own Highland cow. But her dogs probably wouldn’t like that idea very much. She has a La Chon called Harry who was sick with a liver shunt when he was a puppy. It wasn't likely he would make it into adulthood, which was difficult to comprehend, but he beat the odds and is a healthy old man now. She also has a Pug called Maddie who is a big foodie. She’s small, sassy, and every day she finds a new way to wind her brother up.
When she isn’t writing you can find Kerry-Ann going for long walks when it isn't raining, reading, or watching cartoons. She would one day like to be a tourist in her own country and travel through the Highlands with her family.
