If you own a pet cat, you should discourage her from hunting mice and other rodents.
Since cats naturally are predatory animals and have instinctive hunting skills, discouraging your cat might not be as easy as it sounds. You can have your cat wear a bell on her collar so that any potential prey is given ample time to make their getaway. Because cats tend to hunt at night and rodents become more daring when the sun has set, confining your pet cat inside the home overnight might help control her hunting excursions.
This becomes important since there are various diseases that cats could acquire from mice. Some of them include leptospirosis, the plague, hantavirus (humans cannot get this from cats but could get it from rodents that the cat brings home), and toxoplasmosis (this could be a problem for women who are pregnant).
Mice could also carry roundworms, which is a parasite that lives in the intestines that could trigger weight loss, diarrhea, and vomiting in pet cats. In humans, the parasite could cause a condition known as visceral larval migrans.
Considering the severity of a rodent infestation, you may want to check with professional exterminators for pet-safe options on rodent removal to ensure that only your pets are the animals that get to live in your home.
A sudden change in your pet’s behavior should warrant a call to your animal clinic Marietta, GA. Click here to set an appointment.
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