I spent way too much time this weekend trying to get equipment ready to go. Much of that time was spent trying to remove mouse nests from air cleaners, manifolds, and inaccessible nooks and crannies on one tractor, one riding lawn mower, a walk behind tiller, and another push mower. I haven't even uncovered the fishing boat yet. I used compressed air, shop vac, wire, and even forceps to pull their nesting material out of places it shouldn't be. I've had some in the past but never this much, although I had to rewire all of the lights on an older tractor once.
All of this hardware is kept in my barn. The barn is also winter shelter provided by me for 3 cats. I feed them enough to keep them alive but not so much that they give up hunting I thought. I give them water, and love, and wormer or antibiotic if they need it. They manage to murder songbirds at the feeders. I know they catch some mice but obviously not enough. I have distributed poison bait throughout and I expect that will help. Thankfully the mice did not eat the electrical wiring out of anything this time.
The cats' annual performance review is coming up and one is obviously pregnant. Anybody got any alternative mouse control methods? Because I'm not gonna keep feeding cats if they aren't doing the one and only job they're tasked with. I know .22 rimfire is scarce but I've got some on hand and looking for any other options.
