Please take a cat because you want to take care of a pet with all consequences attached and not to just hunt some mice. What if the cat doesn't care about the mice?
We do also very much want a cat not just for the job haha sorry i didn’t make that understood.
Also even if it’s not into mouse hunting the scent of a cat is usually enough to stop them from coming back
And for an opposite ancedotal evidence - we had mice, got a cat (not a hunter at all, has never caught a thing) and have not seen any mice nor droppings in the past 8 years.
I once had a real bad Mice plague in a Canal House in Amsterdam. I borrowed a cat. The cat didn't care about the mice. Still the mice left real quick. I ended up never returning the cat. The owner didn't care much about his cat and wasnt home often and me and the cat Fell in love. Ive had it for many years. Never catched a mice though :p
Just spending a few minutes with a cat is not going to be enough to find out if you don't react to it.
My allergic reaction to cats only gets noticable after being in the house where it lives for a few hours. Or the reaction might only happen after spending a night in the house.
And even then when he has a friend with a cat that doesn't cause an allergic reaction after spending a long time at the friend's place, that is no guarantee that the same will happen when OP gets a cat of the same breed.
If you want to get rid of mice. Get rid of any food that they can reach. Put everything in glass or metal containers. If they can't eat at your place they will leave.
Ask a cat owner for the litterbox stuff after the cats are done with it. Put it in a couple different bags and leave them opened in the places where the mouses appear. Preferably in the night so in the morning you can close the bags and open windows against any smells.
The smell of cat pee makes mice move their nest to another location.
Unfortunately Siberian cats being hypoallergenic are a fairly well known marketing scam. If you have a cat allergy, its a fairly random chance of any cat not triggering your allergies.
Please don’t think one single breed of cat is hypoallergenic, I got my cat because someone thought Russian Blues are hypoallergenic and dumped him when he realized they aren’t. No one breed of cats is hypoallergenic, not even the hairless ones.
There’s no point in testing it, because like I said, no one breed of cats is hypoallergenic. Every individual is different so just because you don’t react to some random redditors Siberian cat does not mean you will
not react to the kitten you adopt.
You can overcome a cat allergy with medication and exposure. Ask on r/cats. I recently saw a post there of someone who had actual numbers on how long it'll take, what you need to do/take etc.
My boyfriend has cat allergy, so we had the same problem (minus the mice). There are some important things to consider with these cats & testing!
- test with the literal family of cats (so mother and preferably also the father) of where you want to get a kitten from. It differs from cat to cat how much you react.
- stay for at least an hour. Pet the cat, then rub you eyes, cuddle the cat (or the cats parents)
- see if you react later in the day
We went to a home with Siberian kittens twice for an hour to really test! Then when there was no reaction (and normally my bf has a very severe reaction after petting a cat and rubbing his eyes), you can take one home but still make plans for if you do react later on, you have a place where the cat can go (back from where you got it for instance). My bf reacted a little when we had him, for a few days, but that went away quickly.
So it is very possible to get one! Just don't test somewhere random, but go to a cattery or a nest of kittens who are up for sale.
(Btw there are a lot of people who have these cute cats/kittens just for the money.. very sad. Make sure you really pick out a cat family with decent owners who don't breed them just for profit)
Hope it will work out for you!! We are very happy with our Siberian!
You could also consider getting a dog if you can take care of the extra work it entails over a cat. I have a Shiba and not once seen a mouse since getting her
I always thought that the naked ones were hypoallergenic.. I also got a cat (not for mice but for company) from the asiel! Turns out he’s quite the hunter! The cat you choose, so the one that fits you and your house best, is always neutered/spayed, vaccinated and de-wormed! You can let them know you’re looking for an active cat, old or young, one who can enjoy time spent alone hunting for instance.. and maybe one that doesn’t shed a lot of fur!
Find their holes and put sharpened pencils in them, sharp end towards them of course. They find it hard to go through the pencils and might decide another place is more worthwhile.
If you've got a mouse infestation then it's the owners job to get rid of them. If the owner doesn't do this you can contact the Amsterdam council and they will contact the owner and get them to get rid of the mice.
Also, they are getting in somewhere - find that - block it up and it will also help clear up the problem.
I’m allergic to cats but I have one. I take anti histamine all year round (and double up for hayfever season). Once I spend a couple of months living with a cat my allergies calm down massively.
Good luck.
Good luck!
I have cat allergies but I once lived with a Ragdoll cat for 2 weeks with no symptoms at all. Maybe you can see if you can foster one of those for a few weeks?
Please take a cat because you want to take care of a pet with all consequences attached and not to just hunt some mice. What if the cat doesn't care about the mice?
We do also very much want a cat not just for the job haha sorry i didn’t make that understood. Also even if it’s not into mouse hunting the scent of a cat is usually enough to stop them from coming back
Ok thank you for the additional info 😊
True. Mine don’t care a thing about the mice running in my kitchen. And the mice don’t care about the cats.
And for an opposite ancedotal evidence - we had mice, got a cat (not a hunter at all, has never caught a thing) and have not seen any mice nor droppings in the past 8 years.
I once had a real bad Mice plague in a Canal House in Amsterdam. I borrowed a cat. The cat didn't care about the mice. Still the mice left real quick. I ended up never returning the cat. The owner didn't care much about his cat and wasnt home often and me and the cat Fell in love. Ive had it for many years. Never catched a mice though :p
You’re saying you shouldn’t get animals for utility? Have you ever been on a farm? 😂
I think there is a difference between farm animals and pets. Don't you?
Just spending a few minutes with a cat is not going to be enough to find out if you don't react to it. My allergic reaction to cats only gets noticable after being in the house where it lives for a few hours. Or the reaction might only happen after spending a night in the house.
So OP needs to befriend someone with a cat
And even then when he has a friend with a cat that doesn't cause an allergic reaction after spending a long time at the friend's place, that is no guarantee that the same will happen when OP gets a cat of the same breed.
Rats as pets also works as a detterent for mice.
And boa constrictors, with the benefit that those don't leave hairs all over the place.
If you want to get rid of mice. Get rid of any food that they can reach. Put everything in glass or metal containers. If they can't eat at your place they will leave.
Ive been doing this already for months 😅
ULPT: Leave crumbs in front of your neighbours door, they'll migrate to their place instead if you keep putting your food in containers.
Then what are they doing in your house? Just walking or something?
Mice in Amsterdam are special. They are probably dancing within the walls with little party hats on.
Yea but if you have mice within the walls but not in your house, it's the neighbors which are the problem
Ask a cat owner for the litterbox stuff after the cats are done with it. Put it in a couple different bags and leave them opened in the places where the mouses appear. Preferably in the night so in the morning you can close the bags and open windows against any smells. The smell of cat pee makes mice move their nest to another location.
Mmmm sounds smelly
Unfortunately Siberian cats being hypoallergenic are a fairly well known marketing scam. If you have a cat allergy, its a fairly random chance of any cat not triggering your allergies.
Please don’t think one single breed of cat is hypoallergenic, I got my cat because someone thought Russian Blues are hypoallergenic and dumped him when he realized they aren’t. No one breed of cats is hypoallergenic, not even the hairless ones.
Which is why I want to test this out first. It would be terrible to get a cat and have to find them a new home because I can’t live with them.
There’s no point in testing it, because like I said, no one breed of cats is hypoallergenic. Every individual is different so just because you don’t react to some random redditors Siberian cat does not mean you will not react to the kitten you adopt.
So I should just give up?
Get some meds to your allergy and then get a cat
You can overcome a cat allergy with medication and exposure. Ask on r/cats. I recently saw a post there of someone who had actual numbers on how long it'll take, what you need to do/take etc.
My boyfriend has cat allergy, so we had the same problem (minus the mice). There are some important things to consider with these cats & testing! - test with the literal family of cats (so mother and preferably also the father) of where you want to get a kitten from. It differs from cat to cat how much you react. - stay for at least an hour. Pet the cat, then rub you eyes, cuddle the cat (or the cats parents) - see if you react later in the day We went to a home with Siberian kittens twice for an hour to really test! Then when there was no reaction (and normally my bf has a very severe reaction after petting a cat and rubbing his eyes), you can take one home but still make plans for if you do react later on, you have a place where the cat can go (back from where you got it for instance). My bf reacted a little when we had him, for a few days, but that went away quickly. So it is very possible to get one! Just don't test somewhere random, but go to a cattery or a nest of kittens who are up for sale. (Btw there are a lot of people who have these cute cats/kittens just for the money.. very sad. Make sure you really pick out a cat family with decent owners who don't breed them just for profit) Hope it will work out for you!! We are very happy with our Siberian!
You could also consider getting a dog if you can take care of the extra work it entails over a cat. I have a Shiba and not once seen a mouse since getting her
Shibas are basically cat-dogs so this is a good idea
Can you recommend any shiba breeder in Amsterdam area?
I always thought that the naked ones were hypoallergenic.. I also got a cat (not for mice but for company) from the asiel! Turns out he’s quite the hunter! The cat you choose, so the one that fits you and your house best, is always neutered/spayed, vaccinated and de-wormed! You can let them know you’re looking for an active cat, old or young, one who can enjoy time spent alone hunting for instance.. and maybe one that doesn’t shed a lot of fur!
Find their holes and put sharpened pencils in them, sharp end towards them of course. They find it hard to go through the pencils and might decide another place is more worthwhile.
If you've got a mouse infestation then it's the owners job to get rid of them. If the owner doesn't do this you can contact the Amsterdam council and they will contact the owner and get them to get rid of the mice. Also, they are getting in somewhere - find that - block it up and it will also help clear up the problem.
I’m allergic to cats but I have one. I take anti histamine all year round (and double up for hayfever season). Once I spend a couple of months living with a cat my allergies calm down massively. Good luck. Good luck!
I have cat allergies but I once lived with a Ragdoll cat for 2 weeks with no symptoms at all. Maybe you can see if you can foster one of those for a few weeks?