of mice and cats

wrote:

Even if it doesn't get beyond the cats learning
not to pounce on the cage (something we'd like to
stop before it starts) then at least I won't have
to worry about whether or not we left the bathroom
door open when we go grocery shopping.

Sorry. As a veteran cat and mouse owner I'll urge you to ALWAYS worry. I
have lost many mice to the cats, including mice that were housed in
heavy glass aquaria with sturdy mesh lids duct-taped on and weighted by
20 lb. toolchests. (The cats got behind the cage and worked in concert
to push it off.) I've recovered more from their mouths as they huddled,
growling, behind the couch. Leaving a door open and walking down the
hall was a recipe for disaster. Leaving a door open and leaving the
house was a guarantee of much havoc and carnage.

In fact, the difficulty of keeping the two species separate, and the
heartbreak of losing cherished pets so often, has finally convinced me
not to adopt any more pet mice (though I am SO tempted by some
hobby-bred fancy mice that are about to become available).

Mice are sweet affectionate little guys, but no matter what you do,
they're sitting ducks for the predators you house.

(BTW, check IMMEDIATELY to make sure you have a matched pair and if not
separate them. If their "parts" match, then learn to really sex mice and
make sure you've got two girls. Boys will fight, sometimes to the death,
except under rare circumstances. Girls from a situation such as you
describe are almost certainly pregnant.)

-Alison in OH