I have heard the patter of little feet also, in the attic, despite having 2 cats. Of course the cats don't have access to the attic so today I will be putting them up there. Even if they don't find a mouse they will leave their scent and hopefully deter further invasion. Maybe this one was just sussing things out, like viewing the property before accepting it as a new home.
A few years ago when we were clearing a garage of empty boxes we found a box with a nest of baby mice, the other person felt sorry for the little creatures so he placed the box back in the garage and waited for the mother to return before he brought the box into the house. He secured it so the mother could not escape. Later that night he was going to bring them to a barn and leave them there in a ready made nest with straw and even some food. When he went to get the box to bring the family to their new home the mother was missing. Needless to say I was not impressed as this meant she was somewhere around the house. So once again he moved the box to the garage and waited till the mother returned, sure enough she did. He then brought them to a field at the side of the house and set them free.
A week later the Farmer cut the grass in the field and later that night as I sat at my computer I looked down and there was a tiny field mouse sitting at my foot, when I turned around there was another one and another one. They were scurrying all over the room -eeekk
I got my collie Zack in and he assisted in catching the mice, bringing them to us live and once we collected them all the mice were brought on a journey in a tin box. In all we caught ten mice that night. It seems that the mice we had deposited in the field came back for protection when they were disturbed by the farmer cutting the grass. I think they ran for the house because they remembered the kindness they had been shown, so best not to show hospitality to even one mouse because he will invite all his family and relatives to visit :)
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