We've had a few cats over the years for the mice, no other method I used to control the mice worked as good as cats.. We had a young male that ran away to the neighbors, picked fights with everything. Old male cat, great cat for indoors and outdoors, went missing one night when the coyotes were around. The best cat is the cat we've had for about 4 years now, younger female long hair. She comes in at night but prowls the yard during the day. She has decimated the local mouse population, now she is after gophers, weasels, birds and what not. The size of the stuff she can kill is pretty shocking.