This works in country homes as well. Just ask my cat Elsa, who insisted I stop putting poison in the cabinets.

I doubted her claims that she could keep the house rodent free, but damn if she hasn’t kept her word.

We had a bit of a mini invasion when the cold weather came this year, like we do most years, but she got busy mucho pronto, and any mice who decided to try moving in moved right back out, quick time.

Now if I could just convince her not to bring mice in. “You’re doing it wrong, Elsa,” I’ll say as she presents me with a limp little rodent.

Then she looks at me inscrutably, undoubtedly wondering why humans are so strange.