text: Hearing the scurry of tiny claws across the kitchen worktop can produce feelings of disgust and despair in home owners. Now an animal welfare charity claims to have a solution to help households rid themselves of mouse infestations - lending them a cat for the day. Wood Green animal charity has teamed up with a cleaning and DIY app to offer customers a cat fostering service. Wood Green animal charity has teamed up with cleaning and DIY app Handy to offer customers a cat fostering service. Cats will not just catch mice but the scent they leave behind can also discourage rodents from returning . The north London-based charity say that the presence of a cat and the scent it leaves behind will often be enough to scare away unwanted rodents. Juliette Jones, animal welfare consultant at Wood Green, said: 'We have more than 200 cats in need of good homes, some of which will benefit from being cared for temporarily in a home environment, until they find their forever homes. Cutting the lawn can be a hassle - you need to get out the mower, trim the edges and then there is what you do with the cuttings. But Amazon is now apparently offering a solution - by allowing you to rent a goat. The Goat Grazer Beta service allows homeowners to keep your lawn trim. It also offers goats as a way of keeping all manner of other unruly vegetation under control. According to Amazon's website: 'Goats can eat tons of stuff! 'They're curious little creatures that like to at least taste almost anything resembling a plant. 'They actually love to munch away at many types of vegetation that we find invasive, ugly, or harmful to humans. 'Goats can eat thistle, blackberry, English Ivy, kudzu, poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak, wisteria, various grasses, and more. Your pro will be able to let you know for sure ' Sadly the service is only available in the US at the moment. It is also not the first company to offer goats as a way of mowing the lawn. California based Rent-a-Goat say its hooved 'grass guzzling machines' are 50% cheaper than hiring a human to do the job. 'We hope this unique service will open people's minds to the positive impact - both practical and emotional - of having a loveable feline in residence.' The service is being provided through the Handy smartphone app, which allows users to book cleaners and handymen for home repairs. The app allows householders to choose the cat they want to visit their home and offers photos and background for each member of the feline mousing team. Those looking to borrow a cat to help rid their homes of a mouse infestation are asked to be 'flexible, patient and caring towards the animals'. The charity provides litter trays, feed and bedding to help foster families look after their pet. The service is only available in London within driving distance of Wood Green for now. Rodent infestations are a particular problem in the winter months when mice move inside to escape the colder weather. However, once established, a mice colony will often stay in a home for generations and can be difficult to be rid of. They are not only considered to be unhygienic but also can cause damage by chewing through wires and furniture to make bedding. Few insurance companies will cover damage caused by pests. The most common way to tackle a rodent problem is with traps, but home improvement shops also sell electronic deterrents. Natural plants such as mint and basil are also said to keep rodents away. Juliette Jones said that cats were an effective and natural alternative. She said: 'The cats have this desired effect because they are constantly giving off invisible signals around the place. 'When a cat rubs his or herself against your leg unfortunately he is not showing affection. Instead he or she is marking their territory and sending a message to other animals, in particular mice. 'The reason why a ‘mouser’ is the best way to get rid of pesky vermin is that it is humane. The cats don’t need to do any mouse catching - their sheer presence alone will have any mice leaving the premises, repelled by the cat’s pheromones. 'Because of this, homeowners need not worry about finding dead mice about the house, nor that they might have any mousey blood on their hands.' Pete Dowds, Handy's UK manager, said the new scheme had been created as a result of an increasing number of requests from Handy customers for cleaners to bring in cats with them in order to help scare away mice. Pearl (above) is one of the cats who is being offered for free as part of a cleaning service to tackle mice. Those looking to borrow a cat to help rid their homes of a mouse infestation are asked to be 'flexible, patient and caring towards the animals'. The charity provides litter trays, feed and bedding . Photos of the cats, like Dash (left) and Peppy (right), appear on the Handy cleaning and DIY service app along with details about the animals' life stories. Homeowners can then book them to foster them for a few days . 'Mice are unwelcome residents in homes across the capital. 'In the past, our cleaners have been asked to bring in moggies to scare rodents, so we were delighted to take the unusual step of being able to offer 'foster-able' felines from Wood Green alongside our more typical cleaning and DIY services. 'Naturally, this is all about the cats, and we hope that Londoners will fall in love with some of the attractive mousers that come to stay: potentially turning temporary residences into permanent ones as a result.' Rodent infestations are a particular problem in the winter months when mice move inside to escape the colder weather. The smell of the cats, such as Chico (left) and Elsa (right) is said to scare rodents away but is hard for humans to detect .
target: Wood Green animal charity is lending householders cats from their shelter .
  They say the presence of cats and their lingering scent scare rodents away .
  Home owners can foster a cat using cleaning and DIY service app Handy .