There are traps and such in the basement. Since I live in the country, mice are a constant problem.
However, you may be amused to hear this. Early this very morning, I was awoken by the sound of my cat romping around and bashing into things in my room. It must have been around 3-4 AM. Quite annoyed and sleepy, I turned on the light and squinted down at my cat. He squinted back up at me. I got out of bed and went over to him. He had caught a mouse and had been playing with it, throwing it around. It appeared to be dead. By the time I got out of bed later this morning to begin my day, the mouse was lying abandoned in another room, clearly dead.
When I come home this evening, I shall see what is left. The last time Rufus the cat caught an early morning mouse, he left the severed head on the floor in my room for my evening arrival. Lovely.
As for the Power Mac 9500, I believe that I did a suitable cleaning job. I did employ a flashlight as you suggested. I have no good PRAM batteries on hand, so once again, the Power Mac restoration project shall have to wait again. On Sunday, the machine was moved to my parents' house in town where I placed in the closet upstairs in my old bedroom. That house is suitably mouse-free, so the Power Mac 9500 will remain secure until I have time to work with it again.