Trapping and killing apparatus for mice and other animals

A mouse trapping and killing apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

• a. a hollow, boxlike housing member for holding a mouse, said housing member having an entrance opening for allowing the mouse to enter the interior of said housing member, said housing member including an openable top portion for allowing access into the interior of said housing member;
• b. door means for selectively blocking said entrance opening in said housing member to trap the mouse within the interior of said housing member;
• c. electric motor means for causing said door means to move from a first position away from said entrance opening so that a mouse can enter the interior of said housing member through said entrance opening, to a second position blocking said entrance opening so that any mouse within the interior of said housing member will be trapped therein;
• d. battery means attached to said housing member for causing said motor means to move said door means from said first position to said second position;
• e. circuit means extending between said motor means and said battery means for allowing electric power from said battery means to pass to said motor means, said circuit means including a normally opened switch means located within the interior of said housing member for normally preventing electric power from passing from said battery means to said motor means, said normally opened switch means including first and second contact members spaced apart from one another so as to define a gap and including a bridge member movable between a first position spaced away from at least one of said first and second contact members so as to prevent electric power from passing through said normally opened switch means and a second position connecting said first and second contact members so as to allow electric power to pass through said normally opened switch means, said bridge member being biased towards said second position, said normally opened switch means including a nonconductive post member for selectively holding said bridge member in said first position, said bridge member including a bait holding portion for enticing a mouse to move said bridge member so that said bridge member will be moved away from said post member and will move to said second position thereby allowing electric power to pass from said battery means to said motor means so that said motor means will move said door means to said second position whereby the mouse causing said bridge member to move is trapped within the interior of said housing member;
• f. poison means for allowing a poison to be introduced into the interior of said housing member to kill the mouse trapped therein, said poison means including a container member for holding a quantity of poison gas producing substance and including a manually activated pump member for allowing a portion of said poison gas producing substance to be pumped into the interior of said housing means;
• and
• g. means for indicating the body temperature of any animal trapped within the interior of said housing member to thereby indicate whether the animal is dead or alive.