Mice don't really like cheese

The Tom and Jerry cartoon image that mice love cheese is a myth, an academic has claimed.

Dr David Holmes, from Manchester Metropolitan University, said mice prefer foods with a lot of sugar, chocolate for example.

He said: "Mice respond to the smell, texture and taste of food. Cheese is something that would not be available to them in their natural environment and so not something they would respond to."

A mouse's natural diet is primarily made up of grains and fruit, both high in sugar.

The findings were part of a wider study into what foods attract and repel animals. Researchers found a mouse's diet is primarily made up of grains and fruit.

They say a real mouse would turn its nose up at something as strong in smell and rich in taste as cheese.