Londoners who find themselves sharing their homes with mice can now foster a cat in order to get rid of rodent invaders.

Handy, an on-demand cleaning and DIY service, has partnered with animal charity Wood Green to offer rescue cats in need of temporary foster homes through its app [see footnote].

Users are now able to choose from a selection of available cats and foster one for free.

Juliette Jones, animal welfare consultant at Wood Green, said: “We have over 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. We hope that this unique service will open people’s minds to the positive impact – both practical and emotional – of having a loveable feline in residence.”

Each of the cats shown in the app come with images and their own “life story”, and Wood Green say it is a good opportunity for them to spend time away from the rescue centre.

Pete Dowds, Handy’s UK manager, said the new scheme was prompted by an increasing number of requests for cleaners to bring in cats to help scare away mice.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

While fostering is free to any user of the Handy app, customers are encouraged to a make a donation to the charity, or consider making the fostering a temporary adoption.

• This footnote was added on 13 July 2017. Wood Green advised the Guardian in July 2017 that while the charity still welcomes enquiries from potential fosterers, Wood Green no longer offered cats to be fostered as mousers, and no longer had an affiliation with the Handy app.