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Cats are famous for playing with and catching mice! They love to chase mice. But occasionally, a cat may take this “game” to the next level and eat the mouse. But what happens if a cat eats a mouse?
Has your cat eaten a mouse? Are you worried the mouse will make your cat sick? If so, you’ve come to the right place. We understand it can be scary when your cat eats something like this.
We’ve gathered information about mice and whether they can make a cat sick. Let’s get started!
What’s a Mouse?
A mouse is a small rodent that’s very common across most parts of the world. Mice usually have a pointed snout, small round ears, and long furless tails. Some people do keep mice as pets; however, most people look at mice as problem rodents.
Mice usually live outside; however, they also like to move into a house or other building. They make nests, chew on wood, plastic pipes, and more. They can also get into the kitchen and get into our food.
When people find mice to be a problem, they sometimes use mouse poison to get rid of the mice. What’s more, cats love to chase and eat mice. But what happens if a cat eats a mouse?
Mice & Cats
Unfortunately, it is possible for a mouse to make a cat sick. For one thing, rats can carry rodent illnesses such as toxoplasmosis, intestinal parasites, plague bacteria, hantavirus, and more.
In addition, if a mouse has eaten rodent poison, this could make a cat sick.
However, we must say that in other cases, a mouse may not make a cat sick. It depends on whether or not the mouse carries pathogens or has eaten poison or not. If not, the cat’s digestive system will process the mouse as it would any other protein.
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Ask a Vet Live NowSymptoms of Mouse Ingestion in Cats
You may notice these symptoms if your cat has eaten a mouse:
Mouse poison symptoms:
- Lethargy
- Pale gums
- Bruising (on the skin, gums, whites of the eyes)
- Black stool
- Vomiting blood
- Difficulty breathing
- Swelling of the joints
- Blood in the urine
If your cat has any of these symptoms, call the vet immediately. This is a life-threatening emergency.
Symptoms of mouse illness in cats:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Lethargy
- Respiratory problems
- Mouth lesions
- Weight loss
- Fever
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Abdominal pain
- Jaundice
- Organ failure
- Pale gums
- Loss of coordination
- Seizures
If your cat shows any of these symptoms, call the vet immediately. This is an emergency.
Treatment of Mouse Ingestion in Cats
Treatment will depend on the vet’s diagnosis and the severity of your cat’s symptoms.
For rodent poisoning, treatment depends on the cat’s symptoms. These can vary depending on the type of rodent poison your cat has eaten. The vet may try to decontaminate your cat by inducing vomiting or activated charcoal. The vet will then treat other symptoms as they arise.
In this case, the prognosis is best for cats that receive medical care ASAP.
For cats that have a rodent illness, the vet will run blood tests to see what the illness is. Treatment will depend on the vet’s diagnosis. For a bacterial infection, the vet may treat your feline companion with antibiotics. For other illnesses, the vet will treat them accordingly.
The prognosis is best for cats that receive prompt treatment after eating a mouse. If you ever find your cat with a dead mouse, take the rodent away immediately before she can eat it! You’ll both be happier for it!
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Kim
Kim is a talented author, who loves animals especially dogs. She engaged in writing books and articles relating to animals a decade ago. Kim resides in Chicago with her husband and son. The family is the proud owner of a dog and a parrot (Jack and Lily). Kim wanted more than these two pets, but her husband put his foot down... She often visits elementary schools to talk to the kids about what she learned about pets and how they could learn from them.
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