# Wild Mice



## Julz (Feb 17, 2011)

Hey guys,
Sorry for the repeat post but I had this in the Health and Nutrition and didn't receive any responses so I thought maybe it was in the wrong category. It's not really about feral cats but more so an issue that a feral might come across.
So, I was away for the weekend last weekend and when I came back found a mouse tail, foot, and part of a haunch on my kitchen floor. I'm pretty sure one or both of my boys ate the rest of it as I haven't found any other dismembered mouse pieces laying around my apartment. I wasn't too concerned as I know a lot of people feed their cat raw meat including mice so I figured they would be fine. Since then though, they have been eating like they've never been fed before. Normally, I feed them a bit of dry BG with about a quarter of a can each of BG wet which usually they'll munch on until the next meal time. They're a little over a year old. Since this weekend though, they have been eating everything in one sitting and begging for more. Could they have picked up worms or a disease from the mouse they ate? They're acting fine otherwise but I don't know how else to explain this sudden increase in appetite. If the mouse had eaten poison and they ate it, would the poison be affecting them as well? I feel like they would be acting weird instead of just eating more if that were the case. 
Again, sorry for the repost and if this is in the wrong category, I'm just trying to figure out if this is something I should be concerned about. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.
Thanks!


----------



## Nora B (Nov 6, 2010)

It is quite fast for a zoonotic disease to crop up -off the top of my head I think:toxoplamosis - usually an initial decrease in appetite, mice with fleas bring in a host of parasites, worms bacteria and the like as potential concerns but I don't know that you would see the results so very quickly. 
A quick google of what can cats catch from mice yields lots of possible but no designated conclusions. Best advice - if you are worried call your vet -they should know the local prevalence and level of concern for the various potential issues where you live and if your cats are already on medications to protect against or treat for them as well.


----------



## catinthemirror (Jun 28, 2011)

I don't know that you should be concerned unless your cats start losing weight. I really wouldn't worry about poison or anything like that unless they had some other symptom than just being extra hungry. It's completely possible that they picked up worms from the mouse. Round worms would steal nutrition the cat takes in before their bodies could use it, making them need more food to satisfy themselves. If you're worried your vet can do a blood test to see whether they have worms or not. If you want to wait and see before taking them for a blood test be on the lookout for weight loss, and if they vomit up or poop out any long, spaghetti like worms you'll know for sure they have round worms. 

If you feed them twice a day you could also try separating their meals into three slightly smaller meals. I feed my cats three times a day - in the morning when I get up, around suppertime, and then before I go to bed. I think the reasoning behind this is cats have very acidic stomachs to enable them to eat raw meat and bones and such, so when they go too long with out eating it can make them feel sick. Which is understandable  

They're also just a year old, and as I understand it cats can continue to grow until about two or three years, so maybe they're going though a bit of a growth spurt. Or they could have been more active lately and have been using up more energy. My cats also seem to eat less in warm whether, so if it's cooling down where you live they might just naturally be wanting to eat more because they sense winter is approaching. 

Only other thing I can think of is maybe your cats really enjoyed their mouse meal, and are wanting you to produce another one for them. Mice are pretty much what cats evolved to eat, so no doubt their little snack was packed with nutrition and probably tasted awesome to boot. If you're at all comfortable with it you could offer them a little raw chicken or beef or whatever and see what they do with it. My cats eat raw and the big thing I've noticed is how little they need to eat to feel satisfied compared to when they were on canned food.


----------



## Nora B (Nov 6, 2010)

catinthemirror said:


> Only other thing I can think of is maybe your cats really enjoyed their mouse meal, and are wanting you to produce another one for them. Mice are pretty much what cats evolved to eat, so no doubt their little snack was packed with nutrition and probably tasted awesome to boot.


 
This makes a whole lot of sense!


----------



## Julz (Feb 17, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions guys. That all makes a lot of sense. I will keep an eye out for worms and weight loss. They seem to be reverting back to their normal eating habits so I'm sure it was a combination of tasty mouse/cooler weather/growth spurt. I have started giving them a little bit of dry food before bed as a third meal. Otherwise they wake me up about 3-4 am begging or just being naughty. As far as the raw goes, I do want to transition them to raw food eventually but I know it tends to be more expensive than cat food and I am waiting until I have my forever home with the future husband and know that we're financially stable enough to keep them on it if something were to happen. I've noticed on this forum that a lot of cats don't like to transition back to normal food once they've started raw.
Thanks again, both of you, for your helpful responses!


----------



## Ritzpg (Dec 7, 2010)

I think the cooler weather affects hunger. Ritz, a strictly indoor cat, wants to eat more. And I know the 10+ stray cats in the colony I take care of are much more hungry.


----------

