shrew bites

Question
Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.  We are renovating an old lakehouse.  We plan to move there with our 4 cats.  Yesterday John brought home a dead rodent he found in a large landscaping barrell he had in the garage.  The poor thing must've gotten in and couldn't climb or jump out.  John is now turning such things upside down.  I did some research online and determined that this is a shrew.  I've read that these animals paralyze their prey with a venomous bite.  This isn't fatal to humans, but it can be painful and swell.  My question is, should one of our cats find one and be bitten, can this be harmful or fatal to them?

Answer
no they are not toxic. They secrete a liquid from their skin which is foul tasting so that the predator lets go of them.  thats why cats that try to eat them kill them and leave as they taste horrible.  You have nothing to worry about.  i havent heard of a shrew in the uk with a venomous bite.  if there are some out there they only prey on insects and worms etc... so they will only paralyse them.