Found wounded mouse

Question
hi i'm kaitlyn and i am 10 years old, i found a wild mouse that has two broken legs and had a bleeding ear before because my cat got it poor thing, i was wondering were should i keep it and what should i do if it is not eating properly i really want to save it but i don't know how how!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE COMMENT QUICKLY i hate animals dying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer
Dear Kaitlyn,

Thank you so much for caring about the tiny thing. You may be ten, but you are already a good person : ))

To be very honest, I don't have a lot of hope. It isn't impossible that the mouse would survive- tough little mice have survived terrible circumstances- but it is unlikely.

The immediate problem is not the broken legs or torn ear. It is infection from the cat bite. Even a mouse who has no other apparent injuries will often die from the infection of a cat bite. I had a pet mouse once who seemed perfectly OK after a cat encounter, but she suddenly died the next day.

If you can't get it to eat anything, you can't save it. The only way to save it from infection is with antibiotics. The easiest way to get antibiotics is to go to a pet store and get some fish medicine called tetracycline, or often fish cycline. If it is in tablets, crush them with the back of a spoon so small it looks like flour. If it is in capsules, open the capsules. You should also get some flavored yogurt, soy is better than dairy. Take a tiny bit of powder- as much as you could pick up in a pair of tweezers-and mix it very well in a tablespoon of  yogurt. Try to get the mouse to eat it.

If it dies from infection, it will be within two days. If it lives longer than that, it has a chance. However, it will be severely handicapped with its broken legs. Because you can't put a tiny mouse in a cast, it will not heal to be able to use the legs again. Another little girl wrote to me about a mouse she had with two broken or paralyzed legs and it was OK. But of course she had to feed it in her hand. It was a great responsibility. It only lived another three weeks but it was the sweetest thing because it totally depended upon her. If your fellow survives I think I can get you in touch with her.

I wish you and the little mouse the best of luck. Let me know what happens. If it survives let me get you in touch with this other girl.

Squeaks and love from all of my little mice,

Natasha