Rescued mice from cat

Question
Hi Tamarah, I hate to bother you with this question, especially since I feel as though there is not much to be done. This morning I went to my grandparents to do the usual breakfast thing for them and noticed that their cat was sitting in the grass, but looking at something. I went out and called her and she was intent on just watching the grass. I got closer and saw something rather small. I approached even closer and then saw a little eyeball. It was a baby mouse. I chased off the cat and ran and put a glove on and went back to see if it was okay. It started pushing its head into the grass, as if trying to hide. I'm not sure if it saw me, but it became very still like it was playing "dead". I picked it up and put it in their garage. I didn't know what else to do and had to get back inside to finish the breakfast. Nobody goes into that garage, which is why I put it in there. Shortly afterwards, I was washing dishes and then saw the cat watching something else in the grass. I went out and the cat pounced at something, so I ran and chased it off again to only see another little guy caught between the fence and concrete wall. I went and got the glove again and like the other, it became very still. I picked it up and took it to the garage. The other one had walked around a little, so I put the second one near it. I then went and got some of the cat's kibbles and put them near the mice. I had to leave again because my grandfather was calling me. Before I left there, I went to check on them. I opened the door and the first one was gone and the second one was just kind of walking around exploring the new place. I tried finding some sort of local mouse/mice rescue, but I'm beginning to think these don't exist. I found a rat rescue, but nothing for mice. I'm not sure I did the right thing, but my question is, could they even eat the cat food? What should I have done? They didn't appear to be injured, especially the second one since I got to him before the cat. Do they carry any sort of diseases or anything? I ask because I put the glove on in case they carry something. What can I possibly do for the future if this happens again? I would truly appreciate any help that you can give me. Thank you so much for your time!

Answer
Hi Nikki,

It sounds like the cat found a nest.  If it's possible, you might want to ask if you can keep the cat inside for a day so the mother can move her remaining babies, if they are still there.  As for the babies you've found, make sure you check all over the garage for the first baby in case it's just hiding and still needs help.

Once baby mice are of a certain age they can eat cat food (it's full of protein!), so that was a good thing to try.  It's hard to say without seeing them though how old they are, and if they are too young they may need mom's milk a few times a day or more.  Sadly, mouse rescues are few and far between, but you can ask the rat shelter if they have any contacts that might be able to help you since frequently rat and mouse people know each other.  You can also try calling your local vets and pet shops to see if they have any help to give you, phone numbers to try, or even surrogate mother mice they can try introducing the pups to.  However, do not let a pet store place the pups in or near a community cage, since it's possible and even likely that they could bring in diseases to the other mice.  As far as things that are transmissible to you - the biggest concern is hantavirus and depends on what species of mouse they are.  Only deer mice transmit hantavirus, so if you are unsure try to limit your contact with their waste and avoid breathing in any bedding you may use for them.  I'd still wear gloves and wash your hands after handling them, but the risks of other things are minimal with no symptoms showing on the baby mice.

If you'd like to try feeding them yourself, there are wonderful instructions here:  http://www.rmca.org/Articles/orphans.htm  You don't have to follow it to the letter - the best thing is just to give the pup (or pups if you find the other one) as much kitten milk replacement as it wants (available at a pet shop or feed store), and leave harder foods like cat kibble or mouse food around so it has something to explore when it's old enough.  If you decide to try feeding it yourself, find something to keep it in, because the older mice get the more they like to explore.  Make sure whatever container you use has plenty of ventilation and some form of bedding, even just paper towels, so the baby can stay warm.  If the garage is going to get hot, you might need to consider moving it to another safe place since baby mice are very bad at controlling their body temperature.

Best of luck in whatever you decide to do for them, and thank you for saving them!
-Tam