injured rescued mouse

Question
I found what looks to be a small house mouse.  My cat probably caught it and then lost it in the house.  One of it's back legs is hurt. I don't have the heart to put it out.  How can I care for it? It looks to be young, I think. It seems sorta friendly too.  It looks to be about two inches from tip of nose to base of tail. Also, how do I know if it has any diseases.

Answer
Dear Michele,

There's no way to know for sure about diseases but mouse-borne diseases are extremely rare. There is a disease called hantavirus which people who clean out old barns can get from breathing in old mouse urine and feces, and it does strike down a few people a year in the Western part of the country.  Because it is so unlikely I would not worry at all, but if you happen to come down with a really lousy flu or severe shortness of breath within 2-4 weeks you would want to tell your doctor you had contact with a wild mouse.  

You can keep it in an aquarium or other solid cage for a few weeks until its leg is healed if you like. If it ends up being tame you could keep it as a pet-- once injured, its chances in the wild are much slimmer.  Give it paper or wood litter and something soft to bed in such as pieces of cloth or even kleenex.  If you only keep it a short while, a mixture of healthy cereal, crackers, seeds, nuts, and fresh vegetables will be fine.  Otherwise get a rat and mouse food mix at your pet store.  Again for just a short while it can get enough moisture from wet vegetables and fruit if it's too awkward to keep a water dish in the cage.  

Don't feel badly if the mouse doesn't make it.  Cat saliva contains some pretty deadly bacteria in it. Mice rescued from cats often seem fine for a day and then they can just die of infection.

Best of luck.  Enjoy your visitor while you have her!

squeaks,

Natasha