There's A Mouse In My House

Yesterday, my 7-year-old walked into the kitchen saying, "Aw, isn't it cuuuttee?" Uh-oh, I thought. What now? In her had was this little guy. Emphasis on little. It was obvious the damn cat had been at it again. He kills and/or maims everything he can get his paws on. Dear daughter found this mouse near her sand pit. I grabbed the first box I could find, and some polyester fiberfill from my sewing room. Instant nest. What now? I went online and did a search on "What to feed a baby rodent." We went out and bought evaporated milk, eggs, and corn syrup. (Weird, right?) We mixed and put some in a eye dropper. This little guy was definitely going to have to get used to eating this way, and we were going to have to get used to having a newborn in the house again! He has a gash on one side, thanks to the #$%^ cat, so I prepared my daughter for the worst. I was pretty sure this guy wouldn't last the afternoon, let alone the night. Regardless, we held him, fed him what he would take, and did our best to clean him up. (The formula gets everywhere) His eyes are not yet opened, but he does have fur. I read that in order to make sure his systems work properly, it is necessary to gently rub the private area, and that without this step, the mouse would surely die. We did it. We offered him food every hour. When awake, the little guy got quite active. He was obviously strong for his age, and not so broken inside that he couldn't move around. We got ready for bed. Around midnight, I woke up, worried. Hubby told me the mouse was squeaking like crazy. I got up and prepared to feed him. (Yes, I'm certain it's a him.) The little guy was absolutely frozen. Shoot! I held him and fed him and he quickly warmed up. I set him back in the box, and went back to bed. Hubby woke me at 4:30 a.m. when he got up, and I got ready to feed him again. He was ice cold! I held him again and fed him. Most feedings he's not eating much, but he did eat quite a bit at one feeding. I was nervous to leave him again, but returned him to his box. I brought him into the bedroom, thinking it might be a bit warmer in there. I returned to bed, but shortly afterwards, he started squeaking. I picked him up and held him in my hand while lying in bed. He calmed down right away. Poor little guy! My daughter woke up at that point, and we both went downstairs. After that feeding and holding session, both mouse and girl went back to sleep. I have since been reading online, and (lightbulb!) read that a heating pad under the box would work wonders. He has one now. Wish I had thought of that last night! Better late than never. I've also read that a stuffed animal gives them comfort. (Really?) And I've read that baby mice can be fed kitten or puppy or HUMAN formula. So today, we will go shopping for a more proper home for him, and more food. I've read that once a baby mouse gets to be a few weeks old, you can skip the night time feedings. (Oy!) Also, when he's ready for solid food, he can have banana baby food! Anyhow, I'll update as he (hopefully!) progresses. Now to go check on him...

The update is that after purchasing a bunch of stuff for Muzzy the mouse, he passed away. Very sad. We enjoyed knowing him for the short time we got.

Green Your Pets

I am the proud new owner of two 8-week old kittens. Now before you say, "What the hell were you thinking??" let me quickly say that they have so far been a joyful addition to our home. They have been here for five days. The kids enjoy them, they enjoy the kids (mostly) and my husband and I have our quiet time with them after the kids go to bed. That being said.....

I am trying to live a more holistic lifestyle. So of course any being who moves in with me is going to feel the effects of that process. And that means the cats. They are using a combination of two eco-friendly cat litters, and eating "natural" and also organic cat foods! Their litter box is made from recycled paper, and is 100% recyclable. Their water (as of today) is filtered. There blankets are washed using soap nuts, and have been dried in the sun. And of course they live in a home which has no harsh, toxic cleaners of any kind.

So. The particulars? Sure!

The cat litters:

I did an online search on "green" and "natural" cat litters, and aside from making my own (a cool idea, but really, who has the time?) these were the top two favorites.

World's Best Cat Litter: The bag reads: Pet and People Safe: Because World's Best Cat Litter is 
made from all-natural ingredients - with no added chemicals - it's 
totally safe for cats (and the whole family.) There are no toxins in 
case it is ingested. And unlike clay litters, there's no silica dust 
for you or your cat to breathe." It goes on: Planet Friendly: WB Cat 
Litter isn't minced, drilled or artificially produced. It's precisely 
milled from renewable whole-kernal corn and 100% biodegradable. And 
because it disperses in water, it's also septic safe and flushable!"

Feline Pine:Feline Pine. The bag reads: Chemical- 

free: Feline Pine Scoop uses the odor-fighting power of 100% natural 
pine instead of harsh chemicals or synthetic perfumes found in other 
litters. When your cat grooms, you can feel assured that he isn't 
ingesting any chemical additives."

Another popular one is called sWheat (made from wheat, obviously) but many complained of the smell when it got wet. I have seen this one at Pet Smart and at the grocery store, so it's easy to find. The others seem to be, also.

The food:

I am waiting to speak with the kittens' new vet on Friday to see what he/she recommends food-wise, but I'm kind of in favor of Newman's Own organic canned cat food. The cats have been eating another kind, and heck, I can't think of the name. I'll add it later. But they ate the one can of Newman's I bought for them to try, so that's what I'll get until I'm told otherwise. I also bought them some dry food called By Nature, which appears to be pretty good. But I'll update on the foods after we've been to the doc. It does appear that there are others like me out there, enough of us that there is a market for healthy, balanced, organic pet food. Awesome. 

The litter box:

I did not buy the litter boxes from this company, but this shows a picture of the kind that we use: Scuse the enormous link here, but I didn't feel like typing it! (copy/paste doesn't work for some reason...)

http://www.petco.com/product/9960/Kitty's-WonderBox-Disposable-Cat-Litter-Box.aspx?cm_mmc=CSEMGooglebase-_-Cat-_-Kitty's%20WonderBox-_-770272&mr:trackingCode=0408EC15-8381-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA


More later...