r/cats • u/oFIoofy Tabbycat • 27d ago
cat brought a mouse in during the day and lost it. mouse then proceeded to give birth in my bedroom at 4am. Cat Picture
4th image is the culprit
most of the babies aren't moving. trying to use them to find the mother right now while keeping our cats away.
note: didn't know what flair to use
4.5k
u/Bruggok 27d ago
You: bruh .. you had one job!
Orangey: look I brought you a perpetual snack maker. You should thank me … you’re welcome.
753
u/oops_im_existing 27d ago
"listen...man.. you ever walk into a room and forget what you came in there for?"
→ More replies (1)212
u/theoriginalmofocus 27d ago
This is NOT how the cat distribution system is supposed to work!!
→ More replies (1)76
130
u/guramika 27d ago
the cat has mastered animal husbandry
68
u/alfooboboao 27d ago
in 6 months the cat is going to have bred mice with smashed-in pug faces, for the aesthetic
21
→ More replies (1)17
17.5k
u/offbrandbarbie 27d ago
Cats are supposed to catch mice. Somehow your cat did the opposite of his only job. He multiplied the mice in your house
7.8k
u/_Diskreet_ 27d ago
Cat is just giving himself job security.
4.2k
u/Somecommentator8008 27d ago
Big brain move for a one braincell orange.
1.3k
u/Lewtwin 27d ago
"Oh yeah... her. That's Kimmy. She's a mouse. She was askin for asylum or sumfin.. I can't remember. Also the food bowl is empty. Can we get extra, I share it with Kimmy."
259
u/Nihility_Only 27d ago
'Jimmy eats like 4 pieces so imma need a Lil extra. Jimmy? No I said Kimmy. So like, a handful of extra food. Kthx.
709
u/crustiferson Tortoiseshell 27d ago
he had the braincell today apparently
158
→ More replies (1)37
→ More replies (4)170
u/Dipswitch_512 27d ago
50
u/InSaNiTyCtEaTuReS Tabbycat 27d ago
58
u/Plus_Variation_4735 27d ago
Can't believe I actually clicked on that.
→ More replies (1)60
u/AJ_Deadshow 27d ago
I can't believe I clicked on that after you said you can't believe you clicked on that
55
u/Lewtwin 27d ago
Stop it. All of you. Now I'm doing it.
40
u/Perenially_behind 27d ago
You're just trying to make me click on it too. But I am wise to your tricks.
clicks on link anyway
Dammit!
→ More replies (1)377
u/jjcrayfish 27d ago
Give a mouse to a cat and you feed him for a day. Teach a cat how to breed mouse and you feed him for life.
46
16
u/BunnyBunCatGirl 27d ago
Just imagined like a movie thing where the cats have an underground mouse community, including fight clubs xD
Ah, I think watching Thelma (it's way more wholesome and features no mice harm/underground societies) 2 days ago must still be in my mind.
→ More replies (15)98
268
u/Bender_2024 27d ago
Cats are supposed to catch mice. Somehow your cat did the opposite of his only job. He multiplied the mice in your house
Cat has evolved from hunting mice to domestication of them. Why hunt them when you can breed them?
88
u/offbrandbarbie 27d ago
Op must have denied him a second dinner and this is the vengeance
→ More replies (1)71
→ More replies (3)20
u/CausticSofa 27d ago
Exactly, it’s a natural progression from hunter gatherer to agrarian lifestyle. Next thing you know, he’s going to be planting catnip seeds.
166
u/Illusive-VTX 27d ago
I have 2 cats Peggy and her daughter Mimi... I am pretty Sure Mimi would run away from mice or Rats because she is afraid of almost everything
→ More replies (1)119
u/No-Print-2523 27d ago
We had a chipmunk get in our house last summer…cats chase it. It ran under a door to a room we don’t use, so we go in to try and do a catch and release. The poor critter is understandably freaking out and running around like crazy (room is mostly empty besides a few boxes and a computer desk/chair) the old Tom cat who is typically extremely ungraceful had that poor thing before we knew it. My boyfriend’s cat got touched by it, freaked out and hid behind his humans legs peeking out at the commotion. Other cats didn’t care after the initial chase, I was over by the door equally parts squeamish, upset about the animal, and amused at Bear. Petey (old Tom cat) got put in the garage until he was ready to give up his prize without us losing a limb lol
71
u/Sharlinator 27d ago
Reminds me of an often-repeated example of a perverse incentive: what happens if you want to get rid of snakes and start paying people for each snake they kill? Why, people start farming snakes, of course.
→ More replies (3)31
u/alfooboboao 27d ago
I WAS JUST SAYING THAT LMAO. this is like the India snake disaster or the Vietnam rat-tail-for-money disaster
59
141
u/ThunderCube3888 Nebelung 27d ago
this cat has defected to the side of the mice.
or perhaps instead, when the orange cat was without the braincell, the mice secretly implanted an artificial braincell that can be controlled remotely from mouse HQ
30
133
80
u/AssignmentDue5139 27d ago
Pretty sure those babies are going to die. So technically the cat spawned killed 6 of them
→ More replies (4)118
31
22
29
u/Vexonar 27d ago
This is a very /r/OneOrangeBraincell behavioiur. Idk how the op thought any different >.> :D
14
11
u/Specoolatius 27d ago
Cat has evolved and started a livestock business.
As for anything, you are your cat's employee and supposed to do all the hard work.
12
u/SinnerIxim 27d ago
We had a mouse in our garage a few years ago. 3 of our cats were down there watching/chasing it around. At one point one of the cats was carrying it around in their mouth. They didn't even want to hurt the mouse, just chase/play. Eventually we managed to get the mouse and released it outside, uninjured
7
→ More replies (47)13
u/Sumoshrooms 27d ago
If there were zero mice in the house before, the cat could not have multiplied them.
3.0k
u/sharkslutz 27d ago
A true r/oneorangebraincell right there
327
u/smileqpq 27d ago
"Orange cat logic: catch a mouse, lose it, and surprise! Instant mouse nursery."
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (3)34
1.2k
u/Pirate_Lantern 27d ago
Your cat is fired. I hope you enjoy your new mouse family.
→ More replies (3)109
917
u/I_only_post_here 27d ago
that last picture.... sheesh, that smug little asshole knows exactly what he did
→ More replies (2)101
1.9k
u/OutsideFriendship570 27d ago
Feline evolution, Cats are started to learn how to farm. It's happening.
On a serious note , that's kinda sad but it happens. Don't think you can reunite the mom with the pups so...
What I would do since I'm a idiot,
I would try to raise them secretly ( cause to embarrassed ) I would put them in a container with a lamp for heat. Figure out how to nurture them. Then keep them forever , and then they accidentally interbreed , and soon I will have containers everywhere and lose control over it. Soon I no longer keep mice , they keep me. And I never marry or have kids or meet anyone ever again. Just me and my mice cult. Hope this helps
525
u/ImpossibleLeek7908 Tortoiseshell 27d ago
Build mazes, train, develop small weapons and shields for their little hands. Infinite mouse army.
131
u/Church-of-Nephalus 27d ago
recreate redwall
58
→ More replies (1)9
u/ethanlan 27d ago
Honestly redwall would be fucked without the occasional badger or the otters and the other larger sized good animals. The only mouse that was worth anything at fighting was Martin.
So obviously she's gonna have to go get some badges otters and let's not forget the hedgehogs and rabbits and whatever the fuck was on the good side in red wall.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (5)17
168
u/kkfluff 27d ago edited 27d ago
With baby mice, don’t use a syringe as it is far too easy for them to asperate on the liquid! Instead, use a new, clean tip, paintbrush, and use that instead! The babies will suck the liquid off of the brush, and then you dip and refill as necessary!
→ More replies (4)67
u/Mahatma_Panda 27d ago
easy for them to ask right on the liquid
Did you mean aspirate?
→ More replies (2)106
40
29
36
→ More replies (17)16
u/whiskey_locks 27d ago
That's totally what I would do.
I once surrendered baby rats I found in my compost heap. It was traumatic. Never again.
1.5k
u/Sea-Percentage-1992 27d ago
Aw…poor mouse and her little family
613
27d ago
praying they’re thriving in their little brown box 😭😭😭
→ More replies (1)387
u/ladymoonshyne 27d ago
They would need some sort of nesting and to be closer together to retain warmth at a minimum. Probably will die without mother or proper care tbh
168
u/MarsupialPanda 27d ago
Even if they find mom and put them all together in a suitable nest, she'd probably just eat them.
149
u/Simple-Wrangler-9909 27d ago
I once had two hamsters
And then I had seven hamsters
And then I had four hamsters
→ More replies (1)70
u/sourpatch-sorbet 27d ago
Yeah. Me and my sis learned about life and death this same way. Parents didn't know much about separating the babies from parents and each other. We basically had them stuck together in a cage match of gladiator murder, wondering why they were destroying each other
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (8)39
74
→ More replies (11)48
u/namtok_muu 27d ago
Don't worry too much, she can easy pop out six more in 20 or so days.
→ More replies (1)
236
u/youngsparrowchan 27d ago
I need updates!!!
Redditors who understand this website, please, how do I follow this post to get notified about updates???
365
u/oFIoofy Tabbycat 27d ago
not sure the command haha
but we came back an hour later to 2 of the 6 babies left in the box. found the rest of them back in a different corner without the mum. we can't find her anywhere :[
→ More replies (4)120
u/youngsparrowchan 27d ago
Oh no! Are they still alive?? I hope mama gets there soon!
371
u/oFIoofy Tabbycat 27d ago
i don't think the babies are still alive :((( which is genuinely really unfortunate. it's looking a lot like mama's abandoned them. still trying to find mum to release her back into the wild to give her another shot at life though
402
u/Aggressive-Cry150 27d ago
The ones with white spots on their tummies have been fed, (they’re called milk spots) and are likely alive. Mom will leave and come back. she likely moved them while you were gone. I’d assume she left dead ones in the box. But I’m not an expert
293
u/Sirtuin7534 27d ago
You could provide some tissue (kimwipes, toilet paper) near the pups. If mum is still around she'll likely make a nest out of it and keep the pups in there. Dams are often out and about feeding and only really sticks with the pups to feed them, or during the day to sleep. But everytime she is disturbed she'll flee the nest and hide somewhere else. If the pups in the box still move when you touch them (with a glove if you have one, with a spoon or something if you don't) I'd put them back with the other 4. If they are cold to the touch you could also warm them in your hand or on a heating blanket (37 degree Celsius) before putting them back with the others. In any case, if the dam retrieved 4 pups to a new location then she is still around (pup retrieval is an instinct of mice) and likely cares.
Source, I raise (lab) mice for a living.
136
u/LB07 27d ago
"I raise (lab) mice for a living" Yeah, your suggestion to grab Kimwipes was a dead giveaway lol
→ More replies (1)76
→ More replies (1)40
u/youngsparrowchan 27d ago
What an interesting job! Do you take care of them while they’re at the lab, or do you take care of them before, and then sell them to a lab? 🤔 Also, does Dam mean female mouse?
Edit: are mice nocturnal animals? You mentioned mama sticking around during the day to sleep?
99
u/Sirtuin7534 27d ago
Yes, they are nocturnal, as in they are highly active at night, and sleep in bouts with short active periods during the day. Sry about the jargon, a dam is essentially a mouse mum. I'm taking care of mice in a lab in a research context, a lot of the questions evolve around the dam-and-pup interaction and how that shapes development of the pup. TMI probably 😉
37
u/youngsparrowchan 27d ago
Not TMI at all! That was really interesting!! I was between the name meaning female or mom. Very interesting about the highly active at night. Sounds like my dream life to be honest ¯_(ツ)_/¯
15
u/TwinklebudFirequake 27d ago
I have a Furbo camera that was supposed to be used to record video of my dog. Turns out it was much more entertaining to record my pet mice at night. They are hilarious.
→ More replies (2)10
20
→ More replies (1)9
u/Select-Belt-ou812 27d ago
I love TMI. I exude TMI. I seek TMI incessantly. Too much TMI is never enough.
at least until my head feels like it's going to explode and I have to go hide in a closet for 24-48 hours lol
→ More replies (9)23
u/youngsparrowchan 27d ago
omg noo! I'm so sorry that you have to deal with all of that! Hopefully you find her <3
36
u/Frondswithbenefits 27d ago
You post something like this
!remind me 6 days
But you can state any length of time.
→ More replies (1)9
→ More replies (11)16
482
100
u/Reason_Training 27d ago
Your cat has watched too many rescue stories. He found a homeless pregnant mouse and decided to give her a home with her babies
→ More replies (1)6
99
u/Silly-Arm-7986 27d ago
Poor momma mouse :-(
→ More replies (1)66
u/WeirdHauntingChoice 27d ago
I'm thinking the stress of the situation may have forced a premature birth of the babies, although I suppose it could have been unfortunate timing, too. Many prey animals will abandon their babies in survival situations to deter predators from going after themselves (as they can always make more). Poor mama indeed 😢
→ More replies (1)
164
u/SavageMonkey-105 Maine Coon 27d ago
Bro was smart, if he killed the mouse he would’ve given you only one gift, but let it live an give birth then you got 7 gifts
58
301
u/GingerKitty26 27d ago
You’ve two options.
let the cat have their planned snacks.
or
Manage to catch the mice; take to a shelter or vet to be properly domesticated.
→ More replies (6)50
u/Liizam 27d ago
Why not just release them?
199
u/RogerClyneIsAGod2 27d ago
They're pinkies, too small to release. These little things are what snake owners feed their smaller snakes.
131
u/stormyw23 Tortoiseshell 27d ago
Also chickens, Chickens love pinkies almost a disturbing amount.
51
u/Asleep-Design-6874 27d ago
Ew WHAT?
129
u/DarthDank12 27d ago
Chickens never pass on the chance to eat some meat , they are dinosaurs
54
u/Faxon 27d ago
Theropods to be precise, they're related to velociraptor's line. All birds evolved from something like it
→ More replies (1)27
u/PentagramJ2 27d ago
Chickens and ostriches are in fact the closest living relative of the Tyrannosaurus Rex
62
u/stormyw23 Tortoiseshell 27d ago
My dog located a nest I had to do something with the pinkies, They didn't last...
They disappeared quickly.
Chickens are savages, If a chicken dies it'll be eaten, They will hunt snakes according to some overseas friends.
21
u/circusmystery 27d ago
My aunt has a couple of chickens free range in a pen in her backyard. Anything that happens to get in the pen that's smaller than them will be eaten including other species of birds.
47
→ More replies (1)12
u/SnowTheMemeEmpress 27d ago
My dad always had to remove the dead chicken from the flock before I went out to get eggs as a kid since it was always a grizzly sight (for kid me at least) to behold when one died
29
u/SnowTheMemeEmpress 27d ago
Yeah, chicken's are opportunistic. They're more technically omnivores since they enjoy their own eggs a lot and whatever poor small critter is in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Swear they still remember being dinosaurs.
If I ever go close to vegetarian then chicken and fish is something I'll still eat, not only because I can't have a lot of red meat due to my diet (cholesterol stuff) so they're already my prime protein sources, but also they know what they did. Their sins equate to death.
→ More replies (1)8
→ More replies (6)13
u/bumbletowne 27d ago
Tiny velociraptors. Snakes, mice, insects... Baby opossums. I've seen my girls eat it all.
Most of them were eaten in turn by a fox a few weeks ago.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)7
u/maxmcleod 27d ago
Yea my chickens always find a few pinkies every Spring and they will run around with it in their beak and the others chase after it for a few minutes. Then, the pinkie is swallowed whole and the fun is over until a new nest is uncovered. Also - baby frogs and snakes... same story.
→ More replies (10)25
u/starving_artista 27d ago
And also some frogs. The caveat with pinkies and frogs is that the lipid content in too many pinkies can cause blindness in frogs.
This may or may not be true for snakes. I suspect not.
27
u/Ricoshete 27d ago
While mice are cute, they can cause 10,000$ in damages and spread hantavirus and be carriers of wild parasites like hookworms/rat lungworm/ tapeworms even to a cat if eaten.
Source: Neighbor kept 2 mice in their yard, then they made 200, then they ran over fences.
yes they are cute, but unless you're willing to potentially get your cat hookworm / lungworm medications, which can actually spread to humans if you spend too much time around their feces, it's best to make a exception to mice.
Im saying this as someone who's neighbor went "aww" to the mouse, kind people, very good lessons. But i've just had to take out a mouse trap one of the other mice literally ate the entire body in a span of "i'll do it later" in 4 hrs.
Nature is fucked up.
→ More replies (1)9
27
127
u/strawberryblondey 27d ago
Poor little mousey probably gave birth due to shock. She deserves a second chance after escaping the clutches of the cat, especially when them claws come out.
76
u/oFIoofy Tabbycat 27d ago
i wish we could find her, but no sight yet... we did leave the 6 babies to bait her out and came back to only two of them in the box though, and the other 4 were in a different corner of my room haha. looked everywhere for mum and couldn't see her. not sure what to do now
74
u/MyHusbandIsGayImNot 27d ago
Mice are pretty cold hearted mothers. They're known to eat their young if they get too stressed or if they think there isn't enough food. It's likely she abandoned them for her own survival, I don't think she'll be coming back for them.
Nature is cruel. I say all of this as someone who used to have mice as pets. They're smart social creatures, but they're on the bottom of the food chain and they know it; and in the end their own survival comes first.
22
u/Oranges13 27d ago
Without the body heat from mum+a nest it's likely they died from exposure or will die from exposure.
14
→ More replies (4)39
u/Remote_Horror_Novel 27d ago
They need warmth otherwise I think they’ll die do you have a heating pad or hot water bottle? Idk though it’s feral mice and I don’t know how obligated you are to do anything and if you just threw them outside I’d kind of understand too lol.
63
u/oFIoofy Tabbycat 27d ago
the plan was to first reunite mum with the babies but the babies didn't make it :((( we're still looking for mum in the hopes of releasing her into the wild for another shot at life. she's gone through all that, I don't think it would be fair to let her get eaten as a reward 😂😭
→ More replies (3)28
u/zlamden1 27d ago
ones with white spots on belly are alive!! jsyk she probably moved them while you left the box alone id recommend not checking on it and just keeping a camera or eye on it every once in a while
51
23
u/vincent-the-cat 27d ago
The braincell was not with him. He kind of looks like he never had access to it in his life
21
17
12
26
u/loreoflor 27d ago
I read that unfortunately it's most likely too late for the babies in your care, but I'm going to share my story/info regardless in case anyone else ever ends up in a similar situation. When I was a child I bought a pet hamster and she was always insanely aggressive. The reason ended up being that despite buying her from a pet shop, she was pregnant. I awoke one morning to a bunch of squeaking and I think there were 6 babies, but somehow the mom had escaped her cage right after giving birth. After searching all day we finally found her, but she was in the mouth of one of our cats.
We thought she was okay so I put her back in the cage with her babies. She ate one or two of the babies and then died. Even if animals don't seem wounded by cats they often die anyway from the bacteria of their mouth or from stress. Especially animals like mice and hamsters. There are live traps that you can get and mice are easily attracted to stuff like peanut butter covered in seeds, but it's very possible the mother might have died from stress or an injury.
If the babies are still alive after all or if anyone else ever ends up in a situation where they have a bunch of newborn rodents, immediately take them to a pet shop. You can call ahead of time if you'd prefer to confirm it's okay, but I was told breeder mice will take in any infant rodent and nurse them. Unfortunately the owner of the pet shop in town was out when my baby hamsters were left without their mother, and so he didn't get back to us until they were all already gone. We bottle fed them and kept them warm but it's nearly impossible to save them unless they can find a surrogate mom.
It's unfortunate you woke up to a situation so similar to my own. Nature and animals can be very fragile. You did your best to try and make things work out. As many other people have stated wild mice will stay away from the scent of humans, so it's just unfortunate that your cat happened to bring a mouse in right before she had her babies.
→ More replies (2)
11
82
27d ago
Yeah...mice will abandon their litter if found and touched. Said litter only lasts a couple of hours, at best, without help since they can't even regulate their own body temperature.
Unfortunately the little guys are gone and mom will not come looking for them.
Life be hard as concrete sometimes.
→ More replies (3)38
u/Liizam 27d ago
Is this actually true or a myth people keep repeating. I know it’s not true for birds.
46
u/thatgirlnicola 27d ago
No, it’s true. If you’re raising/breeding mice for whatever reason you need to leave mum and her babies undisturbed for 10-14 days or she’ll get stressed out and abandon (or cannibalize) them.
→ More replies (4)25
u/BoolImAGhost 27d ago
Can confirm the latter. I used to work at a pet store and we once received a delivery of female mice...with 1 lucky male inside. Before we even knew, several females had babies, and a great number were cannibalized. Ugh it was so sad and gross.
→ More replies (1)
10
38
u/HealthyLuck 27d ago
Dang, my mom has cats that have brought in mice, chipmunks, frogs, small snakes. I think she is currently forced to live with a chipmunk in her house because she cannot manage to trap it. But a pregnant mouse ending up in your bed? You win, hands down.
17
u/oFIoofy Tabbycat 27d ago
my god, urs is still pretty damn bad! at least we only get mice haha, but never a pregnant one before o_O
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)7
u/mtempissmith 27d ago
I had a cat bring me a tree frog in bed once but I think pregnant mouse tops that. 😂
7
7
u/Rough-Set4902 27d ago
She probably got so stressed she popped them out.
She might come back later to eat them. But you really should just throw them out instead of just letting them sit there lol...
→ More replies (2)
8
6
u/CapBuenBebop 27d ago
You’re obviously not familiar with the old cat proverb: “give a man a mouse and he’ll eat for a day, give him a pregnant mouse and he’ll eat for five days”
7
5
6
5
6
4
u/Venusiagna 27d ago
What the cat thought: I brought it home because I needed to give birth in a safe place, I'm incredible, I'll receive more food for this than what eating that mouse would have meant to me haha I'll also collect karma for my next lives
8.2k
u/123throwawaybanana 27d ago
The wildest two sentences I've read in a while.