What to do with wounded mouse (might be a bit gruesome)

[Thekitten]

Posting here for traffic as original thread in the litter tray got no response.
My cat brought in a mouse a couple of days ago, and I found that she'd wounded it to the point where it was still alive but couldn't move it's back legs.

I caught and released it into a nearby field, but I'm worried I've sent it to a long slow death, instead of a quick one by my own hand - which I just can't bring myself to do. Was I unreasonable? What's the most humane thing to do here?

[sanddune11]

If the cat hadn't brought the mouse in you'd be none the wiser, so i wouldn't feel guilty. I don't think it would have a long painful death. Probably die quite quickly. Don't worry, you did your best.

[Santawontbelong]

Alas you have found out it's best to leave dcat to it.
My dh set up an old snake tank with heat mat, straw and a selection of delicacies for a mouse our dcat had toyed with. He was devastated to find it dead the next day.
He leaves them to their sick games these days.

[honeyroar]

Sadly it wouldn't have survived without the use of its legs. Next time either take it to a vet, kill it swiftly yourself, or leave it to the cat.

And I'm not judging you - I've done the same myself once or twice and kicked myself afterwards.

[chemenger]

I wrap mortally wounded cat victims in kitchen roll and hit the head hard with a brick, quick and final. Still horrible though.

[AstridWhite]

A carrier bag and a brick. It's only a mouse. But that doesn't mean you should leave it to suffer slowly.

[Archfarchnad]

We have to deal with problem every so often - Archcat mostly brings in mice either already dead or essentially unharmed, but for the injured ones I'm too much of a wuss to take the violent options (the brick mentioned above or breaking the neck with. Pencil - I'd be worried about not doing it properly and causing it more pain). What I have got down to a fine art is euthanasia with baking powder and vinegar.

Put the mouse in a small sealed container you can easily throw out like an ice-cream box. Put a few teaspoons of baking powder in a ramekin (small dish) and add vinegar so it starts foaming. Put it in the box and seal the lid. It creates carbon dioxide which kills the mouse very quickly, within a minute or two. Works for us.

[Thekitten]

The cat had lost interest completely. I had to leave the mouse to get the mouse tub and she didn't go for it or anything. Maybe she thought it was already dead?

That's the thing, I don't want the poor thing to suffer at all and I'm sad that's pretty much what I have done. But I've never had one wounded before - only ever dead or very active! So I've never had to kill it myself and I can't even kill insects. I'm worried I'd do it wrong too and it'd just end up suffering even more :/

[Thekitten]

@archfardnad that method seems a lot more humane - do they fall asleep before asphyxiating?

[TheBakeryQueen]

I think there is quite a lot of evidence that carbon dioxide poisoning causes quite an unpleasant death from what I've read.

[honeyroar]

I hate doing it (usually ask husband or father next door if they're around) but if I have to, I do the brick thing or hit them with a shovel. Squeezing hysterically at the same time. Or run over them with your car - that would work too. Not nice but kinder.

[Dahlietta]

I wrap mortally wounded cat victims in kitchen roll and hit the head hard with a brick, quick and final. Still horrible though.

Oh blimey, chemenger, you have my absolute admiration for this, but still, .... urgh.

[TheBakeryQueen]

The very kind vet who put my pet rat to sleep used Isoflurane, I think it was called.

[SweetChickadee]

DH had to 'off' a vole our cat half killed. Took him a while to summon up the necessary to do it. He's a softie.

He had strong words with the cat after, too.

[headintheproverbial]

This often happens in our house. DH bashes them to death with a saucepan.

[CaffeineBomb]

Isoflurane is a general anaesthetic so not something I would image you would be able to get over the counter for these situations unfortunately

[Sandsunsea]

It might have lived long enough to provide a tasty meal for a bird or something. It's nature innit. Don't sweat it.

[Sunnysidegold]

My cats were playing with a tiny mouse and the poor thing was badly wounded when I got it off them. I hate animals suffering and made a quick decision to end its life. It was over very quickly but I felt very sad about it.

[Sandsnake]

We out wounded mice in a plastic bag and then dashed, hard, on the pavement. Always does the job instantly and also isn't too traumatic for you to do. I think you should always give your cat's prey a clean death, if you can.

[EatTheChocolateTeapot]

Slightly off topic but a bell on the collar is apparently quite efficient to prevent cats from catching little mammals. Didn't work 100% with my cats but worth spreading the word around in case anyone didn't know about this.

[honeyroar]

A bell didn't work with my cats either. They just sit on the fence watching and pounce from above when they see something. ☹️

[Etymology23]

Mice in labs are less distressed when killed by percussion to the back of the head than when gassed with CO2. So probably a back of the head job is the most "humane". But they train the people in labs so if you screw it up it's less humane. It's also grim, dunno if I could do it.

[Archfarchnad]

I'm not claiming the CO2 solution is perfect, but it is fairly quick and I really can't bring myself to bash the thing to death. Certainly less horrible than Archcat tormenting the poor injured thing for ages.
Actually recently I've just had stern words with him to bloody well eat the mouse, and he sometimes does so. In it's entirety, including head and tail. Ah, the crunch of a mouse skull as a cat munches on it, not something I'll forget quickly.

[PurpleNurple69]

I just asked my DH what he’d do.

“Throw it outside”

Me “No, tell me exactly what you would do”

“Throw it outside”

“What? You’d literally throw it outside? Talk me through the steps you’d take to deal with it”

“Pick it up by the scruff of the neck and put it under the hedge”

Me “OK, now we’re getting somewhere”

Off topic but it’s the same when I ask him “How’s your mum? What was she saying [when you visited]?”

“Fine, fine. Nothing much” and I find out a week later she’s bought a new suite or the youngest son has split up from his fiancée. Yep, nothing much.

Fucks sake, let’s not waste breath on words......

[Thekitten]

Thank you everyone for your help! I am hoping I won't have to make this decision again, but I guess I'll have to do the cats work for it next time :( I'll be doing it through tears though...

She used to wear a bell but it wound up the dog next door so I took it off her. Didn't notice any increase in small animals though.. she must just be that good!

I hope that poor mousey I released had a nice quick death at the hand of a predator... Just so it was out of pain quicky I mean! I don't like the thought of it starving to death :(

I have also had stern words with my cat, she just ignores me....

[MaidOfStars]

To reiterate Etymology, brain stem death, usually via head/neck trauma, is considered the gold standard for swiftly killing animals that you are much bigger than. But easier to fuck up id you're not confident, hence government regulations for things like terminal anaesthesia etc. (For the average user, much kinder).

I would have broken its neck. But I'm used to this.