Baby holding mouse head, I am panicking

[newmum0604]

Sorry, posting here for traffic.

Was just laying on the living room rug next to my 1 year old daughter while she played. She started rubbing what appears to be the top half of a mouse on my arm.

I have no reason to think she put it in her mouth (other than she is 1 and still puts everything in her mouth) but I hadn't been looking at her for about a minute before this happened. Obviously I've thoroughly washed her hands but is there anything else I should do?! I'm really worried she put it in her mouth but I have no way of knowing.

I always check the floor in the morning because our cat quite often brings in mice and birds but this was really small and I missed it. I don't know how to stop it and I have been dreading DD getting to something before I do!

Please tell me this happened to lots of other people and their babies were fine! 😭

It’s not “nature” though because cats are not a native species who are part of the natural food chain in Britain. They are awful for biodiversity in small mammals and birds and responsible for decline in many species.

In answer to the OP, I’m sure your little one will be fine though.

Really don’t worry about it. Kids that grow up on farms have stronger immune systems because they handle all sorts of muck. My nieces and nephews had the constitutions of oxen, barely a cold or sniffle ever and the head of a dead mouse was by far the least those kids came home with.

Oh she'll be fine. This is something you'll laugh about when she's older, honestly.

Another vote for keeping the cat in at night.

I would have thought that there would be some evidence on your daughter's face if she had eaten the mouse and her teeth would not be sharp enough for her to have ingested some without you knowing.

Over the years, cats were bred to be good hunters to keep the vermin down. So it's not simply a case of 'nature'. I agree with the pp who said the killing of birds etc is unacceptable these days. Some bird populations have collapsed (from other factors) and we can help by keeping our cats in at night/early morning when birds are advertising their presence in order to attract mates.

I wouldn’t worry. My youngest I caught chewing a partridge leg which was bad enough but a few months later she was helping me feed the sheep. I thought she was pushing the fees up and down the trough as they ate and eating some herself. She was picking up the sheep poo and eating it!

she has a crush on you and thinks you both are more than just friends

Has to be this. 😂

Yep @JemimaTiggywinkle you got it, people who think domestic cats hunting native birds and rodents and unpicked up dogshit getting washed into our water table are "nature" are either extremely unintelligent or conveniently delusional.

But, OP, I really think she will be fine - I have every sympathy for you though I would be so grossed out by this! There's nothing you can do except keep an eye on her but she might well not have got to the point of putting it in her mouth yet, and even if she did she probs won't even get a tummy upset. With the best will in the world we all miss stuff when childproofing/ checking a room.

When I was a child I used to eat grass. I got toxoplasmosis and now I can eat anything I want during pregnancy. Great stuff.

She'll be fine.

*I once caught my eldest with a human bone in her mouth (calcaneus if anyone is interested).

We were on a dig and she'd picked it up from a mole hill. She was just under a year old*

This is a great story! Horrifying but great lol.

When I was around 8=9 or 10, DM and I were sitting in the garden and my DB (approx 9 months) was crawling around the lawn.

DM was distracted from her book by the sound of DB spitting and spluttering. Further examination revealed the little fucker was chewing a snail.

He came to no harm from it.

😂

My toddler ds managed to find a dog/fox poo when we were in the park one day for a picnic. We had done a sweep, but clearly hadn’t been thorough enough. I turned to see him chomping into it like a sausage. No harm done (well, not to him anyway. I’m still traumatised!)

Thank you, a lot of these replies have really made me feel better!

To those saying keep him in at night I wish it was that simple. He's a Burmese, the loudest and most neurotic/stubborn one I've ever known. He's very much loved but he'll definitely be the last pet we have ☹️

The RSPB have previously stated very clearly that cats are not responsible for the decline in birds as they usually catch the birds that are already weak or injured that would have died anyway.

I doubt it will harm her - in some cultures, small rodents such as rats and mice are considered normal human food.

I was sitting on a train opposite my two year old daughter when I noticed she was chewing. Short investigation revealed she was picking the used chewing gum from under the table!

I left my dh in charge of my youngest for like 10 minutes when I ran upstairs to do something. She was crawling age (forget exactly how many months). Anyway, I come downstairs to find her chewing on the dogs dirty ball. My husband was talking to our son and eyes not really on her (he does not seem to be able to talk to someone and watch someone else at the same time). Anyway, she had the dirty ball in her mouth (as much as she could fit in) chewing. She was fine. Another time I left my dh in charge of my son sitting on a bench while I was inside the rehabilitation center with my father, after he suffered health issues. Anyway, we all went to visit, but my ds needed a change of scenery, so I sent them out a few minutes before I was going to join. I came out to see my ds chewing on the bench.....where there was bird poop all over....so basically chewing on wood with dried bird poop on it. Again he was fine :) And another time...this one was all me lol...my son dropped chicken on the airplane floor and picked it up put it in his mouth, swallowed before I could do anything about it. I saw it tried to grab it, but it happened so quickly and was already in his mouth swallowing when I was trying to tell him to get it out etc. Again fine.... I do not seem to have any of these stories about my eldest...but my younger ones seem to have strong immune systems and I am wondering if it is because they put more gross things in their mouths.

Baby holding mouse head, sounds like an art installation.

Health visitor told me how healthy farmers kids are once so I wouldn't worry

When my DS was about 18 months old I walked into the kitchen to find him cuddling a dead mouse. It was gross but I can confirm he survived. We did start keeping our cat in at night and got a bell for her collar after that though.

If your cat is in the house (and obviously it is), she's already put dead mouse/rat/rabbit/bird cooties in her mouth MANY, MANY times (not to mention pee/poop etc). Your cute lil kitty is covered in said cooties and even if DD doesn't touch the kitty, she's touching things the kitty has walked on, touched etc. She'll be absolutely fine 😊

DS1 drank out of our cats' water bowl regularly. He also sucked an earthworm. DD ate the cats' dried food and drank out of the bird bath-that had wood pigeon poo in.
Both fine.