Can I make ice cream from shrews?

[Bwix]

The cats need a treat on a day like this. My boy cat looks very hot and bothered. Girl cat has brought us 4 shrews already and I found a mouse corpse behind the bin, which smells relatively fresh.

Do you think the cats would like it if I froze them, perhaps mixed with a bit of cream? I know they can't taste sugar, so I was thinking of boiling cream and leaving the shrews to infuse at that stage, then making a sugar-free traditional custard (albeit shrew flavoured) and putting that in the ice cream maker.

The shrews are already dead so I'm assuming IANBU.

Is that true?

But you’re going to put it in your ice cream maker? That you use for human ice cream as well?! You have a stronger stomach than me OP!

😒 Stop making the rest of us cat butlers look bad. My tapas cat dinner for 2 now looks poor in comparison. The dessert was just milk cups.

My cats never ate shrews, only mice or rabbits 🤢

I would just chuck some frozen prawns at them if they are hot.. surely they are the original cat ice pops?

I just opened this thread to see what the op meant cos surely shrew was a typo? But no, I am actually reading a thread about freezing shrews fml

Lactose is a sugar, so doesn't get denatured at high temperatures like proteins do.

But the more important point is that if your cats are leaving the shrews for you and not eating them, that they perhaps don't like the taste of shrew? And therefore might not appreciate a food they weren't keen on that was boiled, blended, frozen and served up as a summer treat?

I think shrews have glands that make them distasteful and possibly toxic. That said, I think a sorbet would be better because cats are lactose intolerant so can't eat mice cream.

Shrews are a bit toxic, I believe. As in cats usually don't eat much of them, & puke if they do, rather than deadly poisonous, but blending them might be asking for trouble...

Now considering freezing milk cups 🤔

I feel like i'm dreaming this thread ....

Hi OP

Tour cats are busy! We only get about one live grass snake a year.

The pilchard sorbet could be a winner? But make sure there's no actual bits of ice in it, as I don't think cats like actual ice. I would suggest just slightly chilled, with a hint of tuna perhaps?

You are mad cat woman extraordinaire with the shrew ice-cream recipe. I think you need a cauldron to do these experimental recipes justice.

But try the lick-e-licks tubes chilled as a starter to establish if they like cold things before you break out with the wildlife recipes.

😂😂😂😂

My cat never ate the shrews she caught, frozen or otherwise

I never expected to read a thread debating whether cats would prefer frozen prawns or shrew ice cream

A Vole sorbet would be delightful!

Cats don't like shrews. They'll kill them, but not eat them. And if you go for mice, you need to get rid of the greeny purple stomachy bit they always leave.

You're setting yourself up for a lot of fiddly prep.

😂

This is the most bizarre thread!
I was expecting a typo.

Thank you woq I was getting lactose mixed up with lactase. It's a long time since I did biology GCSE.

Good point about the cats not eating the shrews. My girl cat does seem to like biting the heads off but leaves both bits, so you're right, it might not go down well. It seemed like such a good idea at the time.

I still have the mouse though, and some pilchards in the cupboard, and a jar of anchovies, so plenty of treat potential. Mouse anchovy-chip ice cream perhaps.

My last cat used to eat most of his kills apart from rats and shrews and a quick Google says cats don’t usually eat them as they smell and taste vile.

You can get cooling mats for pets which would probably be easier than home made ice cream for cats

Shrews emit a musty secretion which tastes unpleasant to cats that’s why they don’t eat them

Aren't shrews poisonous to cats? I seem to remember someone saying it to me years ago. My Granny had a team of wee homicidal feline maniacs and they tore all the other birds and small mammals to shreds but always left the shrews whole so maybe there is something in it?

Please can you post pictures of the results OP 😁

Yy to the pp who suggests just chucking a few frozen shrimps at them. Simple, but classic.