Urgent Advice needed - 7month old has just put a DEAD VOLE in his mouth

[spikeycat]

Can anyone give me any advice, I have just turned round (5 mins ago) and seen my 7 month old ds with a dead vole in his hand happilly waving it at me. I guess its gone in his mouth as everything goes in there at the moment and I have (after struggling to get the bloody thing off him - me shouting drop it and him crying and holding on tighter) washed him hands and his mouth out - should I do anything else - apart from Kill the cat???

spikeycat is your baby ok?

and the cat?

piccy of a water vole whymummy. normal voles are similar but smaller.

BTW spikeycat -if it was a shrew I wouldn't worry- apparently they taste revolting (wich is why cats always leave them)

PPH, at the idea that we might all have said "ah yes, voles, happens all the time!"

thank you jimjams it looks so cute,im racking my brains thinking what theyre called in spanish,nevermind i know what they look now like,cheers

Thanks for asking - he is fine now - and the cat is okay too, although only has access to the conservatory when I am not about to prevent any more little presents being dropped off!

I shall be going to pet city today to get him some nice cat food that he likes and that may help too

By the way - it did not look like a water vole (which I am sure is just a rat), maybe it was a shrew, don't know what they look like though?

Mouse with a long pointy nose I think! Less than 1st finger length in the body.

Here's a picture of the common shrew. It actully seems to look like a mini mole!

shrews smaller and darker with very pointy noses. It wouldn't have been a water vole- they are very rare. Coud have been a bank vole but a shrew is probably more likely- especially if the cat left it.
OK catch a shrew. Offer it the chance to a) escape or b) eat a piece of meat or a worm or something- it'll eat.
Shrews only sleep for 20 minutes at a time, because they have to eat all the time. Pygmy shrew- smallest British mammal.

OK that's enough shrew facts have a picture

ooh same site soupdragon - didn't spot that - sad thing is I know half the people who took those photos........

It was a shrew then. I have holes in the lawn in the garden which (jasper my cat) digs at and I think thats where he gets them from - he never, ever eats them either....