Can Cats Eat Feeder Mice – A Healthy Snack?

If you belong to a multi-pet household with a unique combination of felines and reptiles, you’re bound to see an interaction between the two species. That’s especially true when it comes to cats and reptile feeders. This has led to many folks asking – can cats eat feeder mice?

Cats can eat feeder mice if purchased from reputable sources, which reduces the chances of them carrying pathogens. However, there’s no guarantee of feeder mice being completely bacteria-free and can lead to choking hazards due to the animal’s bones. 

If you’re curious about how to go about giving your feline feeder mice, or the pros and cons of the exercise, we’ve got some good news. This article will cover all relevant aspects of felines and feeder mice to help pet parents make an informed decision. 

What Are Feeder Mice?

As the name suggests, feeder mice are bred in facilities to be ‘food’ for predatory animals, like snakes, geckos, or even birds. 

These mice are raised in a hygienic environment and given an adequate diet to ensure proper nutrition. They belong to the Rodentia order with the scientific name ‘Mus musculus.’ Feeder mice are also available in various sizes, ranging from ‘pinkies’ (2 to 5 days old mice without much hair) to older mice in sizes small, medium, and large. 

Generally, the older the mice are, the bigger their size is. Pet owners typically buy feeder mice in bulk quantities to avail discounts, but these generally are frozen to preserve freshness.

Should Cats Eat Feeder Mice?

Cats are carnivores and, generally, aren’t averse to eating raw meat. Giving your cat feeder mice isn’t too problematic because they’re raised in specialized facilities as ‘feed’ for animals, eliminating the chances of carrying pathogens. However, that doesn’t mean all kitties will take to eating feeder mice, as some are picky eaters. 

Besides that, below are the relevant pros and cons of giving cats feeder mice:

Advantages

Ample Nutrients

One of the main reasons cat owners look into a raw-based diet is that it offers a lot of essential nutrients. Felines require a diet that includes proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. And, feeder mice have plenty to offer on all those counts. 

Here’s a quick nutritional breakdown of feeder mice according to age:

Feeder Mice	Neonatal – Less than 3 grams	Juvenile – 3 to 9 grams	Adult – More than 10 grams
Calories	4.88	6.65	5.25
Ash	9.6	8.6	11.8
Protein	64.3	44.3	55.8
Fat	16.0	30.0	23.6

Hygiene

As stated earlier, feeder mice are bred and raised for the select reason of serving as feed for reptiles are other animals. As such, the facilities raising feeder mice make sure to follow specific regulations to ensure their mice don’t carry any diseases like E.coli or Salmonella that can harm felines. 

Safer Alternative For Cats That Like Hunting

Some felines have a higher prey drive (the instinct to hunt and eat animals) than others. That means domestic cats can hunt and eat critters such as mice, rats, small birds, rabbits, etc. The problem is animals hunted from the wild can carry diseases that can negatively affect your kitty’s health. 

Feeder mice can come in handy if you’re trying to curb your cat’s outdoor hunting habits. These allow your feline to satisfy its hunting instinct, and you can be sure that the mice are disease-free.

Disadvantages 

No Guarantee Against The Presence of Bacteria

Even though feeder mice are raised in specialized facilities, there’s no way to ensure they’re 100 percent bacteria-free. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), feeder rodents can still carry germs that can make humans and animals sick, making them a risky diet option. 

Messy Leftovers

Be it live or frozen feeder mice, your feline’s bound to make a mess when eating one. This includes blood, guts, and other gory bits that you’ll have to clean up after your pet is done with its meal. As such, it’s not an option for all cat parents, especially those that get squeamish at the sight of blood. 

Not Suitable For Picky Eaters

If you have a mind to tempt your picky-eating kitty with feeder mice, there’s a good chance your pet won’t take to its taste. 

Cats can be notoriously finicky about their diets, and if your fur baby is used to eating commercial cat food, it can outright reject food that wriggles or moves around. 

Can You Feed Cats Pinkies?

Pinkies are neonatal mice (only a few days old) and don’t have much (or any) fur. They’re generally purchased for younger reptiles as their smaller size makes them easy to swallow and digest. As such, they are relatively safe for felines to eat. 

Pet owners can purchase pinkies from local pet stores or even breed them at home. Younger felines may prefer eating pinkies to larger feeder mice because of their compact size. However, feeding it pinkies may not be ideal if your cat has a high prey drive. 

That’s because pinkies don’t move around much (not at all if they’re frozen), which means your pet won’t derive any enjoyment from hunting. On the flip side, if your feline does prefer eating pinkies, you won’t have to worry too much about cleaning up afterward as pinkies are somewhat bite-sized for adult felines. 

How Many Mice Should A Cat Eat?

Wild cats can eat up to nine mice per day. Still, it’s unlikely that your domesticated cat will eat the same amount as they also eat commercial cat food. That means there aren’t any set guidelines as to how many mice you should feed your cat daily. 

Besides that, it’s always best to start small when introducing a new item in your kitty’s diet to avoid problems like stomach upsets. You can begin by presenting your feline with juvenile mice (one per day) to gauge its reaction. If your cat seems to enjoy eating the live or frozen feed, you can slowly increase the amount. 

However, we recommend cat parents reach out to their veterinarian before giving their pets feeder mice. Your vet will be able to provide you with accurate information specific to your feline, which matters most!

Conclusion

We’re at the end of our feeder mice for felines article and hope our readers have all their queries answered. While feeder mice are safe for felines to consume, it’s always best to get pertinent input from your vet before adding anything new to your pet’s diet. 

Doing so will help you avoid any roadblocks you may encounter along the way, with the essential added bonus of ensuring your cat’s health. Besides that, there are also other raw-meat-based diet options cat owners can pursue to promote their pet’s diet. 

Be sure to leave a comment below and let us know how your feline took to eating feeder mice. We’re always interested in what our readers have to share.