Saturday 15 October 2011

How to tenderize a mouse, mole, vole, shrew

Buster
Buster and Felix are my bookends. Twins, they often share toys, but not food.

They shared a catnip ball with my hospice client's cat, Wanda, who was quite excited about it. She slept with her head on it, like a pillow!
Wanda was named for her late aunt,
who is also memorialized by a tattoo!

Felix, the smaller of the two, eats first. Buster seems to be the hunter and the tree climber. He'll eat later.

Felix
I thought, at first, Felix had a mouse, probably not a  deer mouse. I looked more closely and thought: a mole. With a bit more research I found it is a shrew, or shrew mouse (family Soricidae).

Shrews are related more closely to mice than voles.

Read more: American Least Shrew: Soricidae, cryptotis parva.





The mole is mainly a carnivore, whereas the vole is a primarily a vegetarian. Shrews are not picky eaters. While insects and other invertebrates (animals without backbones) make up the bulk of their diet, they will also eat fruit and seeds, as well as small mammals, lizards, frogs, and even other shrews if food is scarce.

My kittens are omnivores. They'll eat anything!



For more Camera Critters, #184!

Camera Critters

11 comments:

Hootin Anni said...

Both my cats...they're saying for me to type this: "Works for us!"

Halloween Ratatouille - LOL

Kay L. Davies said...

That title is hilarious, Jenn. Your omnivorous twins are enough to keep you and the whole internet entertained, aren't they? I think they are just wonderful.

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel

Snap said...

Great little hunters! Happy Critter Day!

emz said...

ur kitties are so cute!! mine is a Cat in a Box

Latane Barton said...

Glad you have the cats to search out the shrews for you and get rid of them. Things like that ... I just don't care for. yuck.

EG CameraGirl said...

Thanks for the laugh, Jenn. :)

Powell River Books said...

Ouch! Glad I'm not a vole. Felix reminds me so much of our Stick Tail, except for the tail of course. Stick Tail lost a few inches to a Los Angeles coyote. He is so glad to be living somewhere without coyotes. - Margy

Chubskulit Rose said...

Beautifully captured!

My Critter, please come and see.

eileeninmd said...

Your kitties are beautiful. I am sure they would be happy here with lots of field mice and voles. Great post and photos.

Jenn Jilks said...

Hubby read in a Cat Whisperer book that they really DO tenderize them this way: throwing them up and around. Not that I'd try it... but they are comical.

George said...

The video is very cute and charming. I'm glad the boys enjoy their meal so much.