I saved a baby field mouse from my cat, but he looks in pain. What do I do?

You are already doing a lot of things recommended for wild mouse care such as scattering the food on the cage floor to simulate hunting, offering water in a shallow cap instead of a water bottle in order to keep him as wild as possible and allowing him time in a quiet area to recuperate. I would not give him any milk, though, as mice cannot digest dairy products properly and this includes cheese. Wild birdseed is the perfect food to offer him as it is most like what he would get in the wild. Put a small cardboard box in the cage such as from PopTarts so he has a place to go that makes him feel safe. The tissue you have been providing is perfect for nesting

As for his poo changing color, it could just be from the addition of new foods into his diet. The milk could also be the reason for this. Is he eating a lot of vegetables/fruit? Too many can cause diarrhea. Oatmeal is often used to firm up runny poo, so if he develops it, the oatmeal should help.

TFM is an excellent mouse site with a thread on wild mouse care. Do you have any idea as to his age? Bubs are typically completely weaned at 4 weeks old although hand raised orphan bubs can take an extra week or so. TFM has photos of a mouse bub from day 1 to day 28 should you need to determine his age. They also have a "Reproductive Care" category should you require it. Links follow:

http://forum.thefunmouse.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1...

(If you cannot read the above thread, you will need to register first.)

http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/daybydaybabies.cfm

http://forum.thefunmouse.com/

Most vets are not allowed by law to treat wild animals to include wild mice. You can, however, check into wildlife rehabilitation centers if you decide to have someone take over with his care. Following are links:

http://www.helpwildlife.co.uk/index.php

http://wildlife.rescueshelter.com/uk

http://www.animalrescuers.co.uk/html/ukwild.html

http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/wildlife/r...

http://bwrc.org.uk/#/find-a-rehabilitator/45505821...

http://www.mary.cc/rehabbersoutsideus.html

http://www.wildlifeinternational.org/EN/public/eme...

(International based)

Regarding when to release, you are spot on that it is important to factor in weather. As you mentioned, make sure there are no storms in the forecast. Pick an area with plenty of ground covering, lots of bird activity and no buildings. The ground covering assures a nest. The bird activity assures a food source nearby such as nuts and berries. The lack of buildings will lessen his chance for entering a structure with kill traps. Also, mice are crepuscular meaning primarily active during twilight hours: dawn and dusk. As such, you might consider releasing during one of these times.

It really says a lot about a person that takes the time and effort to care about wildlife in need. Thank you for having such compassion for the little guy. I hope he is ready for release soon.

ADDENDUM: Sorry, just noticed you are from the UK so I changed the list of wilflife rehab centers accordingly. Should you go that route, make sure the organization does in fact treat the animals as some places that call themselves wildlife rehab organizations will in fact merely euthanize. (I know there are plenty of organizations here in the States that believe it is not worth the trouble to offer vet care because of the quantity living in the wild.)

why are you giving him milk? he needs water! get him some water and just keep him in a warm in safe place, if he passes away, at least he will have passed away comfortably and not by being left out side in the cold rain starving to death. but dont do what that other person said about killing it, there is no way to tell if an animal is about to die, maybe once you get him some water he will spring back up and be ready to go back out into the wild.

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Wait till he's stronger, and gently feel all over his limbs to see if any bones are broken, etc.

If the eye is still weeping, flush it out with boiled (Cooled down) water.

If after a week he still seems in pain, kill him. otherwise he is suffering for nothing.

You seem a very nice person.Dont take any notice of any harsh answers.I have enclosed you a link on Field Mouses so you will know more about them. I dont think the vet could do anything other than put him down. You could ask,you can always ask.I dont think the vet will charge you for putting him down. Dont blame your cat.Its nature.

If I was you, I'd kill it. The same thing happened to me, the mouse was just beyond help, you should either kill it yourself or take it to the vet, would be the best thing to do for the animal's sake. You are cruel for keeping it alive in pain.

Give it back to the cat. In other words let the cat finish the job...