'Penny-sized' mouse rescued after cat scares mother away

A "miracle" mouse the size of a one penny coin has survived after a cat caught its mother.

The plucky pup was just hours old when found alongside a sibling at a house in Newcastle on 30 July, the RSPCA said.

Initially she was kept alive in an incubator and fed goat's milk from a small make-up brush.

The rescued rodent, aptly named Penny, was introduced to a surrogate mother mouse at a rescue centre in Sunderland, where she has continued to thrive.

The RSPCA said the homeowner's cat had caught Penny's mother who, unbeknown to them, had given birth in their property.

They only realised when they saw their cat scratching in the house and after going to investigate the mother ran away, leaving the babies behind.

The second baby mouse was too weak to survive and died shortly before reaching the rescue centre.

After surviving the night, the decision was taken to put Penny in a cage with other mice who had recently given birth, to see if one would act as a surrogate.

"We have some mother mice in our care who have had babies which were about a week and a half old - so much bigger than Penny," said Trish Storey, a volunteer at the Pawz For Thought rescue centre.

"We placed her with several of the pet babies in some of the nest paper so that Penny would pick up their scent.

"The mother came and took her own babies one by one in her mouth and carried them off to be fed and then finally she took Penny - keeping us all in suspense.

"There is always a fear that due to the smaller size of Penny the new mother may have rejected her - but in this case she happily took on her parental responsibilities and was lovely to see. She really is our little miracle."

It is hoped that Penny will eventually be rehomed.

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