Unfortunately, it is not a happy ending story. The first little one was found already preyed upon and chewed by the cat, the other was taken to the Cras Enpa and did not survive. An appeal to cat owners
“Last week we were called for a rather rare rescue: two baby dormice preyed upon by a domestic cat in the Moneglia area,” the Enpa explains. “Unfortunately, their story does not have a happy ending at all, but we still want to take this opportunity to remind once again how important it is to keep an eye on our pets. The cat in question, undoubtedly left unattended, climbed the tree where the dormice’s nest was located. Of the two babies, one was already preyed upon and chewed by the cat. By the time we arrived, it was already too late for him.”
“We tried in every way to save the other little one: we managed to recover him and bring him to our center, and we spent the following day warming him up and giving him as much milk as possible,” the association continues. “To our great sorrow, even our best efforts were not enough, and he also died after just one day. We are really tired of reiterating this, but we will try once more: domestic cats, as such, should not be allowed to wander freely and cause further harm to wildlife. It is not right that a pet, which should be able to find food and sources of play already in the home it lives in, instead ‘vent’ on two wild babies. Two babies who just a moment before were safe in their nest, with a mother who was surely taking care of them. The reality is that a cat irresponsibly left free has destroyed the lives of these two little ones. We hope our words can reach as many people as possible, and especially that they are understood. We ask once again to take care of your pets. In doing so, you might unknowingly save the lives of many small wild animals. If you would like to help us in other ways as well, do not forget to click here: https://linktr.ee/crasenpagenova.”
The dormouse, also known as the hazel dormouse, is a small rodent: it can reach 10 cm in length and 16 cm if the tail is included. The body length typically varies between 6 and 9 cm, while the tail length ranges from 5 to 8 cm. The fur is reddish-brown and can vary to orange-yellow, becoming lighter on the underside; the tail is long and completely covered with hair. The ears are small and not very developed, while the eyes are large and black.
During the winter, the dormouse eats a huge amount of food to build up a reserve of fat under the skin and eventually digs a burrow where it curls up like a ball to conserve as much heat as possible. When the external temperature drops, the dormouse reduces its heart and respiratory rate, thereby lowering its body temperature as well. For the rest of the year, it lives predominantly in small groups in trees and among bushes where it builds round nests from leaves and moss. It has been spotted in both plains and mountains up to a maximum height of 1500 meters.