Hi Debbi,
 
I can only address the first question.
 
>First question, what in mice makes them dangerous for cats and ferrets
>to eat, anyway?  Aren't they the natural prey of cats and ferret-like
>animals?  What about mice from the pet store (you know, those feeder mice
>for snakes)?  I'm just wondering, because I know my cats eat mice, moles,
>and birds when roaming outside, and we've never had a problem with any
>strange diseases....
 
Wild mice and other animals have parasites that can easily be transmitted
to the animal (cat, ferret, whatever) that eats them.  I strongly suggest
you take the cat to the vet and have a stool check done.  My guess is that
you will find parasites - at least 1 type of worm, possibly several,
protozoans, etc.
 
The other thing to be concerned about is the possibility that the wild
mouse (or other animal that is consumed) might have gotten into a poison
(antifreeze, rat poison, etc.) that can be passed on to the preditor (cat
or ferret).  Illness is another thing that can occur in the wild mouse
that can affect the cat or ferret that eats it.  Everything depends on the
illness that the mouse has.  It can be something that your pet gets and
doesn't have immunity against (like the mouse may have had).  Then your
pet can become quite sick (kind of like food poisoning).
 
If you get frozen (white) mice from a pet store or feeder mice from a pet
store, they should be clean and free of parasites and therefore safe to
feed to your pets (snakes, ferrets, cats, whatever).
 
I am a wildlife rehabber.  When we feed mice to anything, they must be
clean and bred in captivity under the right conditions to ensure that we
are not giving the preditor animal any parasites, poisons, or "food-borne"
illnesses.
 
I hope this helps a bit.
 
Kim
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[Posted in FML issue 3039]