Unknown Mouse

Definitely not a mole, moles do not possess elongated tails and tend to have a bare snout which almost resembles a pig. That would be a mouse or rat of some kind. Most likely just a "field mouse" or vole which are popular in the finger lakes area.

I would also guess young rat or mouse, defo not a mole.

And I would guess the cat got a good lick of the fur?
;)

it is not a pet. i saved it from my cat. it was only in the box so i could bring it outside without touching it, i'm well aware that rodents can carry disease. i wanted to ID it because my father insisted that it's a mole, but i thought it was a young mouse. i already let it go, outside, and disposed of the box.

Juliestarcoffee - if this is a "pet" then it should be checked by a vet if the origin of it is unknown. otherwise let it go and dispose of the box? it is pictured in. I'm a bit paranoid about these things, but Rats (or mice) are wild animals and they can host diseases that can be transferred to humans. They also host other animals like fleas, that can carry and transfer diseases. The most common carrier/transfer in the US seems to be from contaminated animal wastes, and saliva. Wash hands, don't rub eyes or open sores, etc. Common sense stuff there. My mother (another slightly paranoid in this regard) also harped that there was a chance of a bite and resulting rabies shots on the stomach. I don't know if that's true or not. I do know that some of the nasties that can be spread critter to human are Leptospirosis and Hantavirus, but seriously, the deaths from the diseases are low...less than 50 per year and more like 20 or so for the whole country.

That was my thought, as well, Heather.

It looks like a wet rat, either a young one or a sick one because it's a little on the small side.