Shrew'd Cat

We've had a number of dead shrews this week, left by the cats, in the back garden. We're letting the cats out at night at present, as the weather is getting better and also as we will be away for a few days, we'll leave their cat flap open so they can come and go and a lady we know will come in and feed them twice a day. I was in bed, watching tv all snuggled up with Flo cat. We suddenly heard a bang and a commotion from the hall. Flo went all alert, so I shouted 'R.J?' and he replied 'meow'. Flo shot off the bed and joined him in the hall. More commotion followed, so I got up. We have a little bench you can sit on in the hall and shoes can go underneath it on a very low shelf. There were no shoes on it but the cats are positioned either end and I can only assume that R.J had brought in another mouse and that it was hiding, terrified, under this piece of furniture. Meanwhile R.J is trying to put his paw down the back and thump the little thing out. I have no idea what to do. I get down to look under the thing but can't see anything because of the half light but I know something is there because of the cats. In the end I go back to bed and leave them with it. I can't sleep, so I decide to get up and try and chase it out of the front door. It's 1am at this point. I go into the hall and R.J is playing with a shrew in front of my room and it's very much alive. He leaves it as soon as I walk out and it shoots under our bathroom door. It's temporarily safe as the cats can't get through the shut door but RJ shoots his paw back and forth under the door. Again, I haven't got a clue what to do. Eventually, I get a jam jar and go into the bathroom, making sure the cats don't get in and I shut the door. The poor little creature is slightly to one side of the door and sitting there dazed. Having no other idea of what to do I put the jar gently down with the opening facing the shrew. No one is more surprised than me when it just runs into the jar. I place the lid on and walk out of the bathroom, both cats are scouting round the floor peering into corners and looking into gaps. I exit unnoticed and end up in the garden in my pyjamas with a shrew in a jam jar. I put him down near a gap and leave him to his own devices. Then I come back in, lock up, fasten the cat flap so they can't get out and terrorise it and so we don't have any more brought in and go back to bed. I think R.J just sees toys, not living creatures.