[AliH]

You may already have done this thread, but just in case...

I'm curious to know what other pets everyone else has and how they get along with your cats.

Aside from the two cats we also keep domestic rats (fantastic pets, I'd recommend them!). When the Rat Boys first arrived the Cat Boys were rather over-interested and jumped on the cage a lot. Once the rats got braver though they started hissing and trying to grab the cats' tails. The cats soon lost interest - not only could they not get hold of these annoying little creatures, but the rats COULD get hold of them!

The rats were terrified to start with and would freeze for up to half an hour at a time. But once they realised the cats couldn't get them they became braver.

The only time the cats take any notice now is if I get the milky drops out for the rats - the cats love to share and jump up next to the cage to await their turn. It's cute to see a rat one side of the cage nibbling happily away, and the cats just inches away enjoying their treats too!

The rats do free-range in our bedroom in the evenings, but the cats get shut out of the room at that point. I wouldn't ever want to take any risks and end up with a dead rat or a severely bitten cat.

Sooty gets quite jealous if I spend time with the rats. He doesn't spend much time in the bedroom (preferring to be in the lounge with us) but as soon as I go in with the rats he sits outside the door and yowls.

We'd like to get another dog when we move (our last one died just before we got Carrots) but unfortunately Carrots is terrified of them so it's something we will need to approach very carefully and not until we've got a bigger house (it's annoying, since we did mention to the RSPCA that we'd like to get another dog at some point and they assured us that Carrots was very happy with dogs!! Not true!).

Do you have other pets as well as your cats?

 

[Jessica]

I have a dog and they all get along just fine. In fact when Xavier(my cat) was a kitten he used to try and nurse off my dog's face! It was the cutest thing And Scoob(the dog) would just lie there and let Xav suckle.

Scooby also shares his dog bed with the cats and in turn they share their litter box... um... treasures with him. :?

 

[eurocat]

at the moment we have Simba (our cat) and a canary called Hawky. somehow we managed to teach simba that birds are our friends :wink: , but now he doesnt even chase the birds in the back yard so maybe we did a too good job :wink:
in the last ten years or so, we've had a dog (Starr) and two cats (Snowy and Tess) but we've had to give them away or get them put down since my brother was born.

 

[Gracie's Mom]

I have 2 ferrets and 2 dogs. Most of my cats don't like the dogs(although my springer adores the cats, and wins most of them over!), and they get along wonderfully with the ferrets. I don't leave them unattended for the ferrets safety, but they've never tried to hurt them. I love watching Gracie with the ferrets-first she chases them, then they chase her, back and forth for hours until they collapse in a heap together and sleep.

 

[Aonir]

Oh dear, shouldn't get me started!

I have:
1 dog
2 ferrets
1 rabbit
2 turtles
1 betta fish..

And a total of 7 cats! You do the math

 

[ForJazz]

My cats try to eat my fish. I don't really like fish, but I rescued him since my old roommate didn't want him anymore. He's kind of cool b/c he's super huge and super old and he refuses to die. Anyway -- he's been re-homed several times around the house since I got the kitties because they keep finding him and trying to eat him. And I can't give him away because he has seniority over these cats. RASCALS!

 

[AmberD]

I have a chow-mix mutt, and she gets long with the cats just fine, although the newcomers are still a bit unsure of her. CryBaby, my orange kitty, is head over heels in love with Sasha (she should be flattered, but she's not), and Blue, my Siamese, has a thing for cleaning the dog's feet (also not appreciated). Once in a while, the dog will deign to chase the cats around the house a little, but only if they beg. I'm serious about that, too.

I recently lost my rabbit, but the cats never bothered him, either. CryBaby would sometimes stick his paw in and pat the bunny, but nothing more.

My 7 betta fish enjoy any attention my cats decide to give them, and the cats enjoy watching them, so it's a good relationship

 

[Jeanie]

Aonir, I tried, but it burned the batteries out of my calculator....

 

[queen of the nile]

I breed gerbils and have 3 cats. Currently, I have 8 adult gerbs that are permanent members of my household and 6 - 1-week-old pups. I used to have a lot of trouble with my cats sitting on top of the tanks but now only Lucas is brave enough. I only really have a problem with it if he is sitting on my breeder's cage - they have enough stress already.
I've actually had one of my gerbils defend himself when one of my cats was sitting on the cage top. Jasper (gerbil), jumped off his little house and tried to nip Lucas' toes!
Oh, I guess the only big problem I've had is when two of my gerbils escaped one night and the cats got just a bit too friendly.

 

[ForJazz]

Oh, I guess the only big problem I've had is when two of my gerbils escaped one night and the cats got just a bit too friendly.

EEEEEK!! :shock:

 

[kristi]

We have a greyhound. The 3 adult cats mostly just tolerate her, although Frodo and Daisy will wind around her legs affectionately once in a while. Lemur, our 3rd adult cat, is too much of a spook and barely comes near our greyhound Willow.

Xander, who we got after the greyhound, is madly in love with her:

 

[Lilly]

I have:

5 cats
1 dog
1 hamster

up a couple months ago I had a betta fish, and up until two weeks ago I had two parakeets.

Well my dog and my cats love each other very much. My dog also did not mind the other animals. My cats however do not appreciate the fish, birds, or hamster.

My Betta fish we had for over 3 years. When we moved she was placed in a more vulnerable place (unknown to us ) than in the other house. So one night the cats knocked her fish tank over. They did not eat her, however her fin off, and she died about a month after that.

Tha birds were not used to living with cats, and the cats would upset them because they would sit and stare at them. So I gave the birds to my brother.

My hamster has been relatively safe, however last weekend the cats knocked him over and we were not home. When we found him he had a cut on his ear and a scratch on his eye. He has since been rehomed and is in a much safer spot. Thankfully he is doing just fine and recovering nicely from his injurys.

 

[Zalensia]

I have
5 Cats Pebbles, Vienna, Screech, Smeagle and Butch
3 Rabbits Itchy, Scratchy and Wesley
4 Guinea Pigs Jacko, Vanilla, Mimi and Momo
tropical Fish tank.

Ive had all 5 cats around my rabbits when they run free inthe garden and they are fine with them. I wouldnt leave them un atended, but then ive seen wesley lying next to vienna. The kittens are afraid of them, and if the rabbits move near them they run, same with pebbles. The angoras aint interested in vienna, but ive seen vienna and wesley chace each other around the garden, and when wesley was indoors when we got him fixed he and vienna would chance each other. Everytime i got outside and vienna follows shes goes over to see them.
I have'nt nor ever going to intoduce the cats to my guinea pigs, they are in the shed, and it wouldnt take much for them to kill one if it got out of my hands.
The fish, well at one point or another ive seen them all gazing into the tank

 

[AliH]

Wow, so many animals! I love hearing about everyone elses pets! I'd have a whole houseful if I could, but at the moment we're in a small flat and two cats and the rats are enough!

It's amazing that people so often keep pets that, in "nature", would just not live together - predator and prey! By the time Simon and I decided to live together, I already had my rats, and he had his cat. I was so worried, but all is fine and it shows, along with your stories, that with care and common sense all kinds of animals can live together. It would certainly be easier having the rats without the cats around but we manage!

We only had one "near miss" which still makes my heart miss a beat when I think of it. This summer we were sitting outside with some friends. I came indoors to let the rats out, as they free-range in the bedroom in the evenings. If I'm on my own I'll normally spend the whole evening in there with them, but often it's just a case of popping in every 10 minutes or so for a cuddle and to make sure they're ok.

So, I checked for cats, opened the cage for the rats to come out, and went out of the bedroom to go back outside. Just then though my mobile rang, it was my mum. The music we had on was so loud that I couldn't hear so I decided to go back into the bedroom to chat. I was laying on the bed, and I could see Fly (my little albino) crossing the floor to go behind the bed. Just then I spotted the curtain moving. For a second I thought it was just a breeze, till I realised I'd shut the window. I instinctively looked down the side of the bed - and there was Carrots the cat, not realising that he was just about to come face to face with a rat! I can't describe the panic! I threw the phone down and grabbed the cat just in time. I don't think either Fly or Carrots even realised what was happening!

I had been so stupid - normally Carrots lies on the bed, but this day our friend had his bull terrier outside. Carrots is terrified of him and always hides behind the bed, so I should have thought to look. Still, all is well and that was a lesson learned. Thank heavens mum called when she did!

I'm especially interested to hear of cats and dogs getting along. I always had both as a child and things were fine. We know we want another dog as soon as we move into a bigger house, and deliberately checked with the rescue centre that Carrots was ok with dogs. They said yes. Wrong! In our experience so far he's terrified! I haven't given up on the dream though and hope that with a big enough house, the right dog, and proper introductions, things will work out!

Kristi, I'm especially interested in your greyhound. I love them and always hoped we might get a rescue, but I worry about a greyhound with cats. You obviously don't have that problem! Willow is gorgeous!

 

[queen of the nile]

AliH, something like that happened to me the other day. When I let the gerbils out for a run in my computer room, I always check to make sure that the cats are out of the room. They often sleep in a box that fits in a cupboard in my desk. However, the other night, I had a large bag of shavings obscuring the opening and Lucas had decided to sleep at the far end of the box. I didn't notice that he was in there until one of my gerbils passed the opening. I heard Lucas jump out of the box and I turned around to see him with Jasper (gerbil) between his two paws. Thankfully, I was able to take Jasper away before any serious damage was done. There were no cuts or scratches, but I was very lucky!

 

[marijun]

aminals

it is amazing how predator and prey can get along!

right now i only have the 3 cats. i live in a tiny basement apartment so i don't have room for much else!

at one point, i had a rabbit that got along GREAT with the cats. i think he really thought he was a cat. he even used their litter box and scratching post! the cats loved to chase him, he was much more nimble than they were so they almost never caught him. he could stop, turn around, and leap off in some other direction and the cats would put on their brakes and slide into the wall :lol: once they wore each other out, they'd snuggle up for a nap together. twas precious!

i had a gerbil once too, but he didn't exactly get along with the cats so well...my big 24 pound cat managed to knock his cage over one day. i heard a big noise in the gerbil's room and ran to see what happened and i walked in just in time to see the gerbil run across the floor with cat in tow. the cat caught him before i did...he bit the gerbil's tail and skinned it! oh it was awful...poor little guy had no fur or skin left on half of his tail. the gerbil freaked, naturally, and bit the crap out of me about a dozen times before i could put his cage back up. let me tell you how fun it is to pick up a glass tank and attempt to arrange it while having an insane gerbil in your other hand trying to gnaw your fingers off while having a 24 pound cat trying to climb up your leg to get the said gerbil! he recovered well though, he's lucky the cat only caught his tail. he eventually gnawed the unskinned part of his tail off ::shiver:: but seemed ok after that.

i've had many other pets that i simply didn't allow access to the cats. in no particular order:

1 savannah monitor lizard (once he grew up, he could have easily EATEN a cat!)
3 anole chameleons
1 garter snake
1 cockatiel
1 red eared slider turtle
3 box turtles
1 praying mantis
2 mice (the pet store told me they were both females...but they were wrong, i ended up with about a dozen mice!)
1 gerbil
2 iguanas
1 dove (rescued)

if i could pick my next pet...strange but true...i would pick some sort of bat! with the proper vaccinations and care, i think a bat would make one heck of a neat pet. i think there are a few breeds you're allowed to keep as pets, not sure though. i used to go spelunking every now and then, and would run into brown bats quite often in the caves. they looked like little ferrets with big ears and leathery wings, and were actually very friendly! i got brave one time and put my finger out to one, and it hooked onto me with its little wing fingers and proceeded to hang upside down from my finger and sleep! i wouldn't recommend anyone else try that though, i might have just gotten lucky.

 

[ForJazz]

I know one greyhound personally -- why would you be specially anxious about a greyhound with cats rather than other dogs? I think with all dogs and cats their is a risk, but I don't think there's any greater risk with greyhounds especially. They are so smart, and a lot of the time rescues are such grateful animals that they will love everyone. The greyhound I know is very aware of where her body is, even though she is so tall. She is extremely gentle and liked the cats just fine.

 

[AliH]

Queen of the nile and marijun - I'm sorry you had such scary experiences, but it's good all the same to know that I'm not the only one who's had such a near miss! You need to be so careful all the time, and even then it only takes split second for a disaster to occur. Anyway I'm glad we all had happy endings! I know a couple of people who weren't so lucky when their rats accidentally met another pet.....

ForJazz, the reason I mentioned the greyhounds/cat thing was because I've always thought that it could be a risk keep a small, quick animal (like a cat) with a dog that is bred to chase small, quick animals! That's probably more of a problem with retired racing greyhounds, I'm not sure. I've looked on a few websites for retired racers though and they tend to say whether or not they think the dog will accept cats. It seems to be pretty split. I suppose you can get a dog used to anything eventually. I just thought maybe it would be more difficult to have a greyhound living with a cat than other breeds of dog.

 

[kristi]

Ali, Willow is a retired racer, and she has a very low prey drive. She was not fast enough to race, so was retired at 18 months, after puppy training. But she would have had lure coursing, etc., as a puppy at the greyhound farms.

I have always been a cat person, then fell in love with greyhounds by chance. They're the only breed of dog I've felt such a connection with. By and large, this breed is gentle, sweet and easy-going--although of course there are exceptions.

You're right to be cautious about greyhounds. I've heard a lot of people say that greyhounds may not be any more likely to chase cats than other dogs--but they're much more likely to catch them. Greyhounds are the second-fastest land animals (after cheetahs), so that makes sense--but there may be more to it than that. You're right about them being taught to chase small furries--it may be about half and half, who knows, but many greyhounds simply can not be trusted around cats or even small dogs; their prey drive is too high.

The thing is, they're all individuals, and if you take your time and choose a grey who has been tested as cat-friendly, and do a home visit so she can meet your cats and watch the reaction--it is workable. Of course it's not as easy as getting a puppy, who will grow up with the cats, but it can be done with some caution (which you're used to, having a cat/rat household).

If anyone wants more grey info, feel free to PM me. This is also a wonderful resource:

http://www.greytalk.com

(My user name on that board is kristijewell.)

 

[queen of the nile]

Another near miss last night :? . We are usually very careful but I guess somehow Cleo managed to sneak into the gerbil room before we closed the door for the night. In the morning I opened the door and saw the tank with my breeding pair and their babies in it on the floor. It had been pushed off the counter it was on, onto the floor about 3 feet from the counter. The lid was off and my male, Aris, was not in the tank. Thankfully, he was still alive. I think Cleo was too slow (or stupid) to catch him. My heart just about skipped a beat. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how she did it. She is not the type to just push something off a ledge because she thinks it will dislodge the tank lid. My cats just aren't that intelligent.

Then it dawned on me...
Here is what my tanks look like.

They are old bagel bins from the grocery store that I work at. One end of the tank is angled at about 60 degrees. I usually keep both tanks on the same counter with the angled sides together - like this \/.

Now here is a pic of Cleo. Notice that she is not the most svelte feline that you have ever seen :roll: .

So, in the middle of the night, she must have jumped into the space between the two tanks (\/), and the force of her landing shot the tank across the room! (lucky it's plastic hey!)

I quickly moved the other tank to a different location and hopefully we won't have this problem again! Who would have thought that keeping gerbils would be so difficult?!