My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

The litter tray

Cat and hamster

14 replies

Mummyoftwo91 · 26/02/2018 09:11

Kitten is 4 months old, had the hamster for about 7 months now, when we got the kitten she wasn't interested in him at all but now she's obsessed with him, I moved his cage to where she couldn't get him but now she has figured out how to get there, what can I do to keep her away from him?

OP posts:
Report
Finola1step · 26/02/2018 09:13

In truth, not much. Apart from having them in completely separate rooms that the cat can never enter. It is predator and prey.

Report
Mummyoftwo91 · 26/02/2018 09:15

I could put my hamster in the spare room but no one ever goes in there I would feel sorry for him that he's shut away on his own

OP posts:
Report
Mummyoftwo91 · 26/02/2018 09:18

I have a wire cage atm which leaves him exposed should she get her claws near him should I look to getting a more enclosed plastic cage instead?

OP posts:
Report
hugoagogo · 26/02/2018 09:19

We have had both at the same time.
We kept the hamster in the front room and shut the cat out whenever we weren't in there.
It worked, because we were consistent, but I wouldn't have a hamster and cat again.

Report
GColdtimer · 26/02/2018 09:34

Really unfair on the hamster. Why did you get a kitten when you already had a hamster? Hmm

Report
Rednailsandnaeknickers · 26/02/2018 09:38

Poor little hammy will be so stressed knowing there's a predator constantly nearby. I doubt he will last long under such stress. Can you keep them completely separate? He will still smell the cat tho.Sad

Report
Mummyoftwo91 · 26/02/2018 17:17

The hamster is actually really interested in the cat and not scared at all which makes it harder as he's climbing the bars trying to be nosy, I think I will buy a different cage and see how I get on. I used to have a hamster and cat growing up and they never paid attention to eachother at all so I didn't see this being an issue when I bought the kitten

OP posts:
Report
sugarplumfairy28 · 26/02/2018 20:45

FWIW when I was 10 I was allowed a hamster and we had an older cat but who still actively hunted. The plan was for hammy to be in my room all the time, but he had be taken out every night due to the noise and our cat couldn't have cared less. Subsequently when I was 16 and we had 2 young cats I got another Hamster and again they couldn't have cared less, but even when the hammy bumped into the cats while in her ball.

If your hamster isn't bothered by the cat, then invest in a plastic cage with as little access for the cat as possible. If however the hamster is bothered then sit down and think whether you can split them up, not to the detriment of the hamster or whether you need to look at re-homing the hammy.

Report
Mummyoftwo91 · 26/02/2018 21:20

Thanks, I think I will try the cage first, hamster isn't bothered by the cat at all I fact he's a very social hamster and as soon as he sees her wants to have a look and sniff of her, he will climb the bars to try and get to her so hopefully an enclosed cage will protect him. I only let him out in his ball when she's shut out the room. Really don't want to rehome him

OP posts:
Report
Isadora2007 · 26/02/2018 21:23

Just please make sure your hammy can’t get out the cage. We had a Houdini hamster. And a cat.

It didn’t end well.

Report
sugarplumfairy28 · 27/02/2018 06:56

That sounds like a good plan Mummyoftwo91 Your kitten is only 4 months, so is naturally exploring anything and everything that can be played with, investigated, sat on/in and generally being a kitten. It might all wear off as soon as it started, or you might be able to find something else to distract with. Maybe an automated laser toy might peek their interest? Cats and kittens can be so fickle so I wouldn't give up yet.

Report
Fatjilly · 28/02/2018 18:30

My cat used to sit on top of the hamster cage and the hamster would climb up, hang from the ceiling bars and nibble the cats claws. They both seemed to enjoy it!

Report
DeloresJaneUmbridge · 28/02/2018 18:34

Yep get an enclosed plastic cage, ...that's how I kept my cat and hamster apart. We had one of those Ferplast space station things. Hammy ran all over it but the cat could never find a way in.

Report
Mummyoftwo91 · 01/03/2018 09:13

I only let the kitten near the cage if I'm standing right there just incase but all they do is stare at eachother and sniff eachother, the hamster is really intrigued by her and not scared at all, going to get an enclosed cage this weekend

Cat and hamster
OP posts:
Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.