Pets wise people - does anyone have a cat and a hamster, or two!

[Italiangreyhound]

Pets wise people - does anyone have a cat and a hamster, or two!

Please give me your guidance! We have an 18 month old neutered ginger tom and my dd (10) wants a hamster. I fear the hamster will suffer a fate of possible death as I cannot see how we can keep the cat and hamster apart permanently!

Of course the hamster, either a Syrian or a Roborovski Dwarf Hamsters or some sort of Russian or Chinese dwarf hamster (and if we go for a dwarf one we may get two) would be in their cage all the time but I have heard that cats can pull the cage off a table etc and this could kill the hamster with shock!

The only thing I can imagine is a small cage inside a larger cage. Which would also keep our 4 year old son at bay!

If the cage were already on the floor the cat would not be able to get it to fall.

The option to shut cat out of hamster room is just not on as doors are constantly open and I know my dd would find it imposable to remember to keep her door shut all the time.

Would our dear cat go mad seeing and not 'getting' hamster or would our fictitious possible future hamsters go mad seeing a cat!

With a plastic cage he would not be able to get in but they would be able to see him!!

EH www.wayfair.co.uk/Savic-Spelos-Cage-Pacific-S0190-QQR1038.html

or

www.wayfair.co.uk/Savic-Rody-Cage-Hamster-in-Warm-Red-S0166-WR-QQR1282.html

When we were all out of the house the hamsters could be in a room with doors shut, so the real 'risk' would only be when we were at home and doors would be opening etc!

Any advice, very welcomed, please.

Marking my place as we are also in this predicament. Thinking of a tank type cage so heavier & harder for cat to move.

I have two cats, female 8yo and male 10yo, and we've had about 4 hamsters in the last 10 years. Honestly? Neither cat had taken any interest in the hamsters. We have let all the hamsters out in run-around balls, and the cats have been terrified of them. The last hamster used to chase the cats in the ball, it was hilarious. One of the cats used to sit and peer into the ball so they were nose to nose and the cat was a bit freaked out, but the hamster just used to wander off.
Disclaimer: extremely lazy cats.

2 cats here too & now on our 5 th hamster, as above the cats really don't bother them that much & the hamsters are pretty feisty with them anyway - our current one has been known to climb on our dopier cats back & pull his fur out to pinch for her bedding

Just keep,the cage in a place they can't knock off & can't climb on top of too easily & you will be fine

& if you want a hamster that will be tame enough to safely handle - stick with Syrian - & probably a male as they are a bit dopey & generally easiest to tame - other breeds can be tamed, but pretty fast & skittish, so can't be handled as they escape too easily, which isnt so great if you gave cats

Our current one is a female Syrian & she is very lovely & easy to handle now, but she took a lot of taming - 3 months of shredded fingers - Makes have always been much easier - though she is very bright & cheeky, so very entertaining

I really wouldn't bother with the other breeds if you want to be able to safely pick them up & handle them

From experience, I wouldn't do it.

Those links aren't working for me. But, without judgment if you DO get a hamster please bear in mind that most manufactured hamster cages are far too small for hamsters, in particular syrians that naturally run 5 miles per night.

They need lots of room and lots of things to keep them occupied as natural explorers and foragers. For this reason finding a tank large enough may be difficult.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I wouldn't do it given what I have seen happen to hamsters in my past, mine as a child, and other people's.

We did and our very placid, lazy cat turned into a blood thirsty hunter who was ceaselessly after them. There was literally nowhere he didn't get to in pursuit of our two.
Awful time and we lived on our nerves.
Never again and I would strongly urge you not to...

We have an old (30 months) hamster and a young (9 months) old cat, we manage by keeping Dave in DD1s bedroom and she has strict instructions to keep her door shut.

Biscuits knows that something interesting is in there and often lies just outside her door and runs in if given half a chance, then makes himself comfy lying on top of the cage watching Dave wander slowly around.

If we had a young active hamster, who was still climbing the bars, it would be a lot harder, and at his age he can't last too much longer and it will be easier not having a pet who would like to 'play' with another pet.

My DC have picked up on a sentence that I never thought I would use, which is "Biscuits, we don't eat things with names!"

I have a cat and gerbils. The cat occasionally looks at the gerbils as she walks past other than that she acts like they dont exist. I think it very much depends on the individual cat though.

We've had lots of hamsters (of all different varieties) and a gerbil or two.

And a tabby cat.

We did invest in one of the glass tanks like in the picture. It took a bit of time, but we were able to find them from time to time on ebay for good bargains.

They are good sized dwellings for hamsters and cat-proof.

The DDs have fireplaces in their rooms and the tanks just sit on the hearth in front of the blocked up fireplace. The cat usually sits next to the tank. Occasionally he taps on the glass. The hamsters, once used to him, just go about their business oblivious and really wind the cat up.

Ooops - forgot the pic

Every time I have had a hamster there has been at least one cat in the house. My first we had a very hunter type cat, used to bring back all sorts of gifts but didn't care less about the hammie. After that, next combination was with two younger cats, again neither if which really cared about the cage, although we had to kick them out of the room when the hammie was in the exercise ball. We now have 9 cats and I would love another hamster, but feel perhaps that would be pushing it lol

My cat is scared shitless of our hamster. Once he escaped from his ball, sauntered over to the cat's bowl, ate her food and she just stood there, petrified.