Is it madness to get a hamster if we have a cat?

[MrsEricBana]

My ds will be 9 in 3 weeks and is DESPERATE to get a hamster even though we have a cat. We don't have a utility or anything so only option I can think of is that it would have to live in his bedroom and we would have to keep door shut at all times, which might be a problem, and would it not keep him awake at night? Help!

Hamster's are nocturnal and I would say will definitely keep your ds awake at night.
My partner and I bought his little sister a hamster years ago as xmas pressie and one day the cat got into the lounge (someone left the door open) tipped the car over and ate the hamster :-(
They also don't live very long so can be a bit traumatic for little ones (average is 1-2 years).

We have had many hamsters

They will certainly keep him awake with running, scampering, gnawing etc. They have a habit of escaping too.

We have cats next door who look in at our beloved pet as a potential snack. I wouldn't risk it, myself.

You will end up with a hamster in the bathroom. In the bath, to be exact. I know because we have a hamster and a cat and dd thought she could sleep with it in the bedroom and found she couldn't. They are noisy and a bit smelly and climb like monkeys. However ours seems to have reached some sort of agreement with the cat ('You can stare at me but not eat me.') Don't know about not living very long though. As far as I can tell ours is immortal.

I lost our two mice to our cat who managed to get the cage lose and knock it down, despite the fact I tyed it to a shelf! Our cat got my sister's hamster when we were little too.

It is not necessarily a disaster in the making, but it is certainly a risk.

Don't do it. We got a hamster for DS3 in May - it's dull as shite during the day, and then parties all night. Certainly can't go in a bedroom. And yes, the cats take a keen interest - there's no doubt at all that they want it for breakfast (probably because of all the night-time partying). The hamster now lives on top of a very high kitchen cupboard, and DS3 feigns polite interest when he remembers. Get a guinea pig instead.

Ok, that's a definite no then, thanks for all your advice. Are guinea pigs not nocturnal then Hassled?

Guinea pigs are larger, much easier to handle, and IMO far more interesting then hamsters, and they are awake during the day. We keep ours indoors, they occassionally party until the early hours, but in general are pretty good tennants! You do need a much larger cage for GPs than hamsters, and because they are so social its always best to get them in pairs.

I think you will find your cat is very interested in GPs, mine is!!!! We also keep Zebra Finches, and she spends many hours on Piggie/Finch watch!! It is possible to keep cats and small caged animals but you do have to have you wits about you to make sure no one gets eaten!

I agree with what others have said, hamster + bedroom doesn't work - they're noisy little whatsits!

Yummy - warm cat snacks!! (sorry!)

Guinea pig is good idea - thanks! 123 you did make me laugh - espec "Piggie/Finch watch"! Stupid question but where do you put gp cage then?

Had to laugh at Barbarian... I honestly thought we were the only people mad enough to have 2 hamsters and 2 cages in our not very big bathroom!
Ds2 tried having them in his room, couldn't sleep.
The dc's don't give a toss about the poor little things now.
I'm decorating the bathroom this week, DH made a joke about BBQing the hamsters for tea then we wouldn't have the problem of where to keep them..
Ds2, shouts out... As long as you refund my money (he paid) that's fine!!!!

meant to say, out cat was terrified of the hamsters but an avid hunter in the garden.

We've had two gerbils for over two years now and our cat has never bothered about them. She was curious for about five minutes then never really looked at them. She is a bit old and lazy, though.

Cats are better pets than hamsters.

I agree guinea pigs are fantastic pets for children and they live longer too

no i wouldnt get a hamster with a cat

its not worth the risk - plus if you take the hammy out to play -as you should then theres a bigger risk, unless you shut the cat out while playing

We have a cat and a hamster. The cat has free run of the house and goes to bed in the utility room at night. The hamster lives in a cage in the play room and the cat has no chance of getting near him.

I wouldn't have a hamster in the bedroom for lots of reasons but no reason why you can't have a cat and hamster.

No i wouldnt have a cat and a hamster /gerbil/mouse...for one it drives the cat mad watching the poor little critter in ins cage and secondly they the cat will wait and watch, biding its time until someone makes a foolish mistake like leaving the cage door slightly ajar after putting en empty loo roll in for it to chew..really not worth the upset...love cats and hamster though! :-)