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Original poster

Rats and cats

12 replies

ChocolateandCheese · 07/04/2011 21:59

Hi we are keen to get the children some pet rats, have done the research - girls did a PowerPoint on them & have even decided they would prefer a marked dumbo eared female set of rats.

However we have two cats. Has anyone got any experience of rats and cats living together? There are internet clips of them getting on OK but wanted to know if anyone has had any experiences - good or bad?

OP posts:
pinkhebe · 07/04/2011 22:04

I have degus (small rats Grin) and a kitten. They are fine, very interested in each other though. But we had the degus first and we'd never get them out without making sure the cat was nowhere near. We also have a hamster but he lives in my son's room and again is never let out with the cat around.

ResurrectionByChocolate · 09/04/2011 21:38

You just have to keep the cat away.

ResurrectionByChocolate · 09/04/2011 21:40

Experience: I left rat in cat carrier temporarily on my landing, cat came upstairs and spat at her. Otherwise they are kept in separate parts of house.

Ratata · 10/04/2011 19:10

Probably best to keep them away from each other during free range time with the rats. Cats can sometimes look like they are getting on with the rats and licking them like they would their kittens but this can sometimes be them prepping to take a turn on the rodent. Cats can be unpredictable at times and so it is best not to leave them alone together. Rats in cages with cats in the room would probably be ok. Just got to be careful with cats trying to put their paws in the cage. Rats could bite or cats could scratch.

NettoSuperstar · 10/04/2011 19:13

My cat is scared of the rats.
She doesn't come in the house but DD walks the rats in the garden.

purplerabbitofinle · 10/04/2011 19:18

My 5 year old cat has just acquired a rabbit as a housemate. Apart from one hiss when bunny was sat in kitty's seat on the sofa they've been fine for the 5 days we've had them. Is a house rabbit something dd's would consider?

PS I love the powerpoint idea, wish I'd been that bright when failing to convince my parents to let me have a pet when I was a kid - I might have less of a menagerie now Grin

ratspeaker · 14/04/2011 17:09

We have rats, a cat and rabbit all in the house

We have covered the top of one rat cage with cardboard to stop the cat putting his paw in and getting bitten but otherwise they all seem OK
Obviously when the rats are running free we shut the cat out the room or put him outside

oh and the cat and the rabbit loves to crunch up rat nuggets so we keep them out of reach in plastic containers

lljkk · 14/04/2011 17:14

tbh I don't think rats are compatible with hardly any other pets. They are predator or prey to most everything else.

Hassled · 14/04/2011 17:18

We have a hamster - we keep it on top of the piano, which provides a useful early warning system - if we hear random piano noises it means the cats are on their way to stare at the hamster. But that's all they do - sit and stare. There's no attempt to get at it - and these cats are prolific mouse-catchers.

lljkk · 15/04/2011 18:16

Cats ate two of my hamsters.

pigpog · 15/04/2011 23:02

My sister had rats when my parents had a cat. He was really getting on a bit (about 17 at the time) and he still went after the rats all the time, she had to keep her bedroom door shut to stop him getting in, as he was pestering the poor things all the time.

I would only get rats if you can keep them in a room where the door can be shut so the cat can't get in, really not the nicest end for them if they do get caught!

Ponders · 15/04/2011 23:06

female dumbo rats are the sweetest things - but I don't think a cat would agree Confused

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