Neighbour's cat killed our guinea pig

[GuineaPiggie]

We had two guinea pigs - until Sunday; now we just have one :-(

Our next door neighbour got two cats a few weeks ago. They have been coming into our garden, and I have been trying to deter them with water pistols. I bought cat spikes and laid them around our guinea pig hutch. I thought I had successfully warned them off but it turns out they have been coming into our garden when we have been out.

On Saturday evening my neighbour said she had tried to knock on our door to tell us that their cats were scratching at the guinea pig hutch. We were not at home.

That evening, one of our guinea pigs stopped eating and was sat trembling, as if in shock. We didn't think much of it, since she was otherwise perfectly healthy and only 3 years old.

On Sunday we found her dead. Her sister seems okay, apart from being distressed at having lost her sister. We will get another guinea pig to keep her company, but obviously are absolutely devastated at this loss. My children are so so upset, as am I. It seems too much of a coincidence that she died just after the cat attack.

Any suggestions about what I can do about this, and how to broach this with my neighbour? I'm not the kind of person to march round and have a go at them, but I am angry and upset and am terrified of leaving the house in case the cats come again. It seems so unfair that my neighbours' pets are allowed to roam all over the place, terrorising (and now causing the death of) other people's pets (others on the street have complained about them too - they mentioned this on Saturday).

I understand that you can't prevent cats from roaming, but it seems so unjust that our neighbours disown any responsibility, having brought these cats into our life. It won't bring our piggie back, but I don't want this happening again. Their attitude is "cats will be cats". We have tried to cat-proof our garden but surely they should share some of the responsibility? Should they not have considered this before deciding to buy these cats?

This pisses me off so much. People who have cats should legally have to either keep them indoors or be required to make sure they cannot leave their garden

Sorry OP for for Guinea pig. But I'm not sure what you can realistically do other than cat proof your own garden. Because even if your neighbour stopped their cats from roaming, that doesn't stop other cats in the neighbourhood unfortunately.

If you are don't want any cat coming in then you need to cat proof. Your neighbours may help on the boundary by cat proofing their side.
I also agree that is not clear that the cat definitely did it and I do wonder if the GP should be kept out like that. But I'm no expert on that front

Were your guinea pigs outside in a hutch? And a cat can into the garden and scratched their hutch? The cat didn’t touch the guinea pig. Your guinea pig appeared ill and you didn’t get it help? And now you are blaming the cat?

I’m very sorry that your guinea pig has died but it is for you to make sure they are safe and not where cats and other animals can get to them. And you should have not ignored a the trembling and not eating.

If you tried to broach this with me if it was one of our cats, I’d think you were mad.

Isn't it better to keep Guinea Pigs indoors, or have I picked that up wrong?

Your neighbours car didn't kill your guinea pig though. It might have frightened them, but it didn't kill it as you have implied. Quite a misleading clicky baity title.
Have you ever had guineas before? It doesn’t seem like you know much about how to care for them properly.

The problem is that your NDN can’t do much. It’s not like they can train theur cats to not go into tor garden.
And any other cat from other houses can come in too.

Im not really sure what you can do bar find some better deterrent for cats, that will work even you’re not present.

Cats have the legal right to roam, shit in your garden, kill wildlife, enter your property and piss on the bed or use your sofa as a scratching post. It is up to everyone else to spend money on water pistols, sonic deterients, lion shit, fence spikes and keep their windows shut.......

I don’t think it can be proved that the cat killed the GP, we had an one who was fine when we all went to work and school one morning and was dead by the time we came home.

However, to those people saying that GPs should be kept indoors, I disagree. We bring ours indoors when the temps drop in September until late April but during summer they’re outside in a hutch inside a giant run and their quality of life is so much better (even though their indoor enclosure is much bigger than recommended). They haring around their run!

Keep them inside.

If a guinea pig stops eating or drinking it can die within hours, because they are so small with such a fast metabolism. When one of our guinea pig stopped eating and was trembling, we took it to the vet who gave us some liquid food to feed it by hand. It still died a few days later, which the vet said was highly likely to happen as it is hard to keep them alive once they get ill. Another of our guinea pigs seemed fine one day but was dead the next. Also only 3 years old. They can get ill very quickly. It's much more likely that your guinea pig died from dehydration/not eating rather than fear! After all, they are prey animals and are frightened of most things, but they don't all just drop dead from fright.

I think you’ll find it’s more likely to be rabbit or actual GP owners that will have less sympathy for this post. These animals are our responsibility to look after and we go above and beyond. Foxes are the worst predators and will actually get in the hutch not scratch the outside. It takes seconds and they roam so a chance encounter is very likely. Basically we are hearing that nothing is going to be done to make the remaining animal safe and another is going to be purchased and tormented. Maybe some cat owners are horrible as are some dog or any pet but I do believe they’re not going to be the most critical of this particular post.

Never ever known Guniea pigs to be outside?
We and everyone l know always had them inside..
To cuddle etc.
Then a run in the garden where only put in while someone watching them.

Aw so sorry you're guinea pig passed away. I think it's nice for them to be outside and eat grass. Maybe it died of shock, but you'll never know sadly, but it wasn't your fault

they need to run around and eat fresh grass and get sunlight or they get bored af and it's a bit cruel tbh

OP
sorry re you pet but you need to give them a better cage/home that is better protected fron=m foxes, cats, dogs, squirrels, big birds etc etc or dogs jumping fences and coming into your garden

We don't have pets but I thought guniea pigs were kept inside and not outside

They can drop dead after a fright - I had one die after a fox tried to get into the play run one afternoon.

It’s very sad and upsetting, and I’m sorry for your children as well.

There’s nothing your NDN can do, nor is it the cat’s fault. Cats will be cats ; Guinea pigs will be small vulnerable prey animals.

As pet owners it’s our job to provide safe and secure spaces where they can hide from predators and other threats. Sometimes we can’t or don’t do enough and they die.

Chuck oil at the cat. Won't hurt it but they hate getting dirty, it's a pain to get out of their fur and the owners will start making more effort to keep it on their property once they've had the pleasure of having to give it a few baths.

So the cat didn't actually kill the Guinea pig just may have scratched at the cage?!
Could be a complete coincidence, Guinea pigs don't have very long life expectancy

Do not chuck oil at the cat. Jfc. Though I'm a single cat loving woman so what do I know.

Yeah, vandalize other people's cats......

Many people disagree with this though. I do, and I like cats.

I think there's a lot of misconceptions, so to clarify, our guinea pigs were not running around the garden; they were in a secured hutch which is outside of our back patio doors. Given that it is was a warm May afternoon, I don't see why that would be an issue. We live on a new build estate, I work from home and have never seen a fox during the day (or night). When my neighbours acquired these cats I nailed chicken wire along the bottom of the gate (it is a tall gate) so nothing could enter the garden from underneath (because they were coming in from underneath).

I appreciate, as people have said, of course there is a chance that the cat attack and sudden death could have been totally coincidental. However, I would like to prevent other people's animals from entering my garden and terrorising my own animals...(btw the cats had also taken to pooing on my patio before I bought the super-soakers).

I have been told by our vet that Guinea pigs can, and do, die of shock or terror (as do rabbits).

But ultimately the reason I posted this was to gather perspectives on this, and I thank everyone for their perspective and realise that there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop these cats entering my garden!

If you catproof your garden @GuineaPiggie it stops them getting in as well as getting out .

It wasn't the cats fault

It was not a cat attack if a cat scratched on the outside of a hutch...
I have two guinea pigs, kept outside in a hutch. Half of my long garden is fenced off for them to roam. I let them out every morning and get them in every evening. They're coming up to nine years old. They've survived every winter, bonfire night and New Year's Eve with horrendous fireworks.
I also have seven cats. They sit and watch my piggies, go into their hutch for a sniff about and of course when they were little they were taught not to antagonise them.
Are you seriously saying a cat scratching the outside of a hutch caused yours to die? Mine would be dead many times over then.
Don’t be ridiculous. A noise like that doesn't cause them to die from shock.