Guinea pigs and cats, knock some sense onto me please!

[Fivebyfive2]

Hi all, looking for some sensible advice please!

I grew up with lots of pets, including guinea pigs, although I haven't had any for a long time now.

We have a cat - he was a rescue we got over ten years ago, he's been our only pet as he was quite the hunter when he was young but nowadays he's 14 and definitely slowed down a bit.

My son is 5 and loves animals and recently has been properly asking for a pet. We go to a local garden centre quite frequently (ideal young kid jaunt out!) and he'll sit for ages talking to the piggies, rabbits, even rats. He's been to events there where he can hold the animals and help clean out the pens and stuff. Obviously I'm fully aware ANY pet we end up getting for the foreseeable future will be a family pet where us adults will be responsible for them and he'd just help. He's a sensitive kid with some struggles, he's kind of an "animals are better than people" kind of soul already.

I'd love to get a pair of piggies because I know where I am with them and could show him how to take good care of them etc. We have space inside for a good sized cage and some outdoor space for them to go in a secure run in the nicer weather. But I just don't know realistically if it would work with the cat.

Practically our house is set up so we could keep them separate fairly easily. There's almost always someone in the house. When we're away the cat goes to a cattery, but my parents would happily pop in and sit with the piggies and make sure they're ok. They'd probably even have them at their house for a bit if we asked.

My heart is saying go for it, but my head isn't so sure! At the moment when he asks we say No and explain it's not the right time but to be honest our resolve is slowly eroding, especially as me and my husband (his dad) are big animal people and would probably have a Noah's Ark if we had the space and money...

Perfectly happy to be told to screw on my sensible head and just hold firm saying no, but if anyone has experience of similar where it's worked out then please share too!

Hmmmm,
Not ideal.
But the mitigating circumstances are that you can keep them apart.
I think it would boil down to whether you are the consistent vigilant type who would always be aware of where the cat was and ensure there were no slip ups.
Even then there is a risk... But given you sound like you have a good set up and are experienced with both kind of pets... I think it could be an option.
If you're more a lassaiz faire kind of family then I'd say don't chance it. You don't want to have the Tibbles killed Bubble and Squeak conversation.

I'd go ahead and get the piggies because your cat may show no interest in them. We used to allow our piggies free roam in our secure garden and our cat never bothered with them. He seemed to realise they were " friends not food" 😅

My cat (big mouser) was never hostile to the GP's and neither was the kitten when we got her. Only interested in a mildly fascinated way. They were in a large cage in the kitchen and the cats would walk on by. When in the run in the garden the old cat would sit guard!

i wouldn’t

I have both. I don't doubt that, if given the opportunity, the cats would eat the piggies. So the piggies are secure in their hutch or run and all cuddles are carefully supervised to ensure cats stay away. It's fine.

We had two guinea pigs and two cats at one point and it was fine. One cat was quite curious and friendly towards them whereas the other definitely seemed to view them as potential prey. She would sit on the summer run and try and take swipes at them through the holes, but she couldn't reach them and they would just ignore her 😁. The cats arrived as kittens, when the guinea pigs were already established, so I don't know if it's harder to introduce the other way around, but if you have room to keep them apart when unsupervised I'm sure it'll be fine.

I have 3 cats and 2 guinea pigs, the cats are indoor cats (with access to the garden) so don't exactly hint but will get a mouse/bird/butterfly given the chance. We don't leave them together but they see each other through the hutch and run bars and after a while they have lost interest in them tbh so I don't think it's a problem

I used to have guinea pigs and a cat and he never showed any interest in them. Then again, he once watched a spider crawl past him with a look of intense interest and then proceeded to lick his bum so 🤷🏼‍♂️

GP tax + pet interest (but never any attacking moves!)

We have a cat and 5 Guinea pigs. The cat isn't interested in them at all. The piggies live in hutches on the top floor and the cat barely goes up there. She is 13 though so it may be different with a younger cat.

I have three cats and two guineas. Cats have grown up around the guinea pigs and aren't really bothered for the most part anymore. Our one youngest is occasionally interested but we just tell him no and he'll soon leave.

I have a 4 x 2 C&C but with a lid so lid is always kept shut! The one cat sometimes tries to sit on the lid before us telling him off, and it'll take his 6kg weight.

I think you can definitely have both, just need to be cautious to always keep the piggies secure x

We have decided to go for it!

We'll be keeping them in a room where we're in and out alot so good for interaction but where the door can be closed to keep the cat out without issues if needed, including every night.

We think we're going for a secure single level cage (not open top obviously) that is 160cmx80cm so should be plenty of room for 2 females I think? They'll be able to have indoor floor space daily and we'll get a secure run for the garden so they can roam around safely on the grass in the fresh air too.

Just need to decide on bedding etc, I've never done fleece as it wasn't really a thing when we had them growing up - is it better??

@Fivebyfive2 congratulations, they'll all be fine I'm sure!!

You can see on my 3rd pic their crate with a fleece in. It worked really well for us and less messy than straw! We had two so we could take one out And wash it and replace straight away

I think you know your cat and whether it will work or not.

My DS wanted a hamster. We have two cats. It's been fine. I know my cats and predicted accurately how both of them would be with the hamster.

One of the cats has touched noses with the hamster. Was very cute!

Hope your DC enjoys their piggies :)

I have two cats and three piggies. Cats don't show that much interest in the piggies. They were curious for a few days at first but soon go bored. They occasionally have a little look at the piggies through their cage but not for long. Piggies don't seem phased by the cats- they run to the cage bars when the cats come past as if to say hello.

Saying all that, I still wouldn't take my chances by letting the piggies run around out of their cage when the cats are around, but I do let the cats in the same room as the pigs have a secure cage with a lid so they can't get them.

The cats I have now would think "Lunch"

When we had guinea-pigs and my DBro cat used to visit I either kept them in the PigHouse or if it was winter they had their indoor C&C and I made a lid fastened with cable ties . There was a sturdy box inside for them to hide and give the lid extra support . Or their indoor cage which was plastic base/ cage top.

I don't think she'd have bothered them but she'd have known they were there .
Our piggies didn;t seem bothered but remember they are very vunerable prey animals and will hide any illness or stress . Sometimes it is too late by the time you notice

@@SunmerSazz
your little black Abbysynian pig is the double of one of the boars we had. He made really cute grunting noises when he smelled something nice like fresh cut grass or ReadiGrass . Guinea Pig nom nom nom

The piggies have landed!

They're still settling in so we've just been chatting to them while adding fresh food etc today. But they both had a quick cuddle as we transferred them in from the box they travelled in.

The ginger one is the bolder of the two so far and the tri coloured one loves carrot and apple.

I had a cat and 2 Guinea pigs when I was a kid. The piggies ran free in our back garden and the cat never bothered them. He hunted wild rodents but seemed to know that the Guinea pigs were part of our household and were to be left alone.

My cat has no interest in our guinea pigs, I think they are just too big to be prey. But the guineas are in proper cages with lids whether inside or outside.

I was coming onto the thread to say don't do it, but I see you already have!

Please be aware, the sight or sound or smell of the cat is going to cause the little animals terrible stress. It isn't just their physical safety you need to be mindful of, you are also responsible for their mental wellbeing. I am sure you want them to be happy!

They are lovely looking little piggies , good to see they're exploring (and eating - always a good sign with guinea-pigs . If they don;t eat then something is Very Wrong )

You'll find out what foods they love and hoover up and what they spit to the side .
There's tons of threads on here (Small Pets) about food for guineas .
Go easy in apple , it can irritate their mouths and it's high in sugar .
If you find some nice dandelion leaves (that have no weedkiller ) they will love you .

Ours used to hoover up the stems and spit out the flower bit

Awww I'm so pleased you have gone for piggies! Enjoy them 😁

Cuddle time for Norman (the ginger one) and Derek. Named by my son, who loves Fireman Sam 😀🥰

We've had them almost 3 weeks and it's going well... They love a cuddle.

Norman loves exploring, Derek is happier chilling in a hide out. Both love food and now come to the cage door and squeak every time we top up the bowls or hay piles.

Norman does popcorns. Derek stands on his back legs and topples backwards 🤣

Amazing! Lovely pictures, thanks for the share. I think those piggies have landed on their feet at your house. 😁☺️

@UpThereForThinkingDownThereForDancing thank you!

The cat is fine, he has the run of the kitchen, living room and dining room and we always keep the hall door shut so the boys are perfectly safe. He knows they're there but doesn't seemed fussed - but we're still very careful of course. He doesn't seem to feel too put out 🤣

I'm loving having guinea pigs again. Seeing their different personalities coming through is so awesome. However I'd totally forgotten how much they poo!! Worth it though. They will both eat from my hand now. And they eat dandelion leaves like spaghetti 😀