Question about cat behaviour with small pet

[NarcissistsEyebrows]

Hi,

I agreed to post this question for a friend to try and get some information about cat behaviour in relation to a hamster.

Very grateful for replies from vets, people who understand cats and cat behaviour well please.

In a family home with two cats and a hamster, is there any benefit in socialising the cats and hamster together under close supervision in order to familiarise them with each other?

The point of this would be so that the cats were less likely to attack as they 'know' the hamster, and the hamster is less nervous in the event of an accidental escape if it ever came across a cat.

Many thanks for your expert input

Nope, I'm gathering opinions from a wide range of people, hopefully some of them are experts and well.placed to speak to this with evidence rather than just their own gut feel, which admittedly is my position

Does this sound like evidence that this particular cat isn't likely to be a threat?

No. It sounds like the cat was sleeping or resting.
As per my previous post, the vets I worked with treated a bird that had been attacked after coexisting with a cat for over a year. It only takes a second.

@NarcissistsEyebrows

One factor to add in, don't mean to drip

What difference would it make to your answers if I told you the hamster has been placed on the cat while it was sleeping or resting and the cat didn't react at all.

Does this sound like evidence that this particular cat isn't likely to be a threat?

It sounds like animal cruelty.

@NarcissistsEyebrows

One factor to add in, don't mean to drip

What difference would it make to your answers if I told you the hamster has been placed on the cat while it was sleeping or resting and the cat didn't react at all.

Does this sound like evidence that this particular cat isn't likely to be a threat?

No, it's evidence that your "friend" is a fucking idiot.

No sane person who cares about their pets would put either of them in this situation.

FWIW I can put anything on my cats while they're asleep - including fresh tuna don't judge me that doesn't mean they won't shove each other out of the way to get to said tuna when they're awake!

Your friend is being silly. Cat and hamster won't tolerate each other. Our cat sniffs the hamster when she's at the front of her cage and the hamster doesn't get scared, but I know that if the hamster were loose, the cat would leap on her within seconds. Not a risk worth taking. Plus if hamster bites cat in self-defence, that could also be an expensive trip to the vet.

@NarcissistsEyebrows

One factor to add in, don't mean to drip

What difference would it make to your answers if I told you the hamster has been placed on the cat while it was sleeping or resting and the cat didn't react at all.

Does this sound like evidence that this particular cat isn't likely to be a threat?

I have a cat who has never shown an interest in hunting anything in his life. He barely even looks at our guinea pigs.

Hell would still freeze over before I would consider deliberately putting the guinea pigs anywhere near the cat.

Your friend sounds as though they're more interested in getting cute photos for social media than in the welfare of their pets.

@NarcissistsEyebrows

One factor to add in, don't mean to drip

What difference would it make to your answers if I told you the hamster has been placed on the cat while it was sleeping or resting and the cat didn't react at all.

Does this sound like evidence that this particular cat isn't likely to be a threat?

To be blunt it's evidence that you/your friend is a massive idiot who shouldn't be allowed pets.

I had a hamster when my tabby was alive. I would put the hamster in a ball and he always made a beeline for the cat who would run out of the way.

I also at another time had a gerbil who used to try to grab at anything that came near to the cage bars, the cat kept away from him.

I also had a rat who I would let out of his cage. One day he was out and I absentmindedly let the cat into the house. I quickly realised the rat was out and run into the living room. The rat had gone back into his cage and the cat had gone upstairs for a snooze.

I think the cat understood when I would say "we are nice to small furries in this house".

I had a situation with a Bastard Hamster and DCat.

DCat was a total Ninja with mice in her day. She even took on a small rat once (just the once, that was a struggle). But she wasn't bothered by the Guinea Pigs (she used to try and bath them), but I still wouldn;t leave them alone.

Then I took on BH - just for a few days until it went to rescue. That BH was Houdini in a small fur coat. To this day, I can't work out how the the damn thing escaped from its cage. One evening, I was watching TV and the cat walked into the living room with a "there's something in the hall you need to deal with" look on her face. There's the BH running down the hall. Popped him back in his cage.

Next night, DCat was on the sofa with me and he ran across the living room floor. DCat was like "he's at it again" and helpfully herded it into a corner for me. I assume he would have been BH on toast if I'd left him.

He gave me a rest the next night, but on night 4, I saw him plop out of the cage, so got there before he could go anywhere.

Rather lucky that nothing happened. And that that's all it was - luck.

Hamsters are prey animals and will try and hide fear or pain but any exposure to any cat will seriously stress a hamster. This includes them being in the same room as a cat - the smell alone will stress the hamster. An above post said the hamster made a beeline for their cat while in a ball - pure coincidence as hamsters lose all sense of smell and direction in a ball and they have bad eyesight - actually they should never be placed in a ball - they are dangerous and cruel (caught toes, broken limbs, unable to use senses, disorienting).

Would your friend want to familiarise themselves with two lionesses in a cage at the zoo so they can socialise with them?

I’m guessing probably not.

A few things -

You absolutely wouldn't be able to get a hamster from a cat if the cat had it hold. They are speed demons, mine at 2am thinks she's fucking Usain Bolt and on a good day I reckon she could have him in the 100m.

Cats are natural hunters. The hamster knows it's prey. The hamster would very likely die of shock.

When your friend placed the hamster on the asleep cat, it makes absolutely no bloody difference. My cat sleeps like she's dead. It's no indication that the cat wouldn't rip the poor little things head off the second it woke up.

Your "friend" is a moron. I don't know how to say that nicely - you don't need to be a feline expert to know it's a horrendous idea.

Cat qualified right here.

My cat would rip its head off & eat it in about 10 seconds flat should she ever come across a hamster in her house. This is verified by a previous situation with a very unfortunate poor little mouse.

Hope that answers your query?

We became the owners of a hamster after the generally shit at functioning idiot cat, who has cerebellar hypoplasia and can't even sit on the floor without falling off, can't climb, can't clean himself without accident and falls out of the litter tray, found it outside one night.

It still took us ten minutes of running round and scrambling under the kitchen table to catch the furry wee shite and get the poor thing out of his largely toothless (as he knocked the pointy ones down to stubs from repeatedly smacking his face against the windows) mouth. And for the next nine months, we had him smashing his head into the closed spare room door in an attempt to get in to where the hamster was allowed to live out the rest of its lifespan.

Your friend is an idiot. Instinct conquers all. And instinct made our cat an admittedly incompetent but still lightning fast predator when this stray small animal arrived.