Owning a cat with a hamster tips

[FluffyHamsterButts]

I used to be worried about this, but now my cat is very normal with my hammy.

At first, my cat wasn't allowed in the room unless I was, but gradually that changed as he got used to it. By the way, this isn't a quick process. It takes a couple of weeks. I put a towel on the cage where my cat would usually look in (assuring my hamster can still breathe) and my cat cared less. I took it off after a maybe a week, and for a day or two my cat tried to look in but I told him off and took him away whenever he did try and he promptly learned he wasn't allowed. Now, my cat doesn't even care and both my hammy and cat are fine with each other. They haven't seen each other for months now.

IF YOUR HAMSTER IS SCARED BY THE CAT EVEN ONCE, DO NOT LET THE CAT ANYWHERE NEAR THE CAGE.

Also, if your cat is older, he/she most likely won't care that much anyway.

[AmityvilleHams]

Regardless of what you think happens,cats should never be allowed in the same room as hamsters.There are no exceptions to the rule,all cats including older cats are still natural predators of hamsters and other small rodents There is no amount of domestication that will change what they are truly made to be,and that is predators.Don't ever take that chance,it just isn't worth it

[Drago]

I have to agree with amity, cats are hunters at heart and all it takes is a hungry feline and a not so tightly closed top for something bad to happen. Plus, your ham can become quite nervous when faced with a predator. Luckily, all it really takes is a baby gate or a shut door to keep your cat out of a room

[AprilPearl]

I'm sorry, but NO NO NO NO NO!!! And again... NO!!!! I would NOT risk this with my two cats.

By allowing your cat into the same room as your hamster, you are not only waiting for an accident to happen, you are inviting one. Your cat may have learned that it is pointless to try investigating the cage when you are around, but you don't know what he is doing when you are not there. Cats aren't like dogs. They don't observe human rules. They know from experience you will stop them doing something, so they wait until you are not around to do it. For example, you might always remove your cat from the kitchen table. This will mean that they do not bother jumping up there when you are around. But, rest assured, they will be doing so when you are not there.

It is highly likely that when you are not around, your cat is peeping in the cage and stressing out your hamster. He may even try to get the cage open by pushing at it. Even if he isn't trying to open the cage, he will probably eventually jump on top of it - or try to, possibly knocking it to the floor in the process and leaving you with a hamster which is either: injured, escaped, or eaten. Cats jump on to or anything, given a bit of time. They are curious by nature.

Even if your cat never manages to get the cage open, it is quite possible that your hamster will. They are little escape artists! It would be very unfortunate, if your hamster were to get out while your cat were in the room. Or, if your hamster escaped both cage and room... Only to run into your cat. If you keep the door shut, this will maximise the chance that any escaped hamster will remain separated from your cat.

It's not fair to expect a cat NOT to try hunting a small rodent. It is hard wired into the vast majority of cats’ nature, though there will always be exceptions. Even if your cat is one of these rare exceptions, you cannot guarantee that it will not knock over the cage from curiosity or try to look inside which would be very stressful for your hamster. Plus, because the hunting instinct is inherited, it is possible for it to be unexpecredly triggered out of the blue - we see this in “tame” lions who after years and years suddenly turn on and kill their keepers. And even if this is not the case, your cat could mistake your hamster for a toy - most cats will chase small moving objects or investigate them with their mouths and teeth. However, given that your cat did initially show interest in your hamster’s cage, I think it is safe to say that he does have te hunting instinct.

Many domestic cats will hunt or chase things, even when not hungry and often do not even eat their kill. Allowing your cat access to the hamster's room is like giving your alcoholic room mate the key to your wine cellar. Even if they know they are not meant to, they may eventually crack because they are predisposed that way. And, have you ever considered that it is cruel that your cat can smell the hamster is such close proximity but is unable to reach it? That is extremely frustrating for a cat and tantamount to teasing by waving a piece of delicious food just out of their reach. It's even worse if the roommate is a recovering alcoholic, or your cat is trying not to hunt the hamster. In both cases, there is a situation where they are battling very strong desires which is very difficult. And, unlike, alcohol addiction, the desire a cat has to hunt will not get easier to fight because it does not get weaker when not indulged. If anything, it gets stronge. This is because the desire to hunt is an inborn instinct which a cat would have regardless of whether they had ever hunted something. Alcohol addiction develops as a result of drinking too much of the stuff and can be eliminated with sobriety. Never make the mistake of thinking that your cat will lose interest in hunting your hamster. He won't, simply because he is a cat. That would be like expecting you not to want to eat when you smell food. You get hungry as an instinctive reaction. Your cat wants to hunt as an instinctive reaction to smelling a prey animal.

If you continue to allow this, best case scenario: you have one het up cat and a possibly stressed out hamster who can smell a predator nearby (and you can't KNOW that the hamster is not stressed). Worst case scenario, you have a living cat and no hamster at all.

Please, keep the door the the hamster's room shut and your cat outside it at all times. The current situation is not fair on both animals and it just not worth the risk. Even if no harm ever came of it, there is no actual benefit of having your cat and hamster in the same room. And you can't guarantee that no harm will occur. There is, however, no harm that can come from the cat having one room in the entire house which he cannot access - unless you count the minimal inconvenience of having to close a door.

[capricorn30]

I think a lot rests on each individual cat tbh, which the owner would know best. My outdoor/indoor cat has no hunting drive at all, and at 8 years old isn't going to change. He doesn't jump into tabletops or furniture, and has not the slightest interest in my cage. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I wouldn't presume to state that all cats think and act identically.