# Rats and cats?



## xxzz6760 (May 1, 2009)

Do any of you have both rats and cats that get along? My mother has three cats, and they are all intensely curious about Barnabee, even going so far as to stick their noses in his cage. He isn't afraid of them at all, but he did lunge at one when she stuck her hand in his cage. So how do your rats react to cats? And will my cats attack Barnabee if he escaped (very unlikely)?


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## Lynxie (Jun 25, 2008)

When my cat and my rats were together, Fenris used to sleep on top of the rat's cage, and the rats wouldn't bother her at all. They'd just go about their business like there was nothing wrong. 

If you introduce the cat to the rats at a very young age, you should have no problem at all. Just be cautious and never leave them out and unsupervised when the cat is around.


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## zimmyzam (Sep 9, 2007)

One of my cats hisses and walks away at the sight of Piper, the other one... used to sit in front of the cage and wish he was inside. After tossing him out of the room a couple times, he got the idea that I did /not/ like that 

But Zita, Mimzy, and Piper have all seen the cats since practically the day I brought them in the house, and when Jack Jack peers at them through the bars the rats would come to him and sniff. Very at-ease with the cats.


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## run4life10 (Apr 14, 2009)

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## Jest (Dec 29, 2008)

My one cat doesn't mind them and shows zero interest in them. My other cat is quite the proficient hunter, and he's not allowed in my room where the rat cages are. My rats don't like the cats - they don't like my dogs either. If they try to sniff the cage, my girl Stella launches herself at them and has already bitten my GSD. With people, they're lovely little critters... but not so much with my other animals.


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## xxzz6760 (May 1, 2009)

Just a quick update - my cats are not really that interested in Barnabee anymore. The youngest cat still wants to put his nose up against the cage because he _really_ likes B and wants to play with him, but Barnabee gets tired of it and jumps at him. I think once Henry (the kitten) gets nipped he'll think twice about putting his nose in B's space! Another cat is completely unaware of B's presence, while the other has become bored with him and ignores him. Nice!


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## zookeeperchase (Apr 29, 2009)

My cat did like to chase her on the outside of the cage while Pademae ran back and forth on the inside. If the cat pawed at the glass while I would be getting the H2O squirt bottle Pademae would stay right in that area run circles and jump up and down like she was teasing him. When she is out of her cage which is 90% of when I'm awake the cat USED TO would maybe try to sniff her and even let Pademae "clean" the fur right before her tail. I say used to because I won't let the rat anywhere near the cat now. I was letting them look at each other they smelled each other, Bubba(cat) had started doing the tiny love sniffs he gives me and had started to purr when suddenly FOR NO REASON Pademae sniffed and then opened wide and I barely got her moved before she bit Bubba's nose off. Thank God for those "mom" reflexes. Bubba had training before about not chasing or eating any thing we bring in the house. We raised two sets of 4 chicks in the house till they were old enough to be outside and he always watched and they could walk over him just no pecking! However Bubba is about 15 and still brings in rabbits and large rats from the cow pasture(one rat was 13" W/OUT tail!) So the older they are the more laid back they seem to be.
My cousin who got me interested in rats had a horrible cat/rat incident. Her mommy rat had only had her rittens for 5 days and my youngest nephew had been in looking at the babies without saying anything to his mom and then didn't close the door back tight. They had @ that time 6 cats one very young and playful. That was who got in the room got to the wire cage and pulled 2 through the wires all while mommy rat bit her so be aware if they want a rat they will get one


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## Crazy_Rat_Lady (Jun 4, 2009)

My cat loves the rats. Rufus (RIP) and Cally (my cat) used to play together with supervision all the time without incident. Just after Rufus passed, I was at the pet store and the employee had a rat she was taking to the snake tank. I started crying and although I wanted another fancier type of rat, I took her instantly. Pearl (RIP) and Cally did not get along quite so well. Pearl had the funniest habit of letting Cally relax, then sneaking up on her and biting her right on the bum. Not viciously really, just enough to teach Cally who was the more important of the two...lol.

It may seem they weren't friends, but clearly they were tight. During Pearl's last few days, Cally wouldn't leave Pearls side. She slept snuggled beside the cage, and would start almost a howling noise when Pearl would have seizures.

We rescued Opal and Meatball shortly before Pearl passed, and recently rescued Snake. Cally is cool with Opal and Meatball, but quite like me, Snake makes her a little nervous. I have to assume she's been bitten by her, quite like me....lol


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## chevalrose (Aug 13, 2008)

My cat is interested in my rats, but usually gets run off my Onyx who tries to bite her. The other rats peacefully keep their distance, but aren't afraid of her. Onyx will charge at her from across the couch. She's learned to try to stay away from him.


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

I have to shut my door so my cat DOESN'T get in to see them my cat a few years ago was a normal inside cat then one day she went outside then after that we couldn't get her to stay in she would almost trip us when we opened the door to get outside now she gets hungry and hunts bunnys, birds,etc.So we are afraid she will mistake my rats as food so we don't let her get to them.
P.S. Her name is Gizmo


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## stephigigo (Jun 18, 2008)

Hello rat forum. It's been ages since I posted on here!! I hope everyone's rats are well.

This topic got my attention because I'm a rat owner and my boyfriend wants a kitten (his step-sister's cat has had four. They are very cute - especially a fat spotty one).

But is this a good idea since we have rats? We're not sure if we're going to have the kitten yet, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## Ratnoob523 (May 8, 2009)

You people should stop letting your cats outside. A few weeks ago I was on my way to work and stopped to rescue a tiny little bunny that fit in my palm from a mean cat. I did some reading while I was bored at work and apparently pet cats that go out will kill every other time, and they usually do it for fun and torture and torment the poor little animals. It even said that sometimes they will skin baby bunnies alive.. can you imagine what that would be like? I would have thought that rat owners wouldn't want their cats outside killing wild rats and other helpless animals...

Not to mention the horrible things that could happen to your cat. As hard as I tried to keep my cats as indoor cats my roomates never seemed to care and always let them out. One day they got out and never came home, and I can only hope that they were run over by a car because that's about the best choice. People do really sick things to cats, and there are predators and dogs that will tear them to peices. I don't get why anyone would want an outdoor cat that could be killed or killing in brutal ways at any moment.


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## Ratnoob523 (May 8, 2009)

stephigigo said:


> Hello rat forum. It's been ages since I posted on here!! I hope everyone's rats are well.
> 
> This topic got my attention because I'm a rat owner and my boyfriend wants a kitten (his step-sister's cat has had four. They are very cute - especially a fat spotty one).
> 
> But is this a good idea since we have rats? We're not sure if we're going to have the kitten yet, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.


I think it should be fine being that it's a kitten. If the kitten is raised around rats it should see them as family or at least companions, not as prey. I've seen cats and rats that get along great, just youtube "rat loves cat" or "cat rat and dog"


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## lessthansign3 (Dec 15, 2007)

It depends on the personality of the cat, of course, but both kittens and adults can be taught to behave around ratties. When I adopted Jiro, he was five years old and at the time I was scared as to how he'd react with my chinchilla, hamster, and ratties. Fortunately, he's a big lazy bum. His previous owner had him declawed (not something I'm fond of...) so when I introduced him to them I wasn't as scared. Now, if the rats are out and he's lazing on the couch with me, he'll only bat at them if they start crawling all over him. If he's not on the couch and he doesn't want attention or snuggles, he won't pay them any mind. 

I got Wesley as a kitten, and he was taught from the very beginning to be NICE to the smaller critters. The only issue we ever had was when he tried to jump up on the rattie girls' cage and knocked it over. The girls were fine, and he got in BIIIIG troubs. Now, he's nice to all of the critters, though he still gets in trouble if he bops at any of them just because I don't want him accidentally hurting anyone. My boyfriend's cat, Sifka, is curious around the rats but if they come near her she runs away. She's the ultimate scaredy cat! 

So, in conclusion, I think most cats can be fine around all other pets as long as they are trained to be good kitties. Never let them out together unsupervised (well, I never let my rats out unsupervised really... I don't trust them ) and when you introduce them, make sure you do it safely. Using a squirt bottle to spray the cat works really well, especially if you can hit their face  I also will do this thing where I (gently) grab the kitty by the scruff and shove his head down towards the floor (again, gently). This is what a momma cat does to her kittens when they're being naughty and my cats really seem to get it (most of the time).

Another thing to keep in mind: it's not always the cat being mean you have to worry about... hehe  My rats are all pretty nice, but my chinchilla doesn't mess around 

Best of luck!


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## kandyluvr (May 23, 2009)

We could'nt help it one day she accidently got out and then after that we would like open the door inch by inch so the cat could'nt fit throught the door but open it big enough so that we could get in and if we were lucky the cat wouldn't get out but if we were not lucky the cat would almost trip us trying to get out believe me we tried not to let her out its not our fault.


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## lessthansign3 (Dec 15, 2007)

kandyluvr said:


> We could'nt help it one day she accidently got out and then after that we would like open the door inch by inch so the cat could'nt fit throught the door but open it big enough so that we could get in and if we were lucky the cat wouldn't get out but if we were not lucky the cat would almost trip us trying to get out believe me we tried not to let her out its not our fault.


I know someone who had this same problem, so I do sympathize. He ended up giving the cat to some friends who lived on a farm. Still, as a cat and woodland critter lover, I do think you should do some research on the 'net because I'm sure there's some way to train the cat to stay indoors. My first recommendation is to get a leash and harness so you can safely take your cat outside. That way kitty is safe, critters are safe, and everyone's happy  My friend does that and her cat loves his walks! They make harnesses specifically for cats, too, so you can be sure it fits right. Otherwise, here's a link I found after a quick Google search and it looks to be rather helpful - http://www.sdnhm.org/exhibits/cats/indoors.html

Don't give up on your kitty yet!  Encourage your entire family to help to turn your outdoor kitty back into an indoor kitty. All that stuff on the Dog Whisperer about consistency when rehabilitating dogs is true for cats. I am certainly no expert, and my cats are far from perfect, but I know that if you are persistent you can do it!


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## stephigigo (Jun 18, 2008)

Thanks for the advice!

I think it should be OK. The kittens aren't ready to be homed yet so we've still got about 2 weeks to make up our minds - but they are cute!



lessthansign3 said:


> Another thing to keep in mind: it's not always the cat being mean you have to worry about... hehe  My rats are all pretty nice, but my chinchilla doesn't mess around


Yeah, I'm a bit worried about my rat Keiki - she's vicious! Her favourite past time is bullying anything else with fur or fluff - fluffy socks are a firm favourite to bully and she also has an intense dislike for the mop!


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## Little-Fizz (Mar 5, 2009)

Ratnoob523 said:


> People do really sick things to cats


I'm 100% with you one the indoor cat thing. Not so much because they eat bunnies or whatever, it's sad but it is a fact of life. But it's cuts your cats lifespan in half, it makes me cry when I'm driving down the road and a dead cats eyes are wide open staring at me. Plus people really do some messed up stuff to cats. A year or two ago my friends cat went missing and the cats head magically ended up in the creek behind his house... 

But, my one rat Daisy is so terrified of cats I'm afraid she'll have a heart attack, although she may be warming up to Lola. Sparta doesn't care and just goes right for it.... Weird that I turn around and Lola had her face pressed against the cage ;D The cat is very curious but very unsure. I mean when I first brought them here she would hiss. Just today Lola (the cat) was in my lap and the cage door was open, Sparta came running out of the cage, down me and over the cat. Lola looked terrified and ran away, but it's a step up from hissing haha.


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## christinac (Mar 31, 2009)

Ratnoob523 said:


> You people should stop letting your cats outside. A few weeks ago I was on my way to work and stopped to rescue a tiny little bunny that fit in my palm from a mean cat. I did some reading while I was bored at work and apparently pet cats that go out will kill every other time, and they usually do it for fun and torture and torment the poor little animals. It even said that sometimes they will skin baby bunnies alive.. can you imagine what that would be like? I would have thought that rat owners wouldn't want their cats outside killing wild rats and other helpless animals...


...Wtf. Cats are hunters, that is the way they are. It's a bit sad about the rabbit, but that is the way it is. It is gross & psycho though the way they "play" with their prey before killing them.
Cats should be allowed to go inside and outside whenever they want in my opinion. It is mean to keep them cooped up indoors all the time. Wtf would they do all day? They'd be so bored. There's the risk of course that they'll get run over, but out of all the cats I've had in the past, who were all allowed inside and out, only one of them died because of an idiot who was speeding .. 

My kitten is more interested in my ratmen's food than them. My flatmates cats though are psycho and if I'm having a smoke out my window they try to jump in, and then when I push them back out, they run back inside the house and jump up at my door :s


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## Ratnoob523 (May 8, 2009)

My cats were indoor cats and they were perfectly happy... you think keeping a cat inside is cruel yet we all keep rats in relatively small cages for their safety, and I doubt anyone lets their dogs just come and go as they please. I don't see any difference with cats. Also, pet cats don't usually hunt for food. They catch and torture small animals for fun, not for survival. Plus it's just rude to your neighbors, a lot of people hate cats just prowling around killing animals out of their yard. I love animals, but if there were a cat constantly coming around my house killing animals in my yard it's getting shot at. I'm not the only one with this mentality.. just something to think about.


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## Little-Fizz (Mar 5, 2009)

Ratnoob523 said:


> My cats were indoor cats and they were perfectly happy... you think keeping a cat inside is cruel yet we all keep rats in relatively small cages for their safety, and I doubt anyone lets their dogs just come and go as they please. I don't see any difference with cats. Also, pet cats don't usually hunt for food. They catch and torture small animals for fun, not for survival. Plus it's just rude to your neighbors, a lot of people hate cats just prowling around killing animals out of their yard. I love animals, but if there were a cat constantly coming around my house killing animals in my yard it's getting shot at. I'm not the only one with this mentality.. just something to think about.


This is true, I would never shoot at anyone's cats though. But my boss is always complaining about how his neighbor who feeds stray cats and peoples outdoor cats so they always chill around his house and dig up his garden and scratch his car. It's very rude, and very unsafe for the cat. I mean both my cats are indoor and they are perfectly happy. We do let them go out of the deck with us when are outside. Or sometimes we take Lola out front... On a leash.


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## Ratnoob523 (May 8, 2009)

If I shot one it'd be with a beebee gun that has like 1/100 chance of killing them.. but it would sure hurt like ****. Besides, I don't think anyone'd be cool with me firing off rounds from a real gun in the middle of my townhouse complex


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## Little-Fizz (Mar 5, 2009)

Yeah that's true, but still. My friend a long time ago, her cat got shot with a bb gun... It was pretty brutal, he had a hole in his arm pit and was in a lot of discomfort. It's still kind of excessive to punish the cat for something that comes naturally to it when you should shoot the owners for being irresponsible.


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## christinac (Mar 31, 2009)

Ratnoob523 said:


> My cats were indoor cats and they were perfectly happy... you think keeping a cat inside is cruel yet we all keep rats in relatively small cages for their safety, and I doubt anyone lets their dogs just come and go as they please. I don't see any difference with cats. Also, pet cats don't usually hunt for food. They catch and torture small animals for fun, not for survival. Plus it's just rude to your neighbors, a lot of people hate cats just prowling around killing animals out of their yard. I love animals, but if there were a cat constantly coming around my house killing animals in my yard it's getting shot at. I'm not the only one with this mentality.. just something to think about.


Whenever my cats have caught things they generally eat the whole thing or pretty much all of it. 

Comparing keeping a cat inside to keeping rats in cages is stupid I have to say. 

OMG FFS!!! People don't let their dogs roam the streets because they cause heaps of trouble. Way more than any cat could do.

I guess most rat people are dog people too. So whatever.



Little-Fizz said:


> Yeah that's true, but still. My friend a long time ago, her cat got shot with a bb gun... It was pretty brutal, he had a hole in his arm pit and was in a lot of discomfort. It's still kind of excessive to punish the cat for something that comes naturally to it when you should shoot the owners for being irresponsible.


I RECKON. Apart from the shooting owners for being irresponsible, WTF.


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## Ratnoob523 (May 8, 2009)

Unless you live on a farm or some rural area no pets should be allowed to come and go from a home as they please. Imo, if you do that then you don't give a **** about your pet and have no room to complain if it is killed or injured. I know many people who had outdoor cats that left the house one day and were never seen again, and I had indoor cats that got out and never returned. Aside from being killed by cars, foxes ect... you don't even want to hear the stories I've heard of what some people do to cats just for kicks. It's stupid, inconsiderate to your neighbors, and dangerous to your pet other pets and wild animals. I think it is completely irresponsible pet ownership.


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## Little-Fizz (Mar 5, 2009)

My Cat who is terrified of everything (including outside) got out one day  my stupid little sisters left the back door open. I walked around my neighbor hood with a bowl of food crying and calling her name for days. When I had given up on ever seeing her again she was at the back door meowing to be let back in ;D She must have never gone too far.


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