# Dillema in my "Rat Quest"



## zimmyzam (Sep 9, 2007)

Rat Quest... by that I mean my quest for my first rattie.

SO. I FINALLY got dad to say yes-on the terms that mom agrees to it.

And awhile ago that's what my mom said. Until she realized that dad would say yes o-o

Now... she says I shouldn't waste my money, because one little mishap could equate to our younger cat, Jack Jack, getting the rat like he did the hamster. She says she doesn't want to have to clean that up again, and go through all that... and says I have to consider giving up Jack Jack if I REALLY want the ratties.

But that would be horrible. I can't give up one pet for another. Plus, I got him from a family at church, who's two girl, indoor/outdoor cats keep having unwanted litters of kittens (three more last week. They've only gotten one of their cats spayed O.O').

I've had baby chickens in a brooding box in my room for three weeks. Jack Jack had gotten in the box, but that's because it was home made and there was an obvious flaw I overlooked ^-^' He didn't hurt them, he just seemed to love watching them freak out and run to the other side of the box and have them squack like crazy. He was much more "preditor" with the hamster, though. Not only was it smaller (baby dwarf hamham, the tinyer breed of dwarf), but it was much more quick and spazmodic that the chicks.

I'm hoping that someone will help me with this. The ONLY way I'd give Jack Jack away is if someone at church wanted him, or one of my neighbors. He really is a great cat, already neutered, one of the prettiest (he looks like a russian blue with a different shaped face, and more amber-colored eyes). I couldn't stand giving him up to the pound or someone I don't know for a different pet. It seems like betrayal.

So, any stories of extreamly 'hunter-esque' cats living with rats, and the rats STAYING safe? Any advice on keeping the ratties safe?
I already know I'm only going to take them out when Jack Jack's outside, or else just play with them in the bathroom or my room with a closed door...


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Can't you keep them in a room with a door to shut Jack Jack out?


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## zimmyzam (Sep 9, 2007)

Yes, that's been the plan from the very start. But Z the hamham was in a room with the door shut... We think Harrison might've 'slept-let-him-out' when he usually gets up in the middle of the night to run to my parents room, and not put him back in, but I think his tiny self squeezed between the part of the bars that were forced apart by a saltwheel thing and the door was just opened.

Me and daddy agree that Harrison, my 6-year-old brother, is the biggest variable here. He's the only one who goes in my room on occasion, other than me. I get home from school before he does minus club days, so that's okay (nobody even touches my room during school hours), but it's when I'm off with my friends he likes to go in there and mess with my stuff. I have a system of locking my door and keeping the door that leads to the back porch in my room unlocked (yeah, my room used to be the family room, but we needed a 4-bedroom house so they put up a wall and viola. So I have one of the packporch doors in my room).

We're just afraid something will go wrong ;__;

I know out mistake with Z, we SHOWED him to Jack Jack. Stupid us.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Could you get locks to all your doors and keep them locked, all of them?

Leaving a door to a porch unlocked sounds unsafe to me, anyway.


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## zimmyzam (Sep 9, 2007)

Haha, we're in a pretty good neighborhood. Meaning, our dad resents it, but (shhh) we're in a habbit of not locking our front door unless it's night or we'll be away ALL DAY.

Plus, the layout of my house is funky, but leaving my back door unlocked would still be safe as long as the porch door is locked. One of the back doors is in my mom's bathroom, and the other one is in my family-room-converted-to-bedroom, and the porch door is the screen door... Ah well. It works out.

My mum still feels really iffy, even after I tell her all of this. And unless I'm giving Jack Jack to someone I KNOW, he's NOT leaving.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

Totally off topic, but for heavens sake lock your doors.

Thieves target good neighborhoods, that's where the good stuff is.


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## mollylovesherrat (Sep 24, 2007)

Well, it does sound like you are going to have to pick one or the other. I'm not much of a cat person at all, so for me giving up a cat is pretty easy. x_X;

It sounds like you were a good hamster parent, minus the evil cat part xD, but I think it's mean to keep two pets that could could kill each other. Because, you are putting one at a disadvantage.
For an example, if you had a pet dog that you had all your life and then you wanted a cat, so you put the dog outside. 
I just wouldn't get a pet where you couldn't show them both all the attention...unless that was the plan.
To have an outside dog/outside cat.

Either way, if I were you, I would consider giving up the cat.


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## Forensic (Apr 12, 2007)

I would NOT give up the cat. The cat is your pet and it depends upon you. To give it away is a violation of its trust and love. And to put it outside is just as harsh. Especially just to get a brand new pet. That makes it no better than a person who buys a puppy and gives it away when it becomes a dog, because they only want the cute puppy.

Personally, I believe you can certainly own 'animals that could kill each other' (ie. Dogs and cats, cats and small mammals) without incident and without any need to give up the inside life for either.


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## zimmyzam (Sep 9, 2007)

Okay, thank you, I needed to hear someone say that : )

Yeah, I couldn't give up Jack Jack.

Both my cats are indoor/outdoor, equal parts. They both hate eachother, but Annabell (the older, getting into her cranky stages and FINALLY showing signs of pudge) will stay in the house when Jack Jack's in, now.

Haha, I don't mean our neighborhood is, like, good money wise. On that, we're your typical average house, except mum likes designing so much we remodled the inside a bunch. We've lived in the same house since I was born O_O; But, yeah, we should probably lock our doors more often, shouldn't we... ^^'

" I just wouldn't get a pet where you couldn't show them both all the attention...unless that was the plan."

Haha, Jackjack and Anna only get our attention when we eat, and when they want to eat. Or when they want to go outside. Other than that, Annabell's just getting back into letting us touch her again (she's /vicious/, but when we showed her the hamster, she just hissed and ran away...), so we might pet her once or twice before she runs. Jackjack likes being luffed on.... for a little bit. He's too busy defying gravity and literally jumping off walls when he's not sleeping.


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## Mana (Apr 22, 2007)

I don't see any reason to give up your cat. I'm a little shocked that anyone would suggest getting rid of a pet for any reason, much less to get another pet...

I also don't really understand the problem with the cat. If I remember right, he knocked the hamster cage over? Rats need much bigger cages than hamsters, so they're heavier, and sturdier, and neither of the cats I live with have ever been able to knock any over, even the smallest ones. 

One of my cats is a hunter (I don't even want to know how many little creatures he's killed over the years) and the other one is extremely interested in the rats. The hunter ignores the rats completely. The other one, since I got the rats, will sit next to the cage watching them, and sometimes tries to get his paw in there (which he can't do). He once tried to push the cage over (the smallest of my cages, when I only had 2 rats), but couldn't.

As long as the cat can't get in your room when the rats are out of the cage, there shouldn't be a problem.


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## twilight (Apr 20, 2007)

Hmm... I have a super strong bond with my kittes. I will do pratically anything for them and I'm a toal cat person. The kitty was there first, so yeah. Just have a nice sturdy cage ^.^


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

I think that rats are large enough and in sturdy and large enough cages for cats not to be an issue at all. Plus rats give off a predator vibe of sorts which confuses most cats. Hamster pretty much are prey only animals lol so totally different. It takes a pretty mean cat to be a rat hunter and not only that, the cat usually looks to get something out of killling them (a treat, or praise) which most cats would KNOW they would not get either and totally get in trouble for messing with the rats. At least I know my cats know this.

So it's pretty much not worth it for a cat to mess with a full grown rat. They could get terribly bitten and beat up and then they would be yelled at and kicked out for doing that. Cats aren't stupid, after a week or so of rat ownership I know your cats will figure it out.


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## zimmyzam (Sep 9, 2007)

-sigh of relief- This is GREAT. I'm soooo happily happy everyone posted. THANK YOU! DOMODOMODOMO!!

Yes, the first time Jack Jack got ahold of Z the hamham, he pushed the cage off my little brother's bookshelf. It was small and plastic... The second time, either someone left him out or Z escaped somehow. I couldn't blame Jack Jack, then.

Yeah, I figured rats would be a bit more trouble for cats than a tiny hamster. I tried to tell mum that, but she's convinced something's going to go wrong, and I understand that. But the odds seem to point to them living in safety, so...

And dealing with Harrison... I could just tell him the rats will bite if you stick your hand in the cage, and see if that'll help keep him away from the cage XD

Okay, when mum gets home, I'm going to show her this. This seems to be the ONE THING keeping me from getting ratties now. Thank you guys, because this should help change her mind ^w^


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## zimmyzam (Sep 9, 2007)

Sorry, had to edit this because it was a double post ^^

Showed mom. She was like, 'hm. Neat.' T.T;

Ah well. I'll pester her later. Have an essay to write.


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## ladybugs984 (Sep 19, 2007)

well, you could always get a padlock for the cage, thats what i had to do with my son who won't leave the poor rats alone  I got the kind that are supposed to go on luggage. It won't keep a burgler out, but it should keep a small child from sneaking in there when you're not looking


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## zimmyzam (Sep 9, 2007)

Hm. Good idea. I'd just be dead-afraid of loozing the key. I loose things a bunch o-o I'll look into =)


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## ladybugs984 (Sep 19, 2007)

Combination locks work too


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## Fuzz16 (Sep 8, 2007)

i have three cats...
1 which hunts rabbits, mice, rats, birds and other wild animals.
1 which will kill anything that moves or attack anything small.
and the last one...is tolerable of the rodents climbing on her. 

i keep my rattys in my room and the cage closed. none of the cats bother them. im guessing if he is still young it may be part kitten stage but just keep the cat out when your playing with the rat and you should be fine.


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## Fuzz16 (Sep 8, 2007)

o and you could tie a key higher up that he cant get to. and just keep it on the string permanently or keep it under the cage or a spare somwhere safe


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## zimmyzam (Sep 9, 2007)

HM! Good ideas!!!

I've done the key-on-a-string thing before, but I don't remember what with.

I have a combination lock I never used, I might still remember the comination XD


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## CaptainFlow (May 16, 2007)

I know that I've has rats and mice with two cats- normally I left my door closed at all times, but I was younger, and I made mistakes. But I can say that's there's a huge difference between rats and the smaller, prey-only type animals. If I found cats in my room with the rats, they'd just be sitting on the floor, watching them. If I found cats in my room with the mice... well, the cage was knocked over more than once, and one mouse I only managed to recover a half of. So, if you're cat's super predatory, be super careful. But it can be done, rats are pretty big, big enough to deter most cats in my experience. Just do your best to keep the cats OUT all the time! Spray bottles, whatever, keep 'em out and your ratties should be safe.


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## zimmyzam (Sep 9, 2007)

Haha, maybe I should go out and buy a spraybottle.


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## giddy4ratz (Sep 14, 2007)

Hmmm, I used to have a lock on my door and locked it when I was away  I also had a lid and lock on any rodent cages to keep my cats out.


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## Squeak (Sep 4, 2007)

I own two rats, two cats and a dog so really theres a risk of one animal killing the other in my house. But I've found that by keeping my wire cage on a small but strong table the cats only sit and watch what the rats are doing. I keep a sort of lock on my cage but it's only supposed to be for blocking animals, where as humans can open it easy. I haven't a little brother though.
As for my dog and two cats, they get along just fine.


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