can a cat and a chin live together?

[LongTimeLover]

I'm not sure which section to post this in but this seemed appropriate.

We've had our chin for almost 3 months now so he's pretty acclimated to our behaviors and his environment and everything and so my boyfriend wants to try and get a cat. My question is, can a cat and a chin co-exist peacefully in a one bedroom apartment? Right now our chin is in the living room so I don't know if we would be able to trust the cat to leave our chin out there or if we'd have to move him into our bedroom which isn't that loud but probably not as quiet as the living room, especially during mornings. Would the cat consistently harass the chin or could we trust them to be alone?

I haven't done any research regarding this so I'm hoping you guys can offer me some first hand knowledge.

Thanks!

 

[tunes]

You would need to be able to keep your cat separate from your chin, i.e., a separate room. If your cage has very small spacing, that should keep the cat out, but that isn't going to stop the chin from being afraid of a predator staring at it, batting at it, or trying to get in the cage at it.

Cats can carry diseases that are deadly to chins, and as one member recently found out, it's very easy to lose a chin to injury from a cat.

Unless you can shut your chin in your bedroom and keep your cat out, I would think a 1 bedroom apartment would be a bit tight for both. There are some cats who completely ignore chins, but you would have to hope you would be lucky enough to find one.

 

[bpayne1217]

Well I live in a 1 room place (a nicely done over basement) and I have 2 cats. My female cat would just watch my chin from about 5 feet away the 1st weeks I got her, and we had a bit of a problem with her going on top of the cage to sleep because she likes to be up high but after that 1st week she dosen't even go near my chin, she really doesn't care. My male cat however is always near the cage. He's in love with her. He sleeps next to the cage, watches her, gives her food (so we had to move the food so he couldn't get it to her), it's very odd. There was 1 time he got too close and pawed her, not in a mean way, just to she what she was. But then she nipped him and ever since he keeps his distance. When we take her out to play we hold him next to her so he'd get used to her. She really doesn't care about him being around. However the breeder we got her from had 4 cats so she was used to them.

My advice would be, put your cage in a corner and as high up as possible and the hidey hut on the side next to the wall so if the cat does get curious about the chin(which is normal) the chin will feel safe against the wall where the cat can't get. Also when you take the chin out bring the cat over to sniff the chinchilla. Just make sure not to let go of the cat. I know if a cat gets scared it WILL attack. It's in their nature so never let the cat be running around when the chin is out. But they will get used to eachother.

 

[inzeos]

Just remember chins are not the quietest pets either. They'll be active dusk and dawn when you might be trying to sleep. So if they are in your room they might wake you if you are a light sleeper.

 

[Cheknnudol]

I'm currently living with my parents and we've got four cats. Prior to getting our puppy, we would leave the door to my chin room open. The cats have never put their paws in the cage, but my chins never come to the bottom of the cage except to pee and eat; anytime the cat would be able to reach them (ground level) they're wide awake and able to run up to a higher shelf safe from the kitties. For two of my cats, there was one instance when I saw them get within 6" of our seed guards (which, themselves, are 5" from the cage bars); my chins instantly kacked at them and it sent both cats running in horror! 'Fraidy cats, indeed!

If they weren't so skiddish and lazy, I definitely wouldn't trust them with the cage though. If a chin falls asleep in a bottom corner of the cage, all it would take is one swipe of a kitty paw to cause some serious damage. And even if the wound wasn't horrible, there's still chance of serious infection.

I'm moving into a 2 bedroom apartment at the end of this month and we'll be taking two of the cats with us. One has never seen the chins before that I know of (he rarely moves from the couch let alone to upstairs), so it will be interesting to see how he reacts to them since they're going to be in the living room of our new place. If he shows any signs of aggression or even interest in them, though, I'll certainly not be leaving them out there with the cats.

I agree wholeheartedly with Tunes that the primary factor is the temperament and personality of the cat. I personally wouldn't go for kittens because they tend to be more playful and predatory than lazy grown cats, which could be a disaster when combined with teency kitten paws and razor sharp kitten claws.

I worry about what bpayne said about letting her cat meet the chins; even if they did not act aggressive or anything towards one another there is still the possibility of disease transference. I'm not sure how likely that is or how severe it would be, but it's not really a position I want to intentionally put myself and my chins in by putting my cats face to face with them.

Something else: The fact that a chin is not bothered by cats in general can really be a disadvantage as they may not see cats as a threat, which could lead to a chin really making itself a target if a cat got near the cage with intentions of dinner.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

I have 2 cats, one older and one a couple of years old. I did worry about having cats in the house with the chins, but was soon appeased when the cats got too close to the cage ( before I could stop them ) and the chins sprayed them both and flung fur at them. Since then, I have not had to worry about the cats getting close to the cages.
But this is just my example and not one that I think should be repeated in any case. IMO, if you have the room and a way too, you should keep the chins and cats separated.

 

[GahhItsLee]

I have two cats and three chins all in the same room and they exist just fine together although for a few days i had to do the whole bad cat move them away from the chin than spray them with water routine

 

[Carol~Anne]

Also when you take the chin out bring the cat over to sniff the chinchilla. Just make sure not to let go of the cat. I know if a cat gets scared it WILL attack. It's in their nature so never let the cat be running around when the chin is out. But they will get used to eachother.

I just think this advice is really dangerous. One swat from a cat's dirty sharp claw can cause a serious injury not to mention the disease factor. Why risk it?

We've got two cats but they are never ever allowed in the chin room. I know people do have chins and cats in the same room but I wouldn't do it b/c I let my guys out every night for a run about so having cats around just wouldn't suit my particular lifestyle.

 

[starleomach]

I have 2 cats here. I try to keep them out of the chinchilla room as when they get in there with me they are clearly going hunting. If you can't keep them seperate I woudl wait

 

[QnMidnight]

I have one cat and one chin in a one bedroom apartment, but my advice would be not to get a cat now that you have a chinchilla. The only reason we have both is because one was my pet and one was my fiancé's, and we knew the temperaments of both animals very well before moving in together. In my case, the cat is older and doesn't even really acknowledge my chinchilla's existence (she's completely ignored him since day one). They work well together because they never interact at all, and neither really even seems to know the other lives here too.

I've also lived with roommates who have cats, and I've seen how badly a cat can want to 'play' with a small animal. Before I had a FN142, I had a smaller cage that sat maybe 2 feet off the ground - the cats would sneak into my room and jump on top to try to get to my chin. I couldn't ever leave my door open, because the cat would be in there trying to claw at him. I was lucky and neither cat nor chin were injured while living in the same household, but I definitely wouldn't recommend bringing in a new pet whose temperament isn't already well known to you.

 

[3CsMommy]

I have 1 chin and live with a total of 4 cats. You've heard the saying "A cat may look at a king?" For 3 of them, that's how it goes. They look through the cage from a safe distance, and otherwise leave him alone. The 4th one had to learn the hard way (in the split second my back was turned) that chinchillas are sharp and pointy. His paw was fine, Crash was fine, I had a minor coronary episode, and the cat hasn't gone back for round two since. Covering the back/sides of the cage can help quite a bit if you have a curious cat.

Would getting a companion for your first chin be an option instead of a cat/kitten? Better for the chin (generally) and less worry about a predator-prey relationship between your pets.

 

[Dragonflye]

I agree that if you don't have a separate room for the chin, you shouldn't get a cat. It's not really fair to the chin having a predator animal staring at it all day.

 

[Jenn]

It's hard to know beforehand how the cat and chin will react to eachother. I have two indoor cats who are very passive. I had a hamster get loose in my house on three different occasions, and I found him by watching the cats. They would sit close by and watch him and never did attack him. They also don't go anywhere near my chin cage and playpen. My chin makes them nervous with her quick movement. I also have a quaker parrot that rules over my cats. My cats only have an issue with my doberman. I am very fortunate to have my animals coexist peacefully, but I don't believe this is the norm. In most cases, a cat would go after a chin or other small animal. But maybe if you got a young kitten, it would grow up accepting of the chin and leave it alone. It is a tough decision to make.

 

[Spoof]

I've had several cats and roommates who have had cats while I've had chins. It really depends on the cat as to wether or not they can live harmoniously.

 

[Carol~Anne]

I think my cat Alice would be okay around the chins but not Leo. The reason I 'think' this might be the case is that Alice is never by the chin room door but Leo is a stalker and will hide and wait for me to open the chin door and I literally have to push him away with my foot. Also, the chin room in on the lower level of the house and when I pull the blinds up, Alice really doesn't seem to have much interest in looking in the window but Leo will sit there forever and watch them. He makes me feel so uncomfortable I have to close the blinds. If you don't have a separate room for the chin(s) and you don't already have a cat then I'd say don't bother getting one, but that's just me.

 

[InkedupTara]

I do agree that it depends on the cat. But for me personally, I would not want to risk my chins or possibly the cats welfare. As my one chin bites anything with fur, he attacked a stuffed animal and plays with a faux fur duster when he is out.

 

[Nervousings]

I have two cats and three chins all in the same room

just reading this post and noticed this...
this really bums me out Lee.... are you seriously keeping all three chins in the same room? what about the quarantine? they CANNOT be in the same room? or is this another typing mistake?

 

[GahhItsLee]

Quarantine was broken around 2 days ago while i was out... Long story short they got moved out of where they were by someone who thought i forgot them there... And yes i have avoided saying this because I figured id get jumped on... So yea... I guess that cats out of the bag

If you feel the need to tell me how terrible and irresponsible it is that this happened just message me and don't steal this persons thread


Also i thought id put this out there my first chinchilla actually plays with the cats like he messes with them by jumping up to a level where he is higher than them than go back right by the cage where they could get to him than **** jump back up and repeat and repeat

 

[bpayne1217]

I just think this advice is really dangerous. One swat from a cat's dirty sharp claw can cause a serious injury not to mention the disease factor. Why risk it?

Well I very clearly said not to let go of the cat. I hold my cats paws down so he can just sit with us. If you have an agressive cat then obviously don't do it. He isn't able to strike at him, but he's gotten so used to her now he doesn't even care about her. He more gets jealous that he isn't being played with. He pawed her once and all he did was poke her and she jumped at him. Now he stays away from her. If you hold your cat it won't be dangerous. I let him sniff her once and after that I just held him so he'd get used to her, which he is now. I don't do that still. It only took a few times to get him used to her. I find it more dangerous to keep him away beacause that would make him more courious. I needed him to get used to her so he wouldn't attack her. It worked.

 

[LongTimeLover]

Hey everyone, so we got 2 cats back on June 4th and we introduced them into our living room very slowly. First we started with fencing off the area where our Chin is and let them get used to it and then the past couple of weeks we let them run around with no fence and they haven't bothered the chin that much. If we catch them fixating too much on him then we give them a squirt with a water gun and they lose interest. A couple times we've caught them peering into his cage which we've removed them immediately but Lewis doesn't seem bothered by it. Not once has he barked or made a defensive noise.

Whenever we have him out the cats are ALWAYS locked up though and I intend to always keep it this away to avoid any accidents.

I just wanted to give you guys an update on how it's going.

I've attached two pictures of our kitties as well. The one in the red collar/white face markings is Chai and the one in the black collar/no face markings is Oscar. They're four months this weekend and a handful but we love them. But our Chin still comes first