Cat teasing my chinchilla

[Momof3grls]

My cat likes teasing my chinchilla (Rosie). The chinchilla does taunt my cat. She'll sit there and make noises at my cat and run around in the cage. She looks back to see if my cat is still watching her. Will my cat stress out Rosie?

 

[ticklechin]

Chins are prey animals, she thinks the cat is going to eat her and is making defensive noises. Cats can pass disease to chins, and they should not be close enough to do that.

 

[akane]

I suggest a spray bottle to get the cat away from the cage and put her or the cage in a separate room when gone. If a cat gets saliva or a claw on a small animal it can die of infection very easily. We had a cat grab a young rabbit and not leave a single puncture mark but it quickly developed a horrible respiratory infection and died 2 days later. I believe it was the cat saliva that did it. All his litter mates and adults were fine. We've seen the same thing in several wild rabbits and rodents caught by cats. Without antibiotics they develop some type of infection and die very quickly.

 

[becky12883]

The noises and running around the cage are not taunting, they are signs of stress. I would keep the cat away from the cage.

 

[Godins Chinchillas]

Definately separate the two. The chin is getting stressed. You may start to see furchewing if you allow it to continue.

 

[Ashleyl2203]

I turned my back for one minute and my cat batted the chinchilla through the cage and the chinchilla was bleeding from the eyebrow area. Instant emergency vet trip at 3 am and chins own bedroom from now on. Don't trust your cats.