Chinchillas and Cats

[Morganpanda]

My local animal shelter is having a hard time maintaining the high inventory of cats that they have. Since I volunteer there, they have asked if I would either like to adopt or foster a cat to make room for others who need to be there as well.

I have the money, time, and knowledge to invest into a new pet; but I don't know how fair that is to my chinchilla.

Keep in mind, my chinchilla's previous home had three dogs, and the home before that he had one, very loud, dog. For the past year he hasn't been around any other pets. He's in a safe, Martin cage. I don't think a cat's paw could even get into it, and obviously I wouldn't let him out when the cat is in the same room.

But at night, since we have a roommate, all pets go into everyone's bedrooms. Do you think it's okay to have a cat and chinchilla in the same room, even with the chinchilla in a secure cage? Are there problems? Do other people have experience with having a chinchilla and cats?

I want to know this before I consider adoption, as I don't want to put my chinchilla or the new cat at risk.

 

[Smidgeyy]

I got a CN because of my cat. He can't fit his paws in it, so I don't mind letting him in my bedroom anymore. I banished him in the beginning when I had his starting cage. Now my cat will climb ontop of the cage and my chin doesn't care. Occasionally they will pest each other but I haven't had an issue.

You could always see if there are any declawed kitties as well. I'm against declawing myself but I wouldn't care if I were rescuing one.

Personally I think it will be fine. I worry more for my cat than chin. My kitty had a plate in his leg from when he broke it in 2011 and I just worry when he's jumping down from the cage. He has nothing to land on to shorten the jump so he jumps straight down. I cringe every time I see it.

 

[CrazyForChinchillas]

I would beware of letting the cat near the chinchilla because cats carry Pasteurella bacteria which is fatal to chinchillas and untreatable. I know a lot of people let their cats and dogs around their chinchilla cages, but most chinchillas I have seen are stressed around them and dislike them.

 

[obcsed]

My cat is not allowed near the chins. They don't mix in my opinion. I have had two separate chins lacerated by my cat's claws and he did it by reaching under the door while the chins were out for playtime.

 

[AZChins]

There's no reason why you can't have a cat and chins, you just have to make sure no one gets hurt. Many of my customers have cats but they don't let them play and they are careful with kitties being able to get to the chins.

It's mostly those claws you have to worry about....as others have said. If you can shut the door of the room where the chins are when you leave, that would be ideal. I really hope that you can adopt a cat to save its life!

 

[Morganpanda]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to talk to the shelter and vet just to get second opinions. But it looks like a cat is a highly possible addition to our family in the near future.

I also think if I adopt an older cat, it'll help as they tend to be a bit calmer in temperament and less-adopted because everyone wants the kittens. (The one I have my eye on is 6, so he still has many years of love and attention to steal from me )

It would be nice having another furry friend around here.

 

[Tcheynern]

I have a chin and cats. The cats are put up when the chin is out. And I used a spray bottle to teach the cats to stay away from the chin cage, actually off the top because they like to get up there and lay. Now the cats ignore him but they are not allowed to be around when he is out. You just have to use a little precaution but they can live in the same house.

 

[Pooky125]

My cats are actually afraid of my chinchillas. If you have a grumpy chin, and pick a sweet, but stupid kitty, the chinchilla could still rule the household.

 

[AZChins]

We adopted a 5 year old cat. They gave him to us because they were going to euthanize him the next day. He is the best cat in the world....so much better than any kitten. He never does anything wrong, he doesn't spray, he's calm, and if he's inside he wants nothing to do with the chins or guinea pigs or any other animals. With the older kitties you know what you are getting as far as personality and energy levels go.

Kittens are too high energy most of the time anyway. They're cute but exhausting!

hehe sweet but stupid kitties are the best.

 

[EternallyCynical]

I have an older cat who was declawed by her previous owner. She's never gone after any of the small pets, even though I had a guinea pig once who would try and bite her tail if she got too close. She pretty much leaves my chinchilla alone. If she's hanging around he won't usually come down to the lower levels of his cage but he prefers to be up high as a matter of course and his food/water are up there so he's not being kept from anything important. My cat can't get her paws through the bars of the CN even if she did decide she wanted to go after him. An older more low-key cat with fairly low prey drive should be an issue I don't think, as long as they're not unsupervised with no barriers between them.

 

[Gpaterno78]

I have to agree my son rescued a 1 yr old cat and my chinnie comes to the edge of the cage and says hi to the cat but when she does that the cat just runs away lol. My cat does not bother my chinnie at all! I think it will be fine.

 

[Airyn]

I have a cat whose sole mission in life is to climb the chin cages. He chose me when he was 4 weeks old and I couldn't refuse "the look," so I adopted him, foolishly believing that I could train him to stay away from the chins over time. He'll be 2 in August and to date, my methods have been completely ineffective. After six months of battling with him, I moved and gave the chins their own room. I still have hope that he'll mellow out in time, but I won't hold my breath. I don't know what I'd do without him, but he's a handful and a half.

 

[dice]

Have 2 Savannahs and a domestic cat. The ladies don't want anything to do with my paired sister chillas, but the boy Savannah thinks they are great fun. He likes to play spank the chin, and the chillas tend to chase him too.

Think Sampson got an eyeful yesterday, because all of a sudden he goes ape chit, mad dash back and forth across the room a couple times then up his cat tree and doing a freak out break dance while tearing into the top scratch post 4 paw style and jaws too.!!!