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Do cats and guinea pigs get along?

Clarissa

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Hey Everyone I am new here, my dad says I can get a guinea pig (been saving for two years) but, I also have a cat. Do cat's and guinea pigs get along or will my cat kill the guinea pig. Should I kick the cat out of my room and never alow him to go in there again? I really want a piggy what should I do? Advice please!
 

Getting.cavys

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Hiya, glad you found out how to post a thread. :) You could make it kitty proof! Which would benifit you hugely the cat can come in your room and view the pigs which may also help him/she (cat) get used to the guinea pigs.

Here's the link:
https://www.guineapigcages.com/photos/showgallery.php/cat/533
-Pictures with examples of what to do.

Hope this helps.

Good luck on your pig. Are you getting one or two?
 

Guinea_Piggin

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It all depends on the cat. Although you have to remember that they are hunters by nature and pigs are prey animals. I've talked to some people who's cats and pigs get along famously, and the cat even sleeps in the pig cage with the piggies. But I've also heard other stories where a cat has almost killed a pig before. =(

I'd go with a closed-top cage just to be safe. Plus if your door accidentally gets left open or the cat walks in unsupervised you can feel safe knowing your pig(s) is/are safe from the kitty. Just follow the link Getting.Cavys provided. Good luck!
 

aqh88

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Most cats do fine with guinea pigs. In fact most cats are scared of guinea pigs unless they are confined to a cage. You do need a top though because they will try to wack the guinea pigs once they realize the pigs can't get to them. I've even had barn cats that kill rats run away from guinea pigs because they don't act so much like prey. They tend to be too bold. Out of dozens of cats mixing with dozens of guinea pigs in my lifetime I've only had 1 cat that attacked a pig in the open and was at risk of killing it. The cat was a not quite full grown very playful kitten and the pig was only a 4oz baby. The adult pig in the cage ended up stopping the cat and pulling bunches of it's fur out to make it go away. Never had it happen again. Generally the only danger is cats swiping at pigs while they are in the cage so make sure you build a lid and if necessary double grid to make the holes half as small so cat paws don't fit through them. Also do make sure to supervise any time the pig is out of the cage with the cat around just in case.
 

PrincessAngel

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It depends on the cat. Our old cat was 13 years old when I got my guinea pig so she let the piggy lay on her or sit on her or be next to her without biting. And our new kitten has known the piggies since he was 2 months old so he's used to them but sometimes when he's being playful he will try to bite the pigs.But normally he likes to sleep next to them. Its because he was about their size when we got him so he was able to be with them without hurting and when he tried I stopped him.As long as you ahve a good lid on the cage the cat can't hurt them while their in the cage, unles you're like me and left some grids open by accident and wake up to a cat falling throguh a piece or coroplast. lol When you introduce the pig to the cat hold the cat not the pigs because it's normally the cat that will hurt them. Although if the cat gets to close the pigs may bite it on the ears. Mine bite my cat so he doesn't bother them.
 

Clarissa

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Thanks for the advice I can't wait to get my piggy's!
 

Love4Piggers

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I'm so glad you found this site before buying your first cavies! Please do try and soak up as much information about them and caring for them as possible. There are some of the most knowledgable people here on guinea pigs that I have ever seen.

About cats and piggies getting along, I have 2 piggies, and we also have 3 adult cats and 2 kittens living in the house as well. I've never had a problem with a cat harming a guinea pig, and none of our cats have ever bitten a pig. I have an old manx cat that cares absolutely nothing about the pigs, she pays no attention to them whatsoever. Our two other adult cats that we've had for a while, will come up to the playpen when the piggies are out of their cage during floor time, but they usually just sit there and observe. On occasion, one of the cats will bop a piggie on the head with their paw. Never hard enough to harm them, but the piggies do stand there and look kind of freaked out, in which case I have to remove the cat from the room. And surprisingly, our two kittens, (now about 14 weeks old,) haven't shown much interest in the piggers.

So anyway, yes it does depend on the cat, each one has different personalities and temperments, just like people.

Lots of luck to you, and I'm sure all of us here would love to see pigtures when you get your piggies!
 

RyanR

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My cats tend to be more scared of the pigs than the pigs being scared of the cats. Several times, Smore tries to cuddle with them.
 

suzilovespiggie

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I have cats and dogs. My c & c cages have lids. Neither the cats or the dogs pay any attention to the pigs. I do have a rabbit and the dogs are very interested in him, the Gp's they could care less. As with any animal there has to be supervision when they are together.
I do hope you can adopt a piggie or 2 very soon. Keep us posted.
 

FoolOnTheHill

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Yes, I find my cats just sit around and watch them. Fizz the younger one, used to sleep in the cage. Having said that occasionally they try to take a swipe; I don't think they mean any harm but they could accidentally do some damage so do be careful!

You might want to make a lid or just keep them door closed like I did.

Welcome to the world of piggies :D
 

Clarissa

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I'm getting the piggy in 1 week ,mjfhgr/,;'[
tdhshtsrh€ Sorry my cat sat on the computer!
 

socal805

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Definitly make a lid for your cage. I have a cat who is obsessed with my guinea pigs and although shes a very sweet cat, she's still a cat and I do not trust that she wouldnt chase the guinea pigs if she was given the chance. Remember that when a cat wants to "play" with a bird, rodent or other small animal it can be deadly for that animal.
Also please consider getting 2 guinea pigs because they are much much happier with a friend. They are social animals and need the companionship. Look into your local animal shelters, please do not purchase from a pet store.
 

Weatherlight

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I'd go as far as to say if I could only get one pig or none at all, I'd get none. Social deprivation is cruel. No matter how much you interact with the pig in the ways the pig likes, you will never shrink to his/her size, get the same lungs and vocal cords, grow a cavy nose and whiskers, etc. They have their own body language, vocal communications, and physical playing that can't be replaced by another species.

I would be very cautious and keep the door closed as well as catproofing, to be safe. My two cats are great, and they've had supervised meetings with the cavies before. The cats were apprehensive at first (especially when the cavies walked up to them, stuck their noses through the grids as far as they could, and gave a bunch of sniffs), then curious. It was cute watching them sniff each other. Once Robin got in without me noticing (horrible of me, I learned my lesson), but she just sat in their cage until I saw her. I was cleaning the rest of the room and only noticed when I turned around, there she was sitting and sniffing while the three cavies stood and walked around her. However, after some time, cats get playful. Even if they aren't hunting cavies like prey, simply trying a friendly game of chase or wrestle (like they do with cat friends) can mean serious trouble for a cavy, as socal805 said. I definitely agree with that. Be careful from the start--don't wait for an accident to happen (with one or more animals paying with their health/lives) and then start being careful.

If you are a minor, please show your parent/s https://www.cavyspirit.com/kidsandguineapigs.htm and https://www.cavyspirit.com/adopting.htm especially this part:

We do not adopt out to children. We do adopt out to families. While a guinea pig may be designated as a child's pet, it must be incorporated into family life. The parents must be "into" the guinea pig as well as the child. No exceptions on this. The NUMBER ONE REASON for the surrender of guinea pigs at shelters and rescues is kids get bored with them and the parents don't want to deal with it. Lots of excuses are given to cover this fundamental problem. We will not adopt out to homes where there is the remotest possibility of this happening. It is also the primary reason for a very large number of animals that live out their lives in substandard care or even abuse.
I'm not trying to insult you, and you are dedicated if you've been saving up for two years. However, even if you do everything you can (reading and absorbing all this and GuineaLynx's info on gp care, buying good bedding and pellets, cleaning the cage without fail, keeping a constant supply of quality hay, looking at the veg charts for nutrients [vit C, calcium, phosphorous, oxalic acid] and planning proper vegetables, making sure you have those vegetables fresh in your fridge every day, feeding and watering, cleaning ears, clipping nails, finding good cavy vet/s and planning for annual or twice a year checkups, working on any behavior problems that may arise, separating pigs who grow incompatible even perhaps completely separating and adopting new companions for each, etc etc), keep it up with no breaks for 10 or more years (for better, worse, richer, poorer, in sickness and in health, through moving, school and other activities, leaving your parent/s for college, dorms and all their rules, roommates, housemates, jobs and job changes, gf/bfs and their animals, breakups, marriage, adopting new animals, yada yada), until you are financially independent, you need your parent's/parents' support. It is not a common minor or even college student that has thousands of dollars floating around even after saving for two years, in case of illness/injury that requires expensive veterinary intervention. Minors usually don't have their own cars right away either even after getting their licenses.

I'm supposed to be an adult and I still overlook things. Care is generally acceptable thanks to my partner helping, and me referencing these sites from time to time to make sure I haven't forgotten anything I'm supposed to do. Having fragile lives in my hands can be anxiety provoking at times.
 

MissCin

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It depends on the cat, some cats attack and some just don't care. I have three cats, two of them could careless but one likes to sit by their cage and watch them.
 

Ledasmom

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We have a fifteen-year-old cat and two guinea pigs. I made very sure that the cage was cat-proof. The cat has never tried to bother the pigs in their cage, but it's silly to take the risk. When we have the piggies out for floor time with a nice big bowl of lawn grass, he'll come over and chew on the grass (we now give him a handful of his own outside the pig area), but if the pigs come over to see if he's edible he gets this horrified look and runs away.
 

Tulia&Susie

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My cats are defiantely hunters so they don't go near my pigs. Of course the pigs are in my room and none of the animals are allowed in there. The dogs come in once in awhile but we are defiantely in there and keeping a very close eye on them.
 

angelikness

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Yep, definetley make a cage that has a secure top on it and then only get the guinea pig out in a secure location.
 
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