cat frustration

[wuany]

I'm beggining to get frustrated with one of our cats. The other night during floor time Cali finally braved Tommy and started sniffing him. She even ran him out of the pet play pen.

Last night during floor time Tommy ran into the room like he was going to get her. I was just about to get some cute pictures of her looking in a mirror but that didn't happen. This moring I have Cali on my desk and she was eating cilantro when all of a sudden Tommy jumped up on my desk and scared the both of us.

I know eventually they are going to get used to each other. My husband and I argue over shutting the door when I have her out. I have the door shut right now and Tommy isn't happy with it. I'm probably confusing the poor cat but I don't want Cali to get hurt. Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way.

Can anyone who has cats tell me how you got them to get along with your piggys? Thanks.

 

[Trixie]

I have 2 cats. One (popcorn) could care less about the gp's. She has no interest in them at all. Hasn't from day 1.

Now my other female cat Killer. Wants to be mom to them. She is very curious of them and wants to be near them as much as possible. I caught her one morning inside the cage and one gp was laying next to her. Killer was on her side like she was trying to nurse the little girl. When we have them out for lap time or floor time. I have a cat sitting right next to me cleaning the gp or she lays next to there floor time pen and if the other cat comes by she runs her off hissing and growling at her.
Killer of course doesn't go in the cage anymore. That was just way to much for me. But she is "mom" to our gp's and we let her be close to them but we watch her closely.
Killer was a recused kitten I found in the trash can at my work. She is spayed and has never had a litter. So I think she treats these little girls like the babies she has never had. She does worry me though because she will catch the field mice that get in out house. Never hurts them ( I know strange). She brings them to us to put outside again. But she will kill a bird. Soo.
I would let your cat visit the gp but make sure you watch closely to monitor what happens. If you see the hair raise up on your cat he might decide to attack. Ears laying back is another sign. Or when they get really really still kinda like stocking then you have a problem.

 

[wuany]

I just opened the door. Cali hasn't been out of her hidey since Tommy jumped up on the desk. It's been 30 minutes now. I moved her veggies and hay the the other side of the desk so if Tommy does come back up here again we both won't be startled. I try to pet Tommy when he is behaving himself. One of my frustrations is that he keeps eating the hay I put out for her. If I try to put some out for him he doesn't want it. He wants Cali's.

It's hard not to be frustrated. It's only been less than two weeks since we got her so I guess only time will tell.

 

[Seti313]

I didn't let me cats near the guinea pigs. One of them is a barn cat and is very "feral minded". I have not doubt that she would hurt them if she got the chance. My other cat was a lover to my husband and myself, a major lap cat. But, she still would get me nervous around the cats. She always sat outside their door and meowed to get in. I don't know, maybe I'm just paranoid about cats and guinea pigs.

 

[wuany]

I'm just paranoid about cats and guinea pigs.

That is my problem as well. One of my friends said she had a guinea pig for a month and she died because the cat gave her a heart attack. I don't want the same thing to happen to Cali. However I don't want Tommy to get so jealous that he would harm her.

My husband says if I keep shutting the door to keep the cats out that they will get more curious and resentful of the piggy. I feel like I'm in a catch 22.

 

[Seti313]

Sorry, I can't type today, hopefully that was all understood ok.
I agree with the comment about keeping them out would make them just more curious, it is true! Aspen, one of my cats, would do almost anything to get in the room, and then, when we let her in, Baer, one of my males promptly bit her on the nose. She was not happy and ran out of the room, never wanted back in there! He sure put her in her place

 

[Ketus15]

The best thing seems to be knowing your pets personalities. Cats can be very fast. Is he trying to get at Cali? Or just trying to get between you and Cali?

Glad the hidey house on the computer desk is working out! Sounds like fun!

 

[cavylover_76]

I have a couple cats, neither of which could care less about my gp's. However, we used to have a cat named Socks. He was a hunter by nature and could NEVER trust him around the pigs.

I think it wise for you to not allow your cat around Cali. If the cat is jealous, or just thinks the pig is a snack you are looking at trouble.

Better safe than sorry, right?

Good luck,
Marie

 

[wuany]

I don't think the cats think Cali is a snack. I think they look at her as a plaything. I know that doesn't sound good either. I let them sniff her and she sniffs them sometimes but if I see one of the cats lift their paw I tell them no in a firm tone and they get the point.

Floor time went a little better tonight. While she was on the floor the cats jumped in her cage to check it out and eat her hay again. I wound up putting her back in her cage (after the cats got bored with it) becaue both cats were watching her. It's easier to watch one cat but when both are in the room and she is on the floor I know it's time to put her back in her cage.

Cali was doing a lot of exploring and running around before the cats showed up. I think she wants me to buy her a tunnel because she kept running through a rolled up paper towel. It was cute. I bought her a purple stuffed care bear and she knocked it over, sniffed it, and then tried to chew the tag off of it.

Oh that brings me to a question. Is it safe to leave the sewn on tags on stuffed animals or do I need to cut it off?

 

[suzy_99]

My cats are allowed around my guinea pigs whenever they want, but of course we have a roof on their cage. When I open the door to my cage during floor time, one of my cats will actually go and lay down in their cage. My guinea pigs groom my cats and I have yet to have a problem. I would never leave them unsupervised, but as long as I am there, they are fine. My cats are also hunters outside, but they show no interest in my pigs. I am assuming that it is because of their big size. I had a baby and I could not let my cats go near her, because they kept on chasing her around.
Cats usually get bored after a while, or at least mine do. So I showed them my guinea pigs the first day I got them, which was about 5 months ago and leave the door open to their room all the time and now they hardly even notice that we have guinea pigs.