Guinea pig and cat in the same house: will a cat get along with a rodent?

Many people have two or more pets at home. Often these are animals of the same species, such as dogs of the same or different breeds. But sometimes a somewhat exotic tandem happens, such as a guinea pig and a cat in the same house. For all pets, a peaceful atmosphere in the family is important, when they get along well with each other or, at least, are neutral towards each other. Therefore, before you simultaneously start a rodent and a cat at home, you should pay attention to some features of their cohabitation.

Can you keep a cat and a guinea pig together?

The ideal situation for a cat and a guinea pig to live together is the simultaneous acquisition of their cubs. In this case, there is every chance that the kitten and the guinea pig will become friends, and there will be no competition between them in the future.

If you decide to get a rodent, already having an adult cat at home, the main actions that should be taken in such a situation are:

1. At first, try to put a cage with a rodent in a room inaccessible to a cat, let the guinea pig adapt to a new place.
2. If there is no separate room, then place the cage with the rodent in a place that is hard to reach for the cat. Otherwise, there is a high probability that the old pet will regularly scare the new guest with close attention and jumps, which will cause stress to the rodent.
3. If access to the room with a cage is open to a cat, try not to open the guinea pig’s cage once again and do not let it roam freely around the room. Even with a friendly attitude, a cat can harm a small animal during active play with it.
4. When buying a cage, check the distance between the bars to make sure that the cat’s paw will not fit between them.
5. Give both pets the same amount of time and attention each day so you don’t give them a reason to be jealous.
6. Try not to leave them alone for the first time, even with a friendly attitude of a feline to a rodent, as the latter are able to move very quickly across the floor, thereby arousing interest and even hunting passion in a small predator.

If you get an adult guinea pig, there is a chance that the cat will not perceive it as a prey and a potential toy. But leaving them alone for a long time is not worth it in order to avoid unpleasant consequences for the rodent.

Important! Give each pet their own space to rest and eat that they don’t have to fight for.

Can a cat eat a guinea pig

To find out if cats eat guinea pigs, it is important to understand that each animal has its own psychological characteristics:

• by nature, cats are predators for which rodents are natural prey;
• rodents occupy the lowest link in the food chain and they do not know how to fight predators, although they have rather sharp incisors. They show aggression in the form of whistling and intimidating postures towards members of their own species. So males drive other males away from their group of females;
• if the cat appeared in the house first, then she considers herself the mistress of the house. Everyone who appears in her possessions is automatically perceived as prey or a competitor.

Based on these features, it can be assumed that an adult cat can initially treat a small guinea pig as prey. Especially if the pig is still small. But a lot also depends on the nature of the cat: how active and energetic it is, how often it shows its hunting skills. Breeders note that domestic pedigreed felines raised in urban conditions are much more lazy and phlegmatic than their street relatives.

Try to gently introduce your pets to each other, holding them next to you or on your lap. First, let them sniff each other.

Important! If one of the pets is not ready for acquaintance and shows signs of anxiety, do not force it. Over time, they themselves will make it clear when they are ready to meet.

Don’t worry if your pet tries to lightly touch the guinea pig with his paw at the first meeting. Thus, he checks the guest how aggressive he is. It is worth being alert if the cat tries to grab the rodent by the scruff of the neck and drag it away. Then you will have to walk both pets separately.

If he shows hunting instincts at the sight of the animal, tries to jump closer to the cage, stick his paws between the bars and catch him, you can use water to scare away. Take a spray bottle with water and, if the cat shows aggression towards a new tenant, lightly spray water in his face.

Guinea pig and cat: is friendship possible?

Speaking about the joint content of such different animals as a guinea pig and a cat in the same house, first you need to pay special attention to the individual characteristics of the cat’s temperament. Peaceful coexistence is possible if the cat has a soft and calm temperament without a developed hunter instinct. Such animals calmly endure the company of a rodent, even allowing it to crawl on its own or, having shown curiosity at first, in the future they simply ignore it.

There are cases when a cat mistook a rodent for a kitten and showed maternal feelings for him, licking him, feeding him and dragging him by the collar.

Such relationships are rare, more often peaceful felines after meeting a guinea pig quickly lose interest in it and even sleep in a rodent cage. If the instinct of the hunter in the animal is highly developed, it will immediately discern a potential victim in the rodent and begin to attack it.

How to befriend a cat and a guinea pig

• the first thing you do when you get a guinea pig is isolate it from the cat and let it settle in. Later, feed the cat to its full capacity and invite him to meet a new neighbor. Bring him into the room with the rodent and, speaking calmly, put both of them on their knees. Stroke your pets and carefully observe their behavior. If one of them is frightened, immediately interrupt the meeting and reschedule another attempt at dating the next day;
• if the cat shows a willingness to peacefully communicate with the rodent, the first meeting will be calm. In other cases, do not rush the animals, stretching the process of their recognition of each other for days and even weeks;
• if the pets are accustomed to the smells and presence of each other, and the cat calmly perceives the new neighbor, let the little animal run freely around the room. Let your mustachioed pet watch the moving animal from your knees. If during the walk of the rodent the cat pressed down and turned his ears back, be sure to intervene and prevent the attack on the mumps;
• determine each animal its own feeding place, do not feed them in one place;

Important! The cage should be located away from the places where the cat rests and feeds, in a place where the cat cannot reach it.

• always carefully lock the cage with a secure latch. Cats are smart animals, able to handle a simple latch or hook;
• do not deprive the old pet of attention with the appearance of a new animal in the same apartment with him. It is the lack of attention of the owner that most often offends the animal, it quickly calculates the culprit of the situation and often tries to eliminate it;
• play outdoor games with the cat, let’s make the most of his energy. Then, in his free time from games, he will rest calmly, without wasting his strength on trying to hunt for a new guest;
• if the cat shows obvious hunting skills, do not scold or punish him. Try to distract him from the rodent, show your attitude towards him, making it clear to the cat that he remains your favorite;
• no matter how friendly the cat is, do not leave pets alone.

Conclusion

Thus, when wondering if a cat and a guinea pig are friends at home, you should pay attention to the nature of the cat, which is determined at the level of genetics. So, street cats always show stronger hunting instincts in relation to smaller pets in the house. Whereas thoroughbred “apartment” representatives of the cat family are more passive and friendly towards other family members. An important role is also played by the individual characteristics of the cat, which the attentive owner is well aware of. It is he who should gently and carefully introduce the animal to a new pet and explain to him that the guinea pig is not his prey or toy, but the same family member.

If you decide to purchase a guinea pig, we advise you to read the information in our articles “How to choose the right guinea pig” and “The cost of guinea pigs”

Video: cats and guinea pigs