Cat wants to be a Guinea Pig!

[Napalm]

This is Duchess and sometimes when she gets bored of being a cat she decides to be a guinea pig for a while. She'll come over to where the boys are playing and lie down amongst them to watch them popcorn or sleep in their extra large pigloo, and when it's food time she always wants a bit of whatever Picasso and Houdini are having!
Duchess is a very good natured cat and is nearly the same age as Picasso and Houdini, I got her for Christmas 09' from my boyfriend when she was just a baby, and then got Picasso and Houdini three months later, so they've all pretty much grown up with each other. The boys are not afraid of Duchess and actually really enjoy having her around at playtime, if anyone is afraid, it's Duchess when the boys get too curious and touch her nose with theirs or nibble at her fur. At that point she either backs away into a corner or runs away, she knows that she's not allowed to hurt them ever, which is the main thing. However, that doesn't mean I ever leave them unsupervised or turn away even for a moment when she is with them.
Sometimes the boys like to make a game of following her and chasing her around, which confuses Duchess as you can imagine, and then there are times like yesterday when Picasso was so happy to see her that he jumped on her while she was she was lying down. So as you can see, the boys can be very intimdating to Duchess when they want to be, and at other times a great source of amusement to her when they popcorn all over the place and rumble strut.

One other thing I'd like to say is that it's awesome that this forum is so fair and has a good attitude to people posting photos of their guinea pigs living alongside other pets, whatever species the other pets may be! The last forum I was a member of was very unfair and chastising to anyone that posted a picture of their guinea pig with any other animal in the photo, even if it was just a bit of the other animals tale! I remember I once posted a picture of the boys on that site and a little bit of Duchess's tale got in the photo unintentionally and the picture was banned and I had to deal with a very rude, angry mod. Which is highly unjust really because for starters, there is nothing wrong with having other pets as well as guinea pigs, that sort of elitism is not only disgusting but most certainly uncalled for.

 

[naboosmummy]

aww how cute is duchess

 

[Wiebke]

AWWW - she isn't much bigger than your boys with their big hairdos!

 

[flips]

Very sweet. x

 

[MommaPiggy]

One other thing I'd like to say is that it's awesome that this forum is so fair and has a good attitude to people posting photos of their guinea pigs living alongside other pets, whatever species the other pets may be! The last forum I was a member of was very unfair and chastising to anyone that posted a picture of their guinea pig with any other animal in the photo, even if it was just a bit of the other animals tale! I remember I once posted a picture of the boys on that site and a little bit of Duchess's tale got in the photo unintentionally and the picture was banned and I had to deal with a very rude, angry mod. Which is highly unjust really because for starters, there is nothing wrong with having other pets as well as guinea pigs, that sort of elitism is not only disgusting but most certainly uncalled for.

This place is great.
I've had problems with other places, too. I got called rude names because my piggies came from pet shops. And on top of that, whenever I posted pictures of my guinea pigs, people would act like they were scum because they were from a pet shop.
Even went back to one of these sites today to check something and there was a post with someone having trouble and they said they got their piggy from a pet shop and one reply said "Next time, adopt from a rescue." like it was an order. I'm pro-rescue now but every animal deserves a good home, you know and I'll try to adopt in future but there's just no need to be so rude.
I know what you mean about the other animals thing, too some sites just treat you like filth because you have other pets aswell as Guinea Pigs.

I love this pictures. Duchess is so cute!
I find that cats tend to be more afraid of the piggies than the other way around it's so funny.
I'm glad they get along so well. I bet it just makes you smile to see their antics.

 

[petcrazy]

gorgeous piggies and cat i also own a cat that doesn't bother the guineas, she likes just to watch them, she went to sleep once on top of a hamsters cage and wasn't really interested in the cages contents

 

[Farquhar]

gorgeous

 

[Napalm]

Momma Piggy, it sounds just like the same site I was on, was this the site you were on; http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/ too? The people there are absolutely horrible and will harrass people over the slightest thing. Like you, I got my guinea pigs from a petstore too and it angered me how abusive people on the site were towards guinea pig owners who bought from petstores. So I posted a thing on their forum once saying to back off and leave people alone and instead got horribly harrassed, the worst bullies of all on that site are not even the users, but the moderators themselves... Honestly that site is almost like a cult with the sort of behavior that goes on there.

And yes, it really is adorable watching piggies and kitties together, such a suprise that kitties are imtimidated by little piggies

 

[Layla - NSGPR]

Love the pictures. My cats all like to share grass with the guineas. They are always supervised but they have no interest in the guineas other than in their food and they like to get in their beds and things. It really depends on the animals personalties and also what they are used to being around. Mine all know that the guineas are part of the family and the guineas always come and greet the cats. So the guineas recognise them and know they are safe. But it is interesting if a cat comes my guineas don't know they will hide so they know the difference.

 

[MommaPiggy]

Momma Piggy, it sounds just like the same site I was on, was this the site you were on; http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/ too? The people there are absolutely horrible and will harrass people over the slightest thing. Like you, I got my guinea pigs from a petstore too and it angered me how abusive people on the site were towards guinea pig owners who bought from petstores. So I posted a thing on their forum once saying to back off and leave people alone and instead got horribly harrassed, the worst bullies of all on that site are not even the users, but the moderators themselves... Honestly that site is almost like a cult with the sort of behavior that goes on there.

Yup. That's the place.
They're so pro-Guinea pig that it's actually way past the line of sanity.
Don't get me wrong, we're all pretty obsessed and insane when it comes to our piggies but no one here judges and everyone is happy to help with problems...Unlike that place...Where they tend to attack you for having a problem and don't bother helping.

So stay here! We're lovely! |)

 

[CiaraPatricia]

This place is great.
I've had problems with other places, too. I got called rude names because my piggies came from pet shops. And on top of that, whenever I posted pictures of my guinea pigs, people would act like they were scum because they were from a pet shop.
Even went back to one of these sites today to check something and there was a post with someone having trouble and they said they got their piggy from a pet shop and one reply said "Next time, adopt from a rescue." like it was an order. I'm pro-rescue now but every animal deserves a good home, you know and I'll try to adopt in future but there's just no need to be so rude.
I know what you mean about the other animals thing, too some sites just treat you like filth because you have other pets aswell as Guinea Pigs.

I know, on one forum people gave out to me for getting my pigs from a pet shop, but there aren't even any rescues near me (in south of Ireland) and there are very few breeders too and I couldn't find any guinea pigs for 6 months (looking on free ads for people who had accidental litters too) and I had a lonely guinea pig who needed friends.

I said there weren't many rescues and they said there are thousands of guinea pigs in rescues, but there really aren't around here.

If your cat gets on well with the guinea pigs then it's fine and you were obviously watching them.

Some people just think they're better than everyone and it's so easy for them to judge people on the internet that they don't even know.

 

[PingandChipy]

That's why I switched over to this forum. I was scared to post on the other forum. I love it here!

 

[Donna3939]

Great pics...

My cats are real killers (various mouse/bird bodyparts on the conservatory roof/door step etc) and I was wary of them being around the piggies. I did have a roof on my C&C but since changing the layout again I really didn't want to put a roof back on - it looks so much bettter without one and the cage is so big that it was so much hassle lifting the roof off cos it was sooo heavy.

I decided to leave it off and see how my cats and dogs reacted. I've never left them unattended and won't ever (the cage has an entended baby pen cordoning off the whole conservatory) - obviously this prevents the dogs getting them but the cats will jump it easily.

Anyway, when cleaning out the piggies I put them in the kitchen and Dinsdale (my oldest cat - 9) was in the kitchen too, lying asleep. The piggies were making loads of noise, as they normally do but Dinsdale didn't pay any attention to them whatsoever and hasn't since. He really is the most laid back cat ever, he's had to be - since getting him we've introduced 3 cats and 2 boisterous dogs into his life and he hasn't batted an eyelid!
Suki our other cat, on the other hand couldn't be any more different. She's incredibly nervous but such an efficient hunter, and it was her I was worried about.

Today, however I watched her first proper interaction with the piggies. She has sat on the cage before but I thought I'd see what she was like without the barrier between them. She didn't realise I was still in the kitchen... she jumped onto the wooden beam used as support and sat there watching them. She then jumped in, having a good sniff. She didn't bet on Autumn though who came running up behind her smelling her bum - Suki cacked herself and couldn't get out of there fast enough bless her! After seeing that I don't think she'll be a problem. I would never chance it though. She won't be allowed into the kitchen without a human chaperone.

x

 

[redd1800]

piggies look quite comfortable with the cat

There are many many different ways to look after your guinea pigs extremely well, sad to here some people are still setting unnecessary rules