Guinea pigs plus kitten

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Bekki

Bekki

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My friend is moving back in with her parents and can't take her 16 week old female kitty with her, as she is young could she learn that piggies are friends not food?

The pigs are in a room that closes securely so she could be kept totally away from the pigs

I'd have searched the forum but I am on my phone AZ I have no: internet connection

Has any one any advice at all?
 
My advice would be that a cat is simply a preditor and instinctively will hunt the prey. Some dogs learn to leave the family pets alone out of respect and obedience but I would never trust a cat. My cat is now 18 months and was hunting the pigs at 6 weeks old. I would never leave them alone with her. As long as the cage is secure you will be fine. However I would not leave the pigs security just down to a door, my cat can open doors, especially when she wants something. Hope this helps :) your cat may be different but like I said, they are preditors and can be quite unpredictable!

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I honestly think it depends on the cat. When I was growing up, our cat Kezia was lovely with our guinea pigs. She was particularly fond of Tiggy, who loved her too - I have photos of them sitting together. She used to lick him! Now, saying that, we would never have left her alone in a room with a guinea pig out of the cage.
 
My cat is friendly with the pigs and wont bother with them but I would never trust him alone with them though.
 
My cat doesn't even seem to care, they don't even bother her, they are kept up on a higher surface so i guess she doesn't really notice them, when i got my hamster wich lived in the front room, my cat used to try to attack the cage but we left the door closed when we went to bed as when we were in the room with her she wouldn't go near it as she new we'd tell her off, so i'd say leaving the door closed is fine, it's what i've done for years :)
 
My 10 month old kitten and piggies get on really well :) I think it's key that I got the piglets first, and they were already confident in my home. Then I got Oliver at 12 weeks, and they were actually bigger than him! I introduced them by having the piggies on my lap for a snuggle, then Oliver came over and sniffed/licked them, then snuggled on my lap as well. He did go through a cheeky phase of poking them through the cage, and he was told off, but now he is wonderful with them. I am now able to leave the cage door open all the time, and he jumps in and out as he pleases. He even goes in there to sleep next to them...! Ed especially always greets him by sniffing his nose :)
 
'2280Claire'-Thats amazing! I wish my cat was nice like that :) Is that him in the picture? If so he is gorgeous!
 
Yes, that's Oliver in the pic...it wasn't photoshopped either (I actually had people ask me if it was!). I am not sure if it was easier because of their breeds. Siamese are meant to be easier to train, and have...well...monkey-like behaviour! :)) The piggies are Rex, and they are supposed to be more relaxed than other breeds, which could be why they are so accepting of Oliver. Then again, our family have always had Siamese, and these piggies are my first ever, so I really don't know. My fiancé calls them the three musketeers, as they are so close!
It's really funny at times. When I travel in the car with them (to my parents for annual leave), I normally sit in the back, and have Oliver on a harness on my lap and the pigs in a cat carrier. Only Oliver always insists on sitting in the carrier with them after about 15mins on my lap rolleyes...I even caught Ed resting his head on Ollie's side once! Just snuggling! The trouble is that the trip is nearly 2 hours, and the pigs don't have the best bladder control...not that Ollie seems to care, but he doesn't smell great after sitting in there with them for so long!
 
There will be exceptions, some cats are capable of forming altruistic or friendly bonds, even are capable of raising infants of usually prey species. But having found deposited by my cats the number of large rodents, dead, disemboweled, or headless, near my country home, that I have found, I would never trust them unsupervised with guinea pigs. Squirrels and field rats are about the size of GPs, and they can put up a monstrous fight, but the cats prevail. They can't help themselves, God made them that way. I'll let them have a peek, but even then there will be a barrier, because cats are quick, and all it takes is one cat claw to a vital spot.
nov14_with_cat.jpg
 
There will be exceptions, some cats are capable of forming altruistic or friendly bonds, even are capable of raising infants of usually prey species. But having found deposited by my cats the number of large rodents, dead, disemboweled, or headless, near my country home, that I have found, I would never trust them unsupervised with guinea pigs. Squirrels and field rats are about the size of GPs, and they can put up a monstrous fight, but the cats prevail. They can't help themselves, God made them that way. I'll let them have a peek, but even then there will be a barrier, because cats are quick, and all it takes is one cat claw to a vital spot.
nov14_with_cat.jpg
 
My cats are fine. Isobel is actually scared of the pigs, Jack will sit and watch them for a while and Sasha couldn't care less. We had a kitten come and visit for a while and she kept pouncing at them and they ignored her. She was so confused it was hilarious. I would never let them be in a situation where the cats could get at them though. You would need a hutch or cage with thin bars and sturdy doors.
 
'ClareW'-Thats amazing haha I would love a siamese! They are gorgeous! My friend has one called Oscar haha and he is adorable :) My cat is positively dangerous, even to humans at times. I had Charlie on my knee a few weeks ago and Belle was asleep on Dave (OH) next to me. She woke up from just the smell of Charlie and her head whipped round like something of a horror film and her eyes turned almost completely black! She was removed immediately!
 
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