Help needed!

[harley666]

Evening all,
over the last few weeks a cat has been trying to get in the hutch and it affected my piggies behaviour, one has always been skittish and runs like crazy, we have handled them lots since we got them in August(after the settling- in period) myself and my 10 year old daughter let them come to us rather than grabbing them as the skittish one always sounds like she's screaming if we try to corner her.
The thing is I am now 14 weeks pregnant myself and it seems to have made them worse and their hair is getting matted and I feel like I'm not looking after them properly, they are long haired Peruvian. should I just take the plunge so to speak and let them squeal, when we've held them before they've let us groom them and bathe them but they have drastically changed.
I don't want to stress them out, can their behaviour be reversed?

 

[irie1357]

I don’t know I’m not a specialist.. but, i say let them squeal because they need the grooming care...

 

[Swissgreys]

Hello and Welcome to the Forum.


The best thing you can do for your piggies is find a way to prevent the cat having access to your hutch.
Clearly this is terrifying the piggies, and this is the reason their behavior has changed.
They have no control over this 'predator' but you do, and it is your responsibility to protect them.
Even if the cat can't actually harm them, they don't know this, and you need to make sure they feel safe.
It would be similar to you sleeping with all of the doors to your house thrown wide open - you would constanly be on edge.

So the first step would be to protect your pets and help them feel safe in their own home again.
Once they realise that the threat has fgone ist will then require some time and patience to repeat the trust process that yo have already been through when they first arrived.

 

[Tiamolly123]

I agree with Swissgreys. Can you make them indoor piggies you will all benifit, the pigs especially. We can't walk past our piggies without chatting to them or stroking them. Regarding there coat you have to brush them, any matts will have to be cut out. You are going to have to build up there trust, if they have been frightened by a cat. You can't let them squeal, you will have to build there trust up again.
Hi & welcome to our friendly forum.

 

[PigglePuggle]

Cats can be a problem, our neighbour has an un-neutered tom cat which tried to come in our garden so I only let my piggies have hutch time when I'm at home and can check on them, they sleep inside and have an indoor playpen otherwise so I know they are safe. Cats can be deterred by speaking to their owner, or if the owner is unhelpful then by putting chilli powder down in the area where you think the cat is coming in, or standing by with a water pistol (or luckily in the case of our neighbouring cat he is terrified of Piggle who tried to attack him with wheeking female hormonal love when she was in season- clearly not what the cat expected from a prey animal and we havent seen him since!).