Pigs Living Inside With Indoor Only Cats

[NatalieW]

Hi everyone.

My Mum has been looking after my two remaining elderly guinea pigs, who have always lived outside. she has brought them back to me today, and we both think they are too old and it is too cold for them to be outside now. Matilda has been acting very slow and I think its better if they just live inside now.
However, I have two indoor only cats. My house is not very large, and I do not have a room that can be cat free without severely effecting the happiness of the cats.
Will the pigs be safe in an indoor cage with the cats about? I do not ever plan for the pigs to be out of the cage unsupervised while the cats are present, but they will have to be unsupervised whilst in the cage.
I have them inside at the moment, and the cats seem vaguely interested, but so far not in a risky way. There is nowhere high up I can put the cage, it is either going to have to be on the floor or on my desk, both totally accessible to the cats.
The cage I have currently is only temporary, it is far too small but I am getting a bigger one dropped off next week. Any advice greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[sport_billy]

Welcome to the forum.

Impossible to answer I am afraid, depends on the cats in question and it only takes one mistake to harm a piggy, first off make sure cats paws cannot reach inside the cage.

Some people have cats in same house as piggies with no issue others have cats they wouldn't have in same room as pigs

Personally I would off limit a room to the cats and keep piggies in there, I would not risk anything.

 

[NatalieW]

Welcome to the forum.

Impossible to answer I am afraid, depends on the cats in question and it only takes one mistake to harm a piggy, first off make sure cats paws cannot reach inside the cage.

Some people have cats in same house as piggies with no issue others have cats they wouldn't have in same room as pigs

Personally I would off limit a room to the cats and keep piggies in there, I would not risk anything.

I can put them in an upstairs room, might have to do that when I not around and only let the cats in when I'm at home, that might be the best solution for now, until I work something else out. Guess I need to buy a bigger house...

 

[eileen]

i have a cat and she is more frightened off the guinea pigs ! I have commercial cages in the lounge which have very sturdy lids.just ensure you never leave the piggies unsupervised where there is no secure lid/run.my cage is from pet planet 150cm x 75cm,with a stand.liberta cage.not the cheapest,but definantley sturdy,ive had this cage 4 years .you should be ok,but just be aware of cats hunting instincts around prey animals.

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

Can you put the cage in a corner, so that if the cats show undue interest in the pigs and make them nervous, the pigs could retreat to a hidey in the corner out of the reach of paws?
Alternatively, if your cage is a Ferplast 120 or similar sized, Ikea do a coffee table 118x78cm, on that they would be off the ground less easy for cats to see and you could also store a few things under it.

 

[NatalieW]

Think I'm going to observe and see how the cats react to the pigs, I'll shut the pigs in the spare room when I am out and keep an eye on things when I am in and see how things progress from there. I would like it to work out so they can remain inside long term, I think its better for them in their senior years

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

It's a great idea to bring them in I have a cat and piggies indoors and it's all fine. I shut the door to my living room when no one's in and my cat probably doesn't even notice as she's always asleep on my bed haha.

I guess it depends on the age too, my cat is 10 and was an avid hunter in her day but she's slowed down and doesn't bother now (touch wood!). I would never trust her though, sadly it's her nature.

It's definitely doable but the cats may have to lose a room to the pigs

 

[NatalieW]

So far cats are showing little interest, and the pigs couldn't care less. They used to get cats outside sitting on their run staring at them all day so I guess they are used to it and don't see them as a threat

 

[Louise's Zoo]

My 2 indoor cats totally ignore my guinea pig. The cage is a C&C with a lid and is also off the ground on a C&C stand. The cats never go near it. Even when i had 3 cages and 6 pigs, they still ignored them!

 

[Hath]

Hi,
My piggies got used to my cats quickly. As my house is multi animal household they all have to live in harmony... obviously, they're in commercial cage, wouldn't trust c&c cages. As long as you provide plenty of enrichment for your indoor cats to express their natural instincts they'll settle. Make sure you're playing with your cats so don't feel the need to go and chase piggies around for amusement. Use scent swaps-piece of blanket from guinea pigs cage somewhere where cats spend their time. And have cat's blanket near you when spending time with piggies. Chances are they already know what the other pair smells like, now just need to put the physical body to the info they have from smell.... Cats are inquisitive creatures so some interest to begin with is expected.

My pair loved my foster dog- doberman. They would popcorn everytime she was around them. It was very mutual, she gave them kisses thru bars and ate their poops! Now the dobie lives with a house rabbit ❤ As to my cats, they often sleep on top of their cage and piggies don't care...

All mine pets either want the pigs toys, food or poops. Never the actual piggie...

So just common sense is needed. We had a baby guinea pig brought to us at work by a lady who's cat just came home with it in its mouth. It was unharmed, luckily!

 

[Pluto&Astro]

Sounds tough! Cats are cool,but I only have dogs. My dogs couldn't care less about the Guinea pigs. They just walk around them when they need to get around. Of course always keep the cage with a lid on!

 

[Jesse's pigs]

I would say it should be fine so long as you don't have them out of the cage unsupervised with a cat around.

I have owned both cats and dogs- though not cats while I've had piggies (would love another cat though.)Both are obviously quite capable of killing a guinea pig if given the chance but I see no harm in both species coexisting under one roof. Your cage has a lid so at least the cats can't swipe- just be wary that their paws might be able to squeeze through the bars and be sure that the doors of the cage are shut properly.

 

[Throwa]

I have a cat (think large 6kg hunting cat here, couple of mice a week, plus the odd bird and has brought home rats and rabbits in his time). He was very interested in the Guineas when they were small and speedy, now they are large and slower he is less interested, but will still sometimes poke them through the bars in the cages to make them run away!

When outside the Guineas treat him as a large Guinea, they will purr to him when he purrs to them, and will also come out and play in their run when he's sitting outside, as if he's on guard to protect them. I still wouldn't completely trust him with them outside of their cage (commercial with lid on) but I am not quite as paranoid as I was when they were small and squeaky.