Shwoo. That coukd have been bad.

S

Sgboyd

Junior Guinea Pig
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I am quarantining g new girls Eir and Kára in my bathroom in a plastic storage bin. Door is ALWAYS closed because I have a cat. The few times it has been open with me in there he has peered in at them but I kick him away because, he's a cat. They are the size of a mouse right now and I don't trust him. He seems better when they are bigger, but I still don't give him access. The cage is locked up and strong.

Anywho...left to pick up my youngest and we went to visit his brother for a few hours. We were out about 7 hours yesterday and I came home to an open bathroom door. I can only assume I did it. I can't imagine he could open it. The door is tight in the frame.

I panicked. Ran to the bathroom terrified of what I would find. I found Eir and Kára startled by my bursting into their space, completely fine and looking at me like I was insane.

Good Mooshie the catto. I am so proud of him for behaving in my momentary lapse of memory. Work was hard the night before and I physically hurt myself, so I attribute my mistake to overwhelming fatigue.
 
Guinea pigs shouldn't be quarantined in a storage container they need to be kept in a full sized cage. Also I'm slightly alarmed that you said you kick your cat when he was just looking, I would not suggest such a violent response simply putting your hand in front of him and encouraging him to step away would be sufficient. There is no need to punish him when he is only doing what is natural to him.
 
Sweet Potato said:
Guinea pigs shouldn't be quarantined in a storage container they need to be kept in a full sized cage. Also I'm slightly alarmed that you said you kick your cat when he was just looking, I would not suggest such a violent response simply putting your hand in front of him and encouraging him to step away would be sufficient. There is no need to punish him when he is only doing what is natural to him.
Click to expand...

:agr: :yikes:
 
Kick away is not the same as physically kicking. I am going to go with a dialect difference here. Possibly better term would be to shoo him away? No physical aggression I promise.

I'm aware guinea pigs need more space. They are in the largest area that can be placed in that room. Quarantine is temporary. They do not live there.

Perhaps reading instead of skimming my post You would have picked that up if you did. Quarantine clearly indicates a temporary situation.

They will be joining the other girls in a day or two in a very large cage I'm building that will be customized to my apartment lay out.

In the meantime, they need to be kept safe from the natural predator.

So, all that said, I am very proud of my cat for keeping his natural urges under control in spite of my mistake.

A gentle warning though to everyone who does care about animal welfare...immediately (and mistakenly in this case) locking on to all the wrong when someone shares a mistake for the benefit of others (I shared so others in similar situations can remember to use prudence where I failed) is not going to help anyone learn, because people will refuse to speak up.

Now...no animals were harmed in the making of this production. No I do not physically kick my cat. I can see where one would be concerned over what is merely an idiom. He is picked up, told no we don't eat put sisters, and placed elsewhere if he manages to get into my tiny bathroom. That is what *kick him away* means.

Bin is not optimal, but was necessary while they were being treated for parasites. It was, however, still larger than where they were before while housed with other guinea pigs too. This is more space for them, short term and safe. That is what matters.

Now...let's just focus on the good boy who kept his teeth to himself, in spite of being an excellent hunter. He is what this post was about.

Yes I messed up. Yes he could have attacked them. He had plenty of time to do so and he is fast and stealthy when hunting mice. But he didn't. And for that I am very VERY proud of him.
 
Looks as if the difference between US & UK English has caused some confusion.
That is one of the joys of an international forum.

Glad the cat behaved himself so well.

We will look forward to pictures of your setup when it’s completed and the piggies are all living together.
If you are bonding the new girls with the others then I highly recommend the forum bonding guides.
They saved my sanity when I bonded 2 pairs of sows.
 
Oh yeah. We've had some rough bondings in the past. If my other tricks don't work I will definitely look into that. It may be a few weeks until it is finalized. I'm going to put a temporary lid on it for now. It's going into a large bay window area so I am going to block any breezes by building a window seat over the cage. It will make sense when I'm done. I have to maximize space though due to how small the apartment is. I think I ordered 70 c&c grids to start.
 
PS. My cat was taken by animal control due to abuse. That's how he ended up in the humane society where I met him. I can't even use a frustrated tone in my voice or he scampers away in fear. We've worked through some behavior issues together but it was only accomplished with patience and kindness. I don't know exactly what happened to him with his former owners, but I feel he has earned some peace and love in his life. He really is a sweet boy and desperate for affection.
 
Sorry I hope you understand how the phrasing used could be misinterpreted. I hope you don't feel unfairly judged but not everyone is as caring as you and not everyone has their animals welfare at heart as you clearly do so I was not willing to overlook what seemed alarming until I had further information (just worrying about your precious little kitty) I'm a natural worrier so I just wanted to make sure your sweet little piggie protector was safe.

I did read you're initial message very thoroughly and I would not have replied if I had not. I am aware what quarantine is but people often quarantine their piggies for two weeks or more which I believe is too long for young piggies to be kept in inappropriate housing.

Yes your cat is very sweet and it was very nice of him to not kill your piggies. Give him a treat from me ❤
 
Dialects can cause as many issues as language barriers. LOL

I had a cat for 17 years when a stroke took her away. I'm already more attached to this boy than I was her. She was my baby before I had babies and I cried hard at her death. I've had this cat 10 months. Ive been told to register him as an emotional support animal. He lets into my emotions so well that during telehealth therapy sessions he is on my lap the moment my heart starts to race. Bad day at work...he climbs up on my lap and reaches his paws around my neck. I cannot fathom how someone hurt him so bad that animal control got involved.
 
A cautionary tale:
My neighbour had a dog that would get into the fridge, eat everything and throw up everywhere. She was constantly frustrated in her attempts to keep the kitchen door closed. She knew the dog couldn't open the door. Then one day she saw... the cat could open it by leaping up and hanging from the lever handle. The cat would open the door and the dog would raid the fridge. I said "was she trying to get to the cat-flap?" but she thinks the cat just used to watch the dog!
 
Your cat sounds like he's landed on his paws with you @Sgboyd well done for taking him in.
Whilst I would never trust a preditor pet with small animals some do seem to know when they are part of the family.
I had a cat who could open doors by jumping up to the handle and pulling it down. Shadow caused quite a few heated discussions about who left the doors open.
 
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