Cats & Guinea Pigs.....

[smudge]

Our eldest daughter is staying with us for a while & she & my husband have just taken our two granddaughters to Pets At Home to buy them a Guinea Pig each.

We saw the g.p's in there last week, but they were still in quarantine & couldn't be picked up until this morning. The girls are soooo excited!

However, I'm a bit concerned at how our cat Milly will react, as apart from our pond fish, she's been an only pet. She's a beautiful sweet natured cat & will still get lots of cuddles, but I'm worried that she'll clear off & hide thinking we don't love her any more.

Any suggestions...?

[NazNomad]

has she been around Guinea Pigs before? I'd say however sweet-natured a cat was, its default setting is still predation. :-))

I'd be more fearful for the emotions of the grand-kids if Milly shreds their piggies.

[Prudie]

I agree, I know they're much smaller but my cuddle-bugs puss felled my hamster in a 2 second lapse of my attention. I would think your cat will not think of them as competition for your attention.

[NazNomad]

... more like, ''mmm, lunch''.

[smudge]

Back again - no, Milly's never been around guinea pigs before.

I know that she, or any other sweet cat, wouldn't hesitate to try to munch mice, rats, gerbils or hamsters, but wasn't so sure about guinea pigs, as they grow to be much bigger.

They will be kept in their new cage when no one's around, but we did just try to indroduce her to them & she shot upstairs as I thought she would. Only time will tell.

Thank you. ;o}

[bensmum]

I had cats and guinea pigs and the cats did eventually accept them. I introduced them carefully when the pigs had grown a bit and to be honest the cats seemed more scared of them. However cats can catch rabbits so a guinea pig would present no problem - the obvious advice is never leave them alone unattended and make sure the cage is secure but I'm sure you know that. Your cat may sulk a bit but lots of cuddles will soon reassure her. Good luck - guinea pigs are lovely pets for children.

[smudge]

Thank you bensmum - glad to hear your cats eventually accepted your guinea pigs.

The grand-girls have had lots of cuddles with them & they've eaten little bits of carrot.
We've hoovered three times since my daughter set the cage up earlier. Straw & sawdust gets everywhere!

Milly is sleeping on the bed after her lunch & probably wondering when it's ok to come down again, bless her. ♥