We’ve all seen the cute videos and photos of cats and small pets living together peacefully–but is this realistic, and are these pets actually happy? Can cats and small pets be kept together safely?
It is not safe to introduce cats and small prey animals, even in a supervised setting. Cats are natural predators who move quickly, and even docile cats have hunting instincts. That said, cats and small pets can live in the same home if you’re willing to take proper precautions.
These will, of course, vary by species, but I’ll go over some general tips and tricks below, from someone who has kept various small pets alongside my cats.
What Small Animals do Well With Cats?
Unfortunately, there aren’t small pets that cats won’t kill given the opportunity. They’re predator animals, and introducing them to prey typically won’t end well. Even gentle cats can cause great stress to prey animals, who are naturally fearful of them.
That said, you can successfully keep cats and small pets in the same household! The key is to keep them separated at all times. This may mean keeping the small pets in a suitable cage with a lid, or in a room with a closed door.
Tips for Keeping Cats and Small Pets Together
1. Put the Cat Away During Free-Roam
If you have a small pet that lives in a cage but needs free-roam time, lock the cats in another area of the house while your small pet is out and about. Perhaps try to schedule floor time when your cat usually naps, so that they aren’t bothered by the closed door.
Let others in the house know not to open the door, or to do so carefully without letting the cat through. This keeps everyone safe and ensures that your cat won’t attack your small pet.
2. Remember That Cats Act Fast
Adorable as they are, cats are known for their fierce hunting abilities. They’re agile, speedy, and often act aloof before pouncing on prey. There’s a reason that outdoor cats successfully kill billions of birds and small mammals each year.
Most people think that their cats and small pets can meet safely so long as the interactions are supervised, but I strongly advise against this. It’s especially important not to let the small pet run or fly around, as this kind of movement is what gets cats most excited to hunt.
Even if you think your cat is too docile or isn’t interested, things can go wrong in seconds. When we’re talking about a matter of life and death, it’s better not to risk it.
3. Consider Other Household Members
Before adopting cats and small pets at the same time, consider whether you, your family, and any regular visitors can reasonably keep them separated.
Toddlers, for instance, may not understand to keep the door to the bunny room closed or not to open the bird’s cage while the cat is around.
Sometimes other adults in the home may be careless, especially when it comes to small pets whose lives are often dismissed as unimportant or replaceable.
Lastly, some personalities just aren’t suited for the constant vigilance that keeping both predator and prey species requires–even if the person tries their best. It’s easy to slide into our routines, rely on muscle memory, and make simple, but deadly, mistakes.
4. Keep Two Barriers Between Cats and Small Pets at All Times
Speaking of mistakes, everyone is bound to mess up at some point! This is why having multiple layers of protection is best.
You may keep your pet rats in a secure cage that the cat can’t get into, and also close the door to the room so the cat can’t go inside.
Your rabbits may live behind both a closed door and a baby gate, or your guinea pig in a secure cage on a high table.
If you have small children, your small animal room may need a sliding bolt latch high on the door so the kids can’t unlock it and leave the door open.
The more precautions you take, the safer your small pet will be.
5. Choose the Right Small Pet Set-Up
Make sure your small pet set-up is species-appropriate and large enough to meet minimum housing requirements. Also ensure that it’s secure.
With escape artists like hamsters and rats, you’ll want to make sure they can’t climb out. A tiny animal racing around the house is sure to capture your cat’s attention!
Of course, you also want to keep your cat out of the enclosure. This may require locks to prevent your cat from sliding latches, lids to keep them from jumping inside, and small spaces between the bars or grids of the cage so that your cat can’t bat at the animals inside.
6. Don’t Sacrifice Living Conditions for Either Pet
Small pets need a lot more space than most people think. For most small mammals, including guinea pigs and hamsters, cages sold in pet stores are far too small. Others, like rabbits, shouldn’t be kept in cages at all and thrive when allowed to free roam like cats–which can be tricky when keeping them in the same home.
Birds can also be a challenge, because your bird will need time out of the cage to fly around and bond with you.
Before adopting, please research up-to-date care standards and listen to what experts are saying. Remember that employees at pet stores aren’t experts in the pets that they sell and often give poor and even dangerous care advice.
If you have to keep your small pet in a tiny cage to keep them safe from your cat, it’s best not to adopt both at the same time.
7. Sometimes, Sticking to One Species is Best
I commonly see people asking online if they should adopt a cat when they have one rabbit, guinea pig, or other herd animal. The problem here is that their first species’ needs aren’t being met–so it’s irresponsible to adopt another before taking care of this problem.
The best thing to do in this situation is to adopt another small pet of the same species to meet their social needs, not introduce another species into your home.
This can also be true for cats, who are far from solitary creatures. While some cats prefer to be “only cats,” others benefit greatly from feline companionship.
Of course, some small pets are solitary creatures and must be housed alone. Even for these pets, it’s best to consider whether you have the time, space, and money to care for multiple species simultaneously.
When in doubt, always put your resident pet’s needs before the excitement of a new adoption.
8. Consider Disease Spread Between Species
Something I didn’t know until recent years is that cats and other species, such as dogs and rabbits, can naturally carry Bordetella without showing symptoms. This poses a problem, as Bordetella is the leading cause of respiratory disease in guinea pigs–which is often deadly.
Cats also have a lot of bacteria in their mouths and claws that can cause deadly infections in small animals. Even a small scratch during a play attempt gone wrong or the cat grooming a wound can be harmful.
A consideration when keeping reptiles and cats is that reptiles and amphibians naturally carry salmonella on their bodies. This can spread to cats and cause illness if precautions aren’t taken, including keeping cats out of the cage, disinfecting surfaces where the other pet has been, and preventing grooming behavior from cats.
All of the above species can still be kept together successfully, but it takes some extra work. The animals should be kept separate and not allowed contact, even brief introductions. Wash your hands between touching your pets or their items, and disinfect surfaces as necessary to prevent disease spread.
I hope this article has helped you to learn more about keeping cats and small pets in the same home, and to decide whether it’s right for you. Remember that the most important factor when it comes to keeping small pets safe is a good set-up with several barriers to stop your cat before they can get to the smaller animal.