PirateZelda
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi everyone,
I wasn't sure of the best place to post this, so I've gone with "housing" since it seems closest.
We moved flat about 6 months ago, and our two gorgeous babies are housed very happily in the living room, their cages right next to each other (they don't get along, but can't be apart or they cry, so they have a "dividing wall" setup between their enclosures). There's nowhere with enough space for them except the floor, so that's where they are. They're perfectly happy, the cages are spacious, and they're the most spoilt pigs in the world.
My issue is that we have cats moving in soon. They're adults, well-behaved, all the rest, but they've never laid eyes on a guinea pig before and I know that one of them hunts mice outdoors every so often. I think the pigs wouldn't 100% come into the same category for him, as they're a lot bigger than a mouse, but the paranoia is still there. I'm not sure how to keep the pigs safeguarded around them. My husband thinks that the cages themselves will be protection enough but I'm worried about the looming presence, especially as my Artemis is very jumpy by nature - I know it'll frighten him. I wondered if anyone had any advice for cats and pigs living in the same space?
I will mention that my current plan is just to keep the cats out of the living room entirely, and make it a pig-only zone. I have nothing against keeping it this way if there isn't a better option. I would just ideally not have to worry about my flatmate accidently leaving the door open - I'd like that to be a "oh well" moment rather than a panic reaction. I would hope there's a way to safeguard the pigs and, in time, let them get used to the cats' scent and eventually have them live in a sort of happy relationship (though I've already decided it'll be monitored access to that room only, when we're home and able to keep an eye on things).
Thanks in advance for the help, guys. I know it's not ideal but I'm just trying to find a happy middle ground. I hate the idea of locking my pigs into isolation (usually the living room door is wide open so they're part of the overall house), and I think the cats would love that room too. It's a shame the pigs have to live on the floor is all, and that worries me.
Cheers
Rachel
I wasn't sure of the best place to post this, so I've gone with "housing" since it seems closest.
We moved flat about 6 months ago, and our two gorgeous babies are housed very happily in the living room, their cages right next to each other (they don't get along, but can't be apart or they cry, so they have a "dividing wall" setup between their enclosures). There's nowhere with enough space for them except the floor, so that's where they are. They're perfectly happy, the cages are spacious, and they're the most spoilt pigs in the world.
My issue is that we have cats moving in soon. They're adults, well-behaved, all the rest, but they've never laid eyes on a guinea pig before and I know that one of them hunts mice outdoors every so often. I think the pigs wouldn't 100% come into the same category for him, as they're a lot bigger than a mouse, but the paranoia is still there. I'm not sure how to keep the pigs safeguarded around them. My husband thinks that the cages themselves will be protection enough but I'm worried about the looming presence, especially as my Artemis is very jumpy by nature - I know it'll frighten him. I wondered if anyone had any advice for cats and pigs living in the same space?
I will mention that my current plan is just to keep the cats out of the living room entirely, and make it a pig-only zone. I have nothing against keeping it this way if there isn't a better option. I would just ideally not have to worry about my flatmate accidently leaving the door open - I'd like that to be a "oh well" moment rather than a panic reaction. I would hope there's a way to safeguard the pigs and, in time, let them get used to the cats' scent and eventually have them live in a sort of happy relationship (though I've already decided it'll be monitored access to that room only, when we're home and able to keep an eye on things).
Thanks in advance for the help, guys. I know it's not ideal but I'm just trying to find a happy middle ground. I hate the idea of locking my pigs into isolation (usually the living room door is wide open so they're part of the overall house), and I think the cats would love that room too. It's a shame the pigs have to live on the floor is all, and that worries me.
Cheers
Rachel