Mikknu
Junior Guinea Pig
Hi there, and good morning? I know it's pretty late(early?) over in the UK.
I need some advice on how to convince one of my family members that guinea pigs and cats can exist in the same house together. We'll refer to him as Harley from now on.
Harley's wife is at least willing to have the guinea pigs, and I have other family members who have had guineas in the past(And one who currently owns a hedgehog), but Harley is still against the very idea of having guinea pigs in the house. He's allowing it, but he makes his dislike of them pretty loud and blatant. He has two cats, Kiki and Jasper, both male. They're indoor-outdoor cats, and Kiki is an avid hunter of rabbits. Jasper will munch on anything Kiki kills. Kiki is very sweet towards other animals though, including the mastiffs and Jasper, and is very gentle around kids as well as an overall loving cat. Kiki has also met a few small dogs like a Havanese before, and didn't seem to have an issue with it. Jasper is just curious, and is a generally very lazy cat. I know that they will never really be safe around the guineas, but Harley thinks that them just existing in the house is going to be actual torture. As in, the cats will never be able to do anything except stalk to guinea pigs, or get irritated by the smell of them.
I am already planning to cat-proof the cage, and have told them as such, as well as everything I'm planning to do. The cage will be on a stand, likely a table or a desk with a piece of pegboard to extend size. There will be hardware cloth, pig-a-boo windows, a wire shelving reinforced lid, and spring clips on the cage to ensure that they can't open the lid or stick their paws in anywhere. I've also told him about the methods to familiarising a cat with the scent of guinea pigs, as well as all the information I can find on how cats typically react to guinea pigs- with fear, interest, and eventually- boredom or acceptance. I'm finding it difficult to convince Harley that the cats aren't going to be in agony over there being some guinea pigs in the house.
There also seems to be a repeated need for them to tell me that if a cat or dog kills a guinea pig, they won't get me a new one; I don't know where to start with what's wrong with just "getting a new one", let alone the fact that if a cat or dog got one of them, that would be a failure on my part as their owner to take care of them, and not their responsibility in any way.
I'm feeling a bit frustrated, as I've tried to convince Harley that the cats will eventually get used to the guinea pigs, and will grow bored of them when they can't get to them, but to no avail. I'm also not going to allow the cats on the cage while I'm around, so that the cats will also eventually learn that it's not okay to do that.
I'm hoping some of you have some resources you could share, or just personal stories about guinea pigs and cats yourselves that could help me convince him that the cats AND the guinea pigs will be fine.
Thank you in advance for any help you can give!
Here are a few of the materials I mentioned above:
Hardware Cloth: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHM11...olid=1ON0XE9M98STG&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Windows: Pig-a-Boo Window
I need some advice on how to convince one of my family members that guinea pigs and cats can exist in the same house together. We'll refer to him as Harley from now on.
Harley's wife is at least willing to have the guinea pigs, and I have other family members who have had guineas in the past(And one who currently owns a hedgehog), but Harley is still against the very idea of having guinea pigs in the house. He's allowing it, but he makes his dislike of them pretty loud and blatant. He has two cats, Kiki and Jasper, both male. They're indoor-outdoor cats, and Kiki is an avid hunter of rabbits. Jasper will munch on anything Kiki kills. Kiki is very sweet towards other animals though, including the mastiffs and Jasper, and is very gentle around kids as well as an overall loving cat. Kiki has also met a few small dogs like a Havanese before, and didn't seem to have an issue with it. Jasper is just curious, and is a generally very lazy cat. I know that they will never really be safe around the guineas, but Harley thinks that them just existing in the house is going to be actual torture. As in, the cats will never be able to do anything except stalk to guinea pigs, or get irritated by the smell of them.
I am already planning to cat-proof the cage, and have told them as such, as well as everything I'm planning to do. The cage will be on a stand, likely a table or a desk with a piece of pegboard to extend size. There will be hardware cloth, pig-a-boo windows, a wire shelving reinforced lid, and spring clips on the cage to ensure that they can't open the lid or stick their paws in anywhere. I've also told him about the methods to familiarising a cat with the scent of guinea pigs, as well as all the information I can find on how cats typically react to guinea pigs- with fear, interest, and eventually- boredom or acceptance. I'm finding it difficult to convince Harley that the cats aren't going to be in agony over there being some guinea pigs in the house.
There also seems to be a repeated need for them to tell me that if a cat or dog kills a guinea pig, they won't get me a new one; I don't know where to start with what's wrong with just "getting a new one", let alone the fact that if a cat or dog got one of them, that would be a failure on my part as their owner to take care of them, and not their responsibility in any way.
I'm feeling a bit frustrated, as I've tried to convince Harley that the cats will eventually get used to the guinea pigs, and will grow bored of them when they can't get to them, but to no avail. I'm also not going to allow the cats on the cage while I'm around, so that the cats will also eventually learn that it's not okay to do that.
I'm hoping some of you have some resources you could share, or just personal stories about guinea pigs and cats yourselves that could help me convince him that the cats AND the guinea pigs will be fine.
Thank you in advance for any help you can give!
Here are a few of the materials I mentioned above:
Hardware Cloth: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHM11...olid=1ON0XE9M98STG&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Windows: Pig-a-Boo Window