Cat breed that won't attack rats?

barnaby-bear

giantmutantbroccoli wrote: »

Hi guys!
My cat, Cat, is retiring - he's the friendliest cat in the world, but he's really not enjoyed being confined to my flat since I found out he had FIV. For the sake of his sanity (and mine, because his favourite method of communicating his distress is to cry continuously at full volume) I'm giving him back to my parents. They've got a netted run they used to use for chickens, so he'll be able to go outside as much as he wants without infecting the neighbours
I still want a cat though, so I've decided to get a kitten - a vaccinated, health-checked and neutered kitten, so I can avoid this sort of palaver. I've had cats before obviously, but they've always been adopted farm cats or strays, so I have no idea about breeds or anything.
Here's the crucial bit - I have an idea that may well be crazy. I have two pet rats (big males, friendly and sociable, called Moz and Psycho Paul) that live in my study. I'm keeping them completely seperate from Cat, as he's a farm cat and knows exactly what to do with tasty, snack-sized rodents However, it occured to me that if I got a kitten it might be possible to train it not to eat them, maybe even get it used to the rats enough to socialise with them. I am fully prepared for this idea to not work, btw, and everything will of course be done under strictest supervision to avoid any chances of anyone hurting anyone else.

Could anyone recommend a breed for me, or maybe a good cross?

I would like a cat that is:
Trainable and intelligent!
Friendly and sociable with people and animals
Not very predatory
Okay to be alone for a few hours a day in my flat

Not bothered about looks so long as it's not a "persian-type" breed - i.e. no ridiculously long fur that needs grooming twice daily, and no flat faces. Also preferably a breed without a history of genetic defects.

By the way, if you have any advice regarding the whole "training a cat not to eat rats" thing I'd be happy to hear it. I have a bit of experience training farm cats not to eat chickens, but I wasn't expecting them to share a flat at the time;)

Thanks for your help!

P.S.
If your recommended breed has a rescue centre near Edinburgh that would be awesome

havana? far more interested in people - think they are people (superior people that is)
http://www.holcc.org.uk/

MrsTinks

I'd second the "go for an adult that is "proven" to have no prey drive" - much as you can prove that
Alternatively as far as highly intelligent cats go you might want to check the breed rescue for Russian Blues - my moggies are 1/4 Russian blue and like their mum (1/2 russian blue) they are frighteningly intelligent... unfortunately they were farm kittens so certainly know how to kill things (including birds, slowworms, rats, rabbits, pheasants, mice and dogs (ok ok so she TRIED to kill a dog but it started it!!!) - and one of them I am convinced tried to take down a sheep once... but he's very optimistic and I don't think he's tried it since
If I ever get a pedigree cat it'll be a Russian Blue I think But a rescue one

c6h4m1

I've known a few British Shorthairs and they've never been particularly bothered about hunting. Most of them weren't interested in much more than eating and sleeping But they might be too flat faced for you? They were certainly happy being house cats and never made a fuss about wanting to go outside or being left for a few hours.

dolally_2

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

I dont think its so much a breed as the individual cat - why not contact your local CPL and see if they have a cat in who does not seem too predatory?

Probalby safer to get a tried and tested adult than to buy a kitten and 'hope' its not interested...

Completely agree. I have two cats, both moggies and I also have lots of little furries. One of my cats would really much prefer his food out of a pouch and whilst happy to watch bunnies charging around the house he has no real interest in them.
My other cat hunts anything she sees and despite a stupidly loud and big bell on her collar we get regular 'gifts'. Her latest thing is just to bring us the feet of whatever bird she's caught lately and I would never trust her around the other animals.

I think getting an adult cat would be your best bet, but don't forget that just because he hasn't hunted before doesn't mean he won't start so be watchful!

giantmutantbroccoli

Thanks guys! After checking out some things on the internet I have decided not to get a pure-bred fancy cat after all - the expense, the worry that someone might steal it and the probability that I'll be told to keep it indoors all the time outweigh any possible genetic benefits. Plus I don't think my flat is big enough for a permanently indoor cat. I'm going to try to find a suitable cross, but if not then a smart moggie from parents with relatively calm temperaments will have to do.
I am set on getting a kitten - I plan on getting it used to and socialised with the rats from an early age, plus the other things it will be introduced to - regular travelling on trains and buses, for e.g., - will be easier for it to get used to if it's young. And I won't have to worry about what it's been exposed to, possible behaviour problems etc.

@scotsgirl - Much as I would absolutely LOVE to get a maine coon (giant cats FTW) I really don't think my flat is big enough to house one that has to stay indoors all the time. I will be checking out the resuce centre though, thanks!

@foreigncorrespondant - I'm not giving Cat back to my parents because he'd hunt my rats! I'm giving him back because he's miserable having to be kept inside all the time, and there's no way for me to secure my garden. But I certainly don't want a completely indoor cat.

@barnaby-bear - Thanks, I'll check that out. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to find a cross!

@MrsTine - Ooh, smart and pretty! I'll keep an eye out for a cross, thankyou.

@dolally - I know related moggies can have very different personailites, that's why I wanted to try a purebred. Now I'm thinking I'm better off to just try and go for a relatively calm, smart moggie kitten or a cross and get it used to the "rats are not food" thing from an early age. That means I'm not reliant on it not being predatory, I'm just reliant on it not recognising the rats as food. Difficult as it is to train a cat, I imagine training an adult to be a heck of a lot harder than training a kitten. And it doesn't hurt that the rats are currently about the size of a small kitten (Moz may in fact be approximately one and a half kittens, possibly two), making them look less like prey. In the past, this sort of early socialisation has led to kittens (albeit farm kittens) behaving like dogs - I had one cat that fetched sticks and came on walks! - and, weirdly, a couple of lonely kittens that cosied up with some ducklings for a good long while before the mother duck took exception to them.

A bit of youtube searching last night found me several vids of poeple's cats and their rats 'playing'. Ignoring the ones where the cat was actually trying to eat the rats (owners obviously a bit thick not to recognise a cat playing with it's food!) and the ones that looked like they needed an RSPCA intervention - someone put a rat on a chair with a six-week-old kitten and thought it was cute when the rat started chasing it! - there were two that stood out. Both (I think) of the same cat and rat, with the rat following the cat around and the two grooming each other. Aside from being sickeningly cute, it also lets me know that this is not even nearly impossible - I'm not saying it's going to be easy at all, but at least I've now seen proof that it's doable.
And from the other videos I know what not to do - don't just fling them together and hope they get on!
Thanks again for your help - even though I'm not taking /all/ your advice, I do appreciate it!

dolally_2

I kept rats in my younger years and they do grow pretty big. I had a gorgeous girl who knew how to get out her cage. She used to find my favourite fleece and chew a bit off it to add to her bed or just curl up and sleep on it :rotfl:

Fascinating animals, very clever so they need lots to keep them entertained. I think that they would love more space to explore, good luck in finding the perfect kitten.

eira

Seems to do with personality -we've had free range ferrets and rats.One very cheeky bright rat was best friends with the very ladylike ferret. (these were pet ferrets that seem to have limited prey drive) We have Oriental/Siamese and a moglet along with a Newfie cross dog and everything seemed to work out according to personality. However we did have an Oriental Black who had a very strong prey drive and I don't know how he would have been had the rats been around then.

I think-just a theory-that if an animal is on home territory it doesn't behave like prey so maybe it doesn't trigger predatory instincts. Having said that none of our animals have really had 'killer instincts. apart from our one Oriental Black although we had another one that wouldn't have dirtied his paws with it). And I won't get a terrier or a sight hound as a dog 'just in case'. The Siamese adores dogs and assumes that all dogs are like the Newfie, the very confidenbt rat we used to have would ride around the streets on my daughter's shoulder.

Hope you find the right cat-another thought is to give a kitten a toy to play with-some really take it seriously, others don't bother.I think this is one way ferret keepers pick ones which are likely to be hunters