Guinea Pig Vs cat any advice

This is a very weird question!

I have a very spoilt and much loved guinea pig, who lives with my mum when im at work. My mum is going on holiday in 2 weeks and the piggie usually goes to a holiday home (dont laugh!) but this year this is not possible.

So the piggie is coming to stay with my boyfriend, who has a cat. Piggie is an indoor pig and has a large wire cage, with plastic bottom. His cage is on a frame, which means he is about 3 feet off the ground (to make sure he doesnt get any draughts lol) and the frame is on wheels.

Piggie has never met a cat and cat has never met piggie. Unfort BFs flat is very small (studio) so no seperate bedroom etc to shut him away in.

The cat is not a hunter, by any means, she is scared of pigeons (!) :confused: and my BF has several pet lizards in tanks, which she has never threatened to harm. In fact she sleeps on their tanks as its so warm up there!

Am i being unrealistic to imagine that the cat may not take too much notice of the pig, or is she going to think a meal/toy in a cage has arrived? As i have no experiance of cats Vs guinea pigs. Has anyone else kept both? A few years ago i had another pig and a dog and they got along fine. Also last year my dwarf hamsters stayed at boyfriends and cat was scared of them! Oh and he had mice and she pretended she couldnt see them! :D BUT she is very very aggressive to other cats and dogs! The cat has issues! :rotfl:

Any advice, very much appreciated, as im worried!

Comments

  • jess1974
    jess1974 Posts: 1,019 Forumite
    I have a cat and a guinea pig, my cat is scared of the guinea pig and won't go near it.

    The guinea pig loves the cat and keeps trying to sniff her bum....
  • We have three cats and two guinea pigs. The piggies live in a large hutch, indoors. Cat no.1 sits and watches them adoringly every so often. Cat no. 2 takes very little notice at all and Cat no. 3 will look at them sometimes, but a bit warily ( all bluster and no b**s that one!) None have ever reacted in any way aggressively. I think the piggies are a bit big for them and don't "scurry" so aren't really seen as potential prey. Having said that we keep the cats out when the piggies have a bit of freedom in out of the hutch, but not due to their behaviour, just being cautious. I think you'll find all will be well especially with her previous behaviour.
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  • looby-loo_2
    looby-loo_2 Posts: 1,566 Forumite
    We had two cats, inside and out, and two guinea pigs in the garden. They took no notice of each other. We brought the guinea pigs infor the winter. One cats leap on the cage, just being inquisitive as cats are, the boy guinea pig had a fit, started shaking and foaming at the mouth, and it died.
    The vet said they can suffer from shock and have a heart attack although he said we were probably unlucky.

    Now we have 4 cats and 3 piggies and all get on well together, i.e, they take very little notice of each other. 2 cats sunbath on top of the run and the kitten runs around the lawn outside the run, quite facinated but harmless so long as he can't reach them.
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  • ceebeeby
    ceebeeby Posts: 4,357 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture
    I'd say a trial run first before you leave them alone in a room together all day!!!

    Cats are fickle creatures, and even the gentlest ones may become agitated particularly if they're scared and the scary thing is making loud squealy noises.

    I'm sure it'll be okay, my cat used to babysit our piggies and rabbits! But will happily hunt anything smaller!

    Good luckx
  • loulou123
    loulou123 Posts: 1,183 Forumite
    Thank you everyone, nice to know that some people have managed to have them both with no disasters!

    Would never leave them together unattended, more worried about the night, as if i shut the piggie into the bathroom (not as mean as it sounds, its quite large and heated) i just know the cat will miow at door all night, so hoping they can remain in same room.
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