From:
"Amanda"
Date: 2008-11-10 16:20:36 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Ferrets and Cats....can they get along?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
I have a 2.5 yr old female ferret, Izzy, that was raised with two cats
that wanted nothing to do with her (this is when I lived with my
parents prior to getting married). Occasionally the cats would let her
close enough to them, but then she would bite them and they would run
off. About 6 months ago my husband and I got our own place with our
dog and ferret. I missed having a cat around, so we adopted a 1.5 yr
old male (neutered, not declawed. nails are trimmed short) this past
saturday. This cat has never been exposed to ferrets before. I have
been keeping the cat locked in his own room when the ferret is out
until they get used to each others smells. This morning I let them see
each other, just to get a sense of where I was starting from. The cat
did not ignore Izzy as I was kind of hoping it would (like my other
cats did). Instead, he wanted to play. Izzy does not know how to play
with other animals....she bites, which they do not take too kindly. So
of course, she tried to bite the cat. I was holding Izzy to prevent
any confrontations. When I put Izzy down, the cat chased her down the
hallway, so Izzy got scared and hid in her room (which I had blocked
off from the cat). So, this is my starting point. A cat that wants to
play with the ferret, and possibly do more harm than that, and a
ferret that likes to bite and is used to cats that back down from her.
My plan is to keep them separated at all times. The cat can be in his
own room while Izzy is out for play time. My question is, will they
ever learn to coexist? I have heard of ferrets and cats being
friends...could this ever happen for my kids? Any tips or suggestions
would be greatly appreciated.
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