Keeping The Hamster Safe

kitty kisser

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I fell in love with this little hamster at the local pet shop. My daughter begged my husband for him. I bought a 40 gallon fish tank with a screen lid to keep the cats out . My cats are infatuated with Ruby the hamster Catness practically freaked out the first time he was exercising in his ball I think he head twisted around he body like in the horror movie exorcist LOL she just can’t help but stare at him and she gets this look in her eyes. Any who she has pounced him once when he was playing on the couch any tips for keeping the hamster safe.
 
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kitty kisser

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I’ve tried to find locking clips for the cage but even on chewy they says they are for smaller aquariums
 

Willowy

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Shut the cats in another room whenever the hamster is out of his cage. Get something to secure the screen top (clamps or velcro strips or whatever).

There's no way to expect the cats to ignore the hamster, because small rodents are their natural prey and their instincts will take over. So all you can do is make sure the hamster is safe.
 

neely

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Shut the cats in another room whenever the hamster is out of his cage. Get something to secure the screen top (clamps or velcro strips or whatever).

There's no way to expect the cats to ignore the hamster, because small rodents are their natural prey and their instincts will take over. So all you can do is make sure the hamster is safe.
:yeah:
You took the words right out of my mouth. This took me back 15 years when my oldest wanted a hamster and we had more than one cat. I tried to explain to my daughter that if she got a hamster it would have to be kept in her room.

Good luck, Ruby is absolutely adorable. :goodluck:
 

LTS3

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For the safety of the hamster, place the tank in a room that has a door you can close to keep the cats out. Some cats can't be trusted around small animals. If you take your hamster out for playtime, closely supervise the hamster and keep the cats out of the room. Instead of letting the hamster loose to play, let the hamster play in the bathtub (plug up the drain first) or use a large plastic storage container. I've used a under-the-bed type container and filled it with bedding and empty tissue boxes and tubes.

Personally, I never had a problem with my cats and small animals. I currently have a mouse which the cats pretty much ignore. The box is kept in the bedroom and the cats do not have access to the bedroom when I am not at home. A previous cat ignored the gerbils I had. Maybe my cats are just weird:rolleyes:

Your hamster is cute :) Shelters often have hamster and other small animals for adoption, sometimes for less than what a pet store sells them for. My mouse was actually free because the shelter was having a free critter adoption day:D Just something to know if you plan on having more small animals in the future.
 

lyrajean

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My mother used to be a preschool teacher and the small animals there used to come home and live with us over school breaks. We had our cat and the school's hamster. One evening the hamster was in its ball and my mother was distracted trying to get three of us ready for bed. I came downstairs and saw an empty hamster ball on the floor. So the mad search for the hamster began. After a few minutes someone asked "Where's Jedi?" our cat.

We found him sitting in the kitchen calmly washing his paws with a snug satisfied look on his face. On the other side of the room was the decapitated hamster.

A cautionary tale...
 

Willowy

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Yikes! My first hamster got out of her ball once. I was sure that's what I would find but either the cats didn't notice or she hid well enough. At any rate she was fine. I tape the ball shut now.

But yeah. Cats and hamsters aren't friends!
 

Max's Human

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Like I mentioned on previous posts, I had lots of creatures and the little ones must always be protected from anything who may think they are prey! When bunnies, rats, mice and birds are lose you must be aware of cats and dogs and many times we greeted whoever walked in the door with "The BLANKS are lose" and we never lost a soul!!!!
 

NewYork1303

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Our cats have 2 gerbils in their room. My husband built a wooden lid that goes over the screen so cats can even sit on top of the tank without there being any danger. The main problem we've had was the gerbils chewing on the screen lid and almost escaping. With three cats around that would be a recipe for disaster.
 

Max's Human

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Cats do not like prevention messures, like all carnivores the Chase.... A lifetime ago, ignorantly, I helped save 3 goldfish from a friend, in a goldfish bowl. The cats preferred drinking "fish water" and there was that thought they may like it soooo much the fish would be SUSHI one day!! I rigged a dozen things trying to stop the dreaded cat tongues from lurking. In the end, gave up and the cats drank fish Water. The fish died naturally, could have been cat caused strokes? My friend bought her cat a fish in an aquarium for company since he was an only cat!I. NATURE'S WAY IS CRUEL AND SOMETIMES HEARTBREAKING.
 

Willowy

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The fish died naturally, could have been cat caused strokes?
No, more likely because being in a bowl is fatal to goldfish. They need a lot of room and very powerful filtration. Pet stores are terrible about selling inadequate enclosures for goldfish.

I don't care about the cats drinking fish water, but some people add more chemicals to their aquariums so they should try to keep the cats out.
 

sabrinah

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When I was like 5 my mom had gotten dwarf hamsters (I think our neighbor was getting rid of them or something) and we had cats. I don't remember any specifics thankfully, but the number of hamsters steadily decreased and my mom was a bit angry at the cats. The lids of the cages were always weighed down with piles of books to try and keep anyone from breaking in or out but it obviously didn't work.

On a happier note, cats (and dogs) can sometimes learn not to eat certain animals. I grew up with rats, cats, and dogs being the best of friends. Usually, the cats and dogs were rescued very young and raised with a rat so they learned that indoor rats aren't food. When that rat passed and another was brought home a year or two later, they still remembered that indoor rats are for cuddles, not snacks. Only once was an adult cat rescued and she was always either locked in a room or put outside when the rat got to come out. Currently, my mom has 2 cats, 2 dogs, and a bunny. I'm positive the cats and dogs would gladly kill any other bunny, but they know not to eat this particular bunny. Years ago, my cat learned not to eat the injured pigeon I was taking care of in the backyard. She had killed many a pigeon so I know she wanted to, but she learned she couldn't touch this particular pigeon. Maybe your cat can learn not to touch this particular hamster.
 
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