There wasn’t a bug in sight. So why, I asked myself, was our cat sitting in the corner staring at the wall? As I approached, he turned his head toward me. That’s when I saw the long, thin red wound like a paper cut travelling down the length of his nose.
It was then I remembered that, about 10 minutes ago, he’d been sticking his face through the bars of my rats’ cage. When one of my rats had lunged towards him, I thought he’d backed off quickly enough before anything could happen. After our cat was injured, he went to sit in the corner as if he were a schoolboy (minus the dunce cap) punishing himself.
Even though our cat was hurt by my rat, I wouldn’t say he learned his lesson. I would never, ever risk leaving cats and rats alone in the same room together.
This incident occurred in t
he year 2002. Fast forward to 2021 and I’ve now lived with cats and rats in the same household for 31 years.
Some of my rats have been deathly afraid of cats, others have faced them head on and even chased them, jumped on them and pulled out their fur. I’ve observed that, if a rat sees the cat before the cat sees the rat, then the rat will be in charge. It’s the one who’s taken by surprise who ends up afraid. (Just like us humans!) Conversely, if the cat sees the rat first, the rat will be afraid.
Some rats’ fear can be induced just by smelling cats, even if they’re in different rooms. I’ve seen rats spooked by the scent of cats when there hasn’t been a cat in the room for days. Often the fear will subside and the rats will be fine. Sometimes the fear returns seemingly out of the blue and then goes away again.
Two Options for Keeping Rats & Cats in the Same Home
1. Your rats and cats are kept in separate areas
The easiest way for rats and cats to safely inhabit the same house or apartment is to keep your rats in a separate room. You won’t ever have to worry about your cats sneaking up on your rats’ cage. The risk of your rats being harmed by your cats is completely eliminated.
When you decide to keep your cats and rats in different parts of your home, you may observe your cats meowing outside the door of the room in which your rats live. They’re letting you know they feel deprived of attention. (Poor kitties!) Usually this behavior stops within a few days. Eventually they’ll adapt and get the message the room is off-limits. However, your cats may still come to the door and meow from time to time.
2. Your rats and cats live in the same room
If you have no choice but to keep your rats and cats in the same room, all is not lost. Here are tips on how to keep your rats safe:
- Place your rats’ cage out of reach of your cats. Positioning their cage on top of a chest of drawers or other tall piece of furniture can be very effective. If there are surface areas around the cage onto which your cats can still jump, block off these areas with boxes, paper grocery bags opened so they stand upright or any other suitable items.
- If your cage is so large it needs to be on the floor, block off the lower level so your cats can’t reach inside. You can do this with boxes, paper grocery bags or screen door wire mesh wrapped around the outside areas of the cage within your cats’ reach. Sheets of plexiglass may also work well as long as there’s adequate ventilation so air can still circulate inside your rats’ cage.
A good place to visit with your rats and cats together is on the couch. Your rats can burrow down inside your shirt if they’re afraid. Even though they’re not truly interacting, getting your rats used to your cats’ scent can be quite helpful. - Whether it’s on top of furniture or on the floor, you may also need to place barriers on the top of your rats’ cage. If your cats are able to jump on top of the cage, again, use tall boxes, opened paper grocery bags or any other suitable item you have on hand.
- Cover the sides of your rats’ cage at night. Leave the top at least partially uncovered for ventilation. If you’ve placed items on the roof of your rats’ cage to keep your cats off, leave space so air can still circulate inside the cage.
Together Time – Is It Possible?
If you’re able to do so, you might want to spend some time with your cats and rats together. A good place to visit with them collectively is on the couch. Another spot for them to visit is on top of a bed. If afraid, your rats can burrow down inside your shirt.
Even though they’re not truly interacting, getting your rats used to your cats’ scent can be quite helpful. By being in close proximity to your cats, your rats learn (while safely hidden inside your shirt) that they are protected. Though they’ll smell the cats, some (but not all) rats will come to understand you will keep them safe.
You really have to closely observe how your cats and your rats react to one another. Neither of them should ever feel terrorized. Cats will often just leave if they feel threatened by your rats. If your rats continually act petrified when your cats are around, though, it’s probably best to keep them separate. However, with patience and the willingness to try to make it work, it is often possible to gradually acclimate your rats to being around cats.
Some rats may actually be curious instead of fearful. While visiting with them on your couch or bed, you may observe your rats and cats start to sniff one another. Be prepared, however, to immediately separate them by picking up your rat(s) or pushing away your cat(s). If it does happen that your cats and rats are able to develop a relationship, I still wouldn’t have a relaxed attitude about it. ALWAYS monitor them closely. Watch for any signs your cat’s prey instinct has become activated. Cats, as you probably already know, can totally “fake us out” and act like they’re not one bit interested in our pet rats. The next minute, however, they could be in full attack mode. Before you know it, you could find your cat has a rat in its mouth.
Whenever you observe one of your cats about to harass or attack one of your rats, signal to your cat that it’s not okay. I usually say “Careful!” to my cats in a gentle warning tone when they’re about to do something I don’t want them to do. (I’m talking about when your cats are still far enough away that they can’t harm your rats.) My cats are now used to me saying this and they know to back off as soon as they hear me say “Careful!”. Once they retreat, I praise them by saying, “Good!” (We all appreciate praise!)
In the past I’ve had rats who would actually chase my cats off the couch, especially if they wanted to use the bathroom. I place unbleached paper towels to be used as “litter boxes” on either end of my couch. My rats are trained to urinate and defecate on the paper towels. My rat, Vera, would chase any cats in sight off the couch so she could use the bathroom in private. I also had a rat named Mantra who would chase my cats around in a circle in my bedroom. She was absolutely fearless.
Interactions among cats and rats are so individualized. They ALWAYS require very close supervision. If you’re able to be a dedicated chaperone, it’s definitely worth a try. As long as you’re in the same room AND you’re within reach of your rats AND you’re able to supervise their behavior as it occurs in-the-moment, then it’s okay to have your rats and cats together at the same time.
While it can definitely work out fine to have pet rats living in the same home as cats, I can’t stress enough that you should never, ever leave your rats unattended and accessible to your cats. As much as my cats wish I would, I’d never trust that my rats and cats could just “get along”.
Another post which may be of interest: Litter Box & Cat Toy Antics
Hi!
I’ve been wanting to get a rat for awhile.
My cat is an outdoor cat and hunts mice, birds, rats, etc. He also likes to jump high distances, so do you have any extra tips on how to get my cat not to injure the rat?
Hi Tess,
Is your cat outdoor only? From what you wrote, I’m guessing your cat does come inside some of the time since you’re asking how you could keep your cat from injuring a rat.
If your cat hunts mice, birds and rats, it doesn’t sound like you’d be able to have rats living in the same household as your cat. It wouldn’t be fair (let alone comfortable!) for your cat or pet rats to live in the same home. Your cat would forever be frustrated he isn’t allowed to pursue your pet rats. Your rats would be traumatized from sensing a “killer” in their midst.
Even if you kept your rats in a separate room, away from your cat, they’d still be able to pick up the scent of your cat on your clothes and your body. Your rats would be extremely stressed.
Also, just wanted to point out that I keep using the plural, “rats”. This is because it’s important to have at least 2 pet rats so they can keep each other company, play together, groom one another and sleep together.
I wish I could give you some tips to make this work. I really don’t think it’s a good idea, though.
Thanks for asking your question! Feel free to let me know if you need any clarification or if there’s anything else I can help with.
Take Care,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
hi!
I have been wanting to be able to adopt 2 rats for over a year. But I have been skeptical about it since I have 4 cats, but mainly 2 since the others go to college with my siblings as emotion support. (and one dog but I don’t see her as a problem). 1/4 cats is mine and is very sweet and would never hurt a soul. (which i know can change since he is a predator to a rat).So this is kind of a problem because I don’t want to shut him out but i’m also afriad that he could harm the rat even when im there. (I wouldn’t leave them alone together) After reading your article about them having to stay in the same room together sometimes it was very helpful and gave me some ideas but if there are any extra tips you can give me let me know! Thanks.
Hi Maire,
In my post I pretty much covered all of the main points of how to have both cats and rats living in the same household. It’s definitely doable. I’m glad to hear you’re considering it. I loved having cats and rats at the same time.
Your cat wouldn’t be able to harm the rat when you’re in the same room—unless you weren’t closely monitoring them. The important thing is to be immediately ready should your cat start eyeing your rats. It isn’t that hard to do. Once you start observing how your cat responds to your rats, you can cue into your cat’s behavioral patterns and know when you need to intervene.
If you have any specific questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Also, feel free to keep me posted on how it goes!
Take Care,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Such an irresponsible article. No matter how much you stress supervision, people are still going to take one look at this article and think having them together is fine.
All it takes is a few seconds for a cat to pounce and seriously injure or kill a rat. You’ve been putting your animal welfare up to chance for 31 years. You should be ashamed.
Hi Kait,
Thank you for your comment. It’s so good to hear from someone who’s conscientious about the dangers of having cats and rats in close proximity to one another.
I totally agree that a cat could easily attack a rat within a few seconds.
From what you wrote, you sound like you think we disagree on how dangerous it can be to have cats and rats together. I’m not sure if you read my post thoroughly. I wrote that I would never, ever risk leaving cats and rats alone in the same room together.
Again, I am so glad you’re helping to reinforce that it’s not safe to leave cats and rats alone together.
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hey there! Awesome article, I just had a quick question! We live in a household with six month old cats, (2 of them), and we’re about to adopt two four month old cats. If I put my cage out of reach, and did not allow any interaction aside from controlled interaction at rare times to get them used to each other, would it be much of a problem? And would it stress out the rats to occasionally bring in the cats to cuddle with while they’re still in the cage?
Hi Charlotte,
It’s definitely doable to have both cats and rats living in the same household. You sound like you’ve already got the right mindset: I like that you wrote your rats’ cage will be out of reach. Also, that’s great there won’t be any unsupervised interactions between the rats and cats. Cuddling the cats while your rats are in their cage in the same room is perfectly fine.
Just remember, your rats will likely be skittish when the cats are around—especially in the beginning. If you have your cats in the same room as your rats frequently, most rats can get used to the cats’ scents. They will become more and more comfortable with knowing your cats are around as time goes on.
I’ve always found it’s helpful to have my rats out on my shoulders or inside my shirt while being on the couch in my living room. The cats can be in the living room at the same time. This is advantageous because you’re bringing the rats out into what is considered more the cats’ territory. It helps both your cats and your rats understand they’re equally important to you and that you’re there to keep them all safe.
Keep in mind your rats’ acceptance of having cats in your house is likely to be gradual. Practicing being in the same room at least once daily really helps your rats adjust. Initially, keep the same room experiences fairly brief—-5-10 minutes. You can then increase the time by about 5 minutes a day until they’re in the same room for extended periods.
Please note that there will be days when you feel like your rats become suddenly freaked out….even though they’ve seemed fine previously when in the same room as your cats. This skittish “phase” can last 1-2 days but then your rats should go back to being okay with your cats.
The main thing is to go slowly and increase the amount of time gradually. The other important thing to remember is to never EVER let your cats and rats be in the same room without your supervision.
Let me know if you have any additional questions or if you need any clarification.
Best Wishes to You, Your Rats & Your Cats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
So, I have been wanting rats for ages, and I have 5 cats and 2 dogs. The dogs won’t be a problem, as I am planning on keeping my rats in my room for the most part, and my dogs don’t go there. My cats do though, and I was wondering if you had any advice on who I should keep separate from the rats.
My oldest cat, Midas, is American Shorthair, got him at the shelter when he was five and he is almost 13 now. He is very laid back and chill, and a total cuddlebug. He used to play fight with my other cats, but he’s to old to give a damn now. He has FIV, basically feline HIV, so I have to take extra precautions sometimes, and I don’t want him getting bitten by another animal, even if they don’t carry any diseases. It’s pretty obvious when he’s in attack mode, it’s the only time his pupils dilate. He can be vicious, and he definitely still has his hunting instinct, but he’s so lazy and only ever wants food and convo.
Minnie (Minerva) is a ragamuffin (we figured out years later) and we got her from a shelter when she was 3. She is very attention seeking, and will basically attack you with affection. She is stubborn, but she knows her name and plenty of words, and is pretty lazy. She also has FIV, but she is much more likely to defend herself. She likes to sit on the windowsill and chirp at the birds, and she is pretty lazy, and a lil chubby. She is a total mama bear though, and she has only ever had strong bonds with the pets we have had over the years. She’s 10-11 now.
Yin and Yang and Calix are from the same litter, and I’ve had them since they were 11 weeks old. They were born on January first and are capricorns, if that helps any LMAO. They are all starkly different. They are all American shorthairs, though yin and yang look a bit to slender and tall to be American shorthairs. We are still figuring that out. Yin is mostly black with a lil white and he’s very curious. He’s chill, and pretty independent. Yang is pretty skittish, even after almost 4 years she still doesn’t like being pet on the head or belly and will do that weird limbo thing to avoid my hand. She still loves attention and knows her name, as well has a couple of nicknames and other words. She also likes to chirp at birds but hasn’t done it as much recently. She is suprisingly the most ok with water as well, which confuses me to this day. Calix is a lazy ass, fat ass, who loves attention a bit too much. And hogs all the food. And is AIT (Alpha In Training). He is curious to a point, but is overall pretty friendly, though he has well expressed his hatred for dogs, I think a smaller, quieter animal would be better, but I still have my doubts. Neither of the three have FIV, and none of them are outdoor cats.
I’m so sorry you had to read all that useless info about my cats, I just love telling people all about them <3
Hi Mariella,
The main thing is to never EVER leave your cats alone in the room with your rats. I’d also follow all of the advice in my post above. Basically ANY cat will attack and/or kill a rat if given the opportunity.
You can definitely have both cats and rats, you just need to follow the extra precautions as outlined in my above post.
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi!!
So, I have a cat, a dog and two birds and I’m thinking about getting a rat (or two of them). The dog isn’t a problem at all, neither are the birds, really. The thing is, I’m not sure how my cat would react. She’s a 6 and a half year-old lazy lady that I got when she was barely a month, and since then we got her to get used to the birds here. And, really, she couldn’t care less. By the time she was young we had four birds and the most she’d do would be sniffing their cages for a couple of seconds before going to lay down on the sunlight. Could that mean she’d not bother a pet rat? I don’t even intend to let them be in the same room if the rat isn’t in its cage, but I’m still worried. I mean, she still likes to hunt bugs.
Hi There!
You won’t know if your cat would go after your rats until you actually have rats in your home. Notice that I said “rats” instead of “rat”. It’s much better to have at least 2 rats at a time. It’ll make it easier for you, too, since you’ll know your rats will have companionship for times when you’re super busy or if you travel.
I would definitely not let having a cat stop you from getting rats. You’ll just need to be careful—-it sounds like you’re already well aware of the precautions you’ll need to take since you’ve read the above article and you wrote “I don’t even intend to let them be in the same room if the rat isn’t in its cage”. You actually can have them in the same room as your cat without your rats needing to be being in their cage. The best way to do this would be to have your rats on your body, such as on your shoulders or inside your shirt.
Also, I wouldn’t allow a cat to be in the same room as rats even if they’re in their cage unless you are there to supervise. Without your being there, a cat could stick it’s paws through the rats’ cage bars and harm your rats. Likewise your cat could get injured if one of your rats bites whatever part of your cat’s body is up close to the bars. (….such as if your cat was sniffing the cage with her nose up into the bars.)
Keep in mind your rats will likely become “spooked” from time to time. This is normal. If you’re always there to protect them, however, they’ll be a little more reassured. I’ve had cats and rats for 30 years and—as long as I’m with them when they’re together—I haven’t had any problems. I have seen my rats get very nervous at times, though. The nervousness would occur sporadically. One day my rat would be fine and the next day she’d be totally nervous from the cats being around.
Bottom line: Just always keep your rats protected by being there with them any time they’re in the same room as your cat and you should be fine.
Hope this response is helpful!
Take Care,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I got three young rats when my two cats were 5 and 6 y.o. I tried to keep the rats on the couch and coffee table (this worked fine with my last rats and TWO of these girls), but Zippy the pinheaded rat would not be contained. I was very worried at first, but Nikita (cat) loved her instantly. They would play and GROOM each other all the time!!
Hi Melinda,
Thanks for writing about your experiences with rats and cats. Even though your cat, Nikita, seems to be friendly toward your rat, Zippy, I would be extremely cautious about allowing them to interact. When they do play together or groom one another—-if you choose to continue allowing this—-I would be right next to them ready to immediately pick up Zippy should Nikita turn aggressive. It can happen instantly and, as you know, you are responsible for making sure your pets are safe. Your cat could easily be startled and act suddenly out of fear. I can’t stress enough how quickly things can happen and how dangerous their interactions could become.
Thanks again for sharing! It’s helpful for everyone to read what you wrote.
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
i have two outdoor/indoor cats that are great but they do like to leave dead animals by the front door. However i want two male rats and im not sure what to do or if its safe enough for them to come into my home and live happily what should i do?
Hi Declan,
Yes, it’s possible for you to get rats even though you already have cats. Just be sure to follow the guidelines outlined in the above article. Making your rats’ environment feel and actually BE safe is the #1 priority.
Let me know if you have any specific questions that aren’t covered in the above post.
I’m impressed that you’re doing your research before getting rats!
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I did a search on this subject and this was the only real site I saw on this.
I have a dominant female Siamese cat that doesn’t even put up with other cats. She is okay with a kitten… But other adult cats are of the question.
I adopted her from the shelter, so I think she was a street cat. I can’t imagine how that is like for a Siamese.
One of my relatives has pet rats, and we once entertained the idea, but probably a bad idea. I have seen how my cat pounces on her toys. I seen how she sneak attacks toys and turns around without notice.
A cat can have more of their instincts depending on how you adopted kitty. If you had the cat since they were a kitten that instinct is somewhat muted. If you adopted a cat (like I did at 10 months), the instincts would still be very much there. Either way, I wouldn’t trust my cat for a moment with a small animal. Whether it be a rat, mouse or bird. I have seen her meow loud when she sees birds in the window. I can’t imagine a rat. For the safety of both animals, I couldn’t even have them in the same apartment. My cat is extremely intelligent and knows how to get into things too.
Wow, Giancarlo! Sounds like you’ve really done some thinking about whether or not your cat could live with rats. Siamese are my favorite type of cats. We have two right now, a Lynx Point and a Lilac Point. I would never, ever leave my cats and rats alone together. We do have them all in the same home, though. Currently, my rats live in a completely separate room to which I always keep the door closed. I do bring my rat Hollister upstairs with me and he usually is very happy to be inside my shirt while I sit on the couch with our kitties. Personally, I wouldn’t even trust a kitten to grow up to be “nice” to a rat. I do agree how cats are sneaky, pouncing on their toys and attacking them without notice. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts—it’s a pleasure to read what you wrote!
Best Wishes,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Also to add to my previous comment, my rats are extremely welcoming and not at all frightened of cats. When i took them to visit my parents who have two adult male cats they were very curious and would stick their hands out the cage to ‘pat’ the cats. As well as this, when introducing other rats to them they literally could not care less, i actually moved my new rats into their cage the same day i purchased them with zero issues or aggression. sorry for the long comment!
That’s great your rats are so friendly. I still wouldn’t trust a cat to not harm your rats. Just because your rats don’t act afraid doesn’t mean your cat will treat them any differently. As I mentioned previously, cats are born with the instinct to hunt. I wish we could trust our cats, but we can’t.
No need to apologize for the long comment…your questions are extremely important and I really appreciate your asking them!
Let me know if there’s anything else with which I can help.
Jasmine
Hi there, thanks for the informative article! Im the owner to 16 ratties (we were accidentally given a female who ended up breeding although they’re almost old enough to be sold). Ive owned many cats in my childhood and my friends cat recently gave birth which has reignited my love for them. Do you think its possible for rats and cats to live together if they are raised together? My 2 adult males are extremely curious and headstrong and i feel like wed all love a kitty! The kitten in question is a male munchkin cat which will be approx 8 weeks when i get him. Constant separation isnt really an option as i let my rats have full run of my tiled living room for several hours a day. Thanks for your help!
Even if you get a kitten and it’s raised with your rats, I’d still be extremely careful. I’d never, ever leave them alone together in the same room unless your rats are inside their cage and their cage is completely “cat proof”. Your rats’ cage needs to be set up so that your cat is 100% blocked from being able to stick its nose or paws through the cage bars.
That’s great you’re able to give your rats free roam time in your tiled living room. While your rats are out, however, you’d need to have your cat in a different room. It’s not safe to allow rats to be free roaming while there’s a cat loose in the same room. Your cat could act as if it’s going to be sweet and friendly toward your rats and then, the moment you’re not looking, could attack, injure or even kill one of your rats. It can happen so quickly it’s not worth the risk.
If you do want to have them out at the same time in the same room, keep your rats on your body—tucked inside your shirt or on your shoulder. Even then you’d need to stay super vigilant. If you do decide to allow your cat and rats to interact you need to be right there, close by (within a hand’s reach of your rats) so you can scoop them up quickly at any moment. I definitely don’t recommend allowing them to interact unless you are super confident of your skills at reading your cat’s body language as well as being able to have extremely quick reflexes.
Just because you get a kitten who will grow up being around rats, doesn’t mean the cat will learn to accept rats as being equals instead of prey. Cats are born with the instinct to hunt and kill. It’s not something you can change. Even though you won’t ever be able to trust your cat around your rats, you can still enjoy having both cats and rats living in your home. You will just need to take the extra precautions outlined in the above post.
I appreciate your reading my article and asking your question. I hope my response is helpful. If there’s anything else with which I can help, don’t hesitate to let me know.
Best Wishes to You & Your Rats,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
The advice about keeping the rats and cats separate is really great, however allowing them to interact at all is really playing with fire and I would consider it poor advice to even suggest it.
Predator and prey animals should not interact, period. Especially cats considering the often-deadly gram-negative bacteria they carry in their saliva (and due to grooming, on their fur and claws). Even supervised, a cat can be much faster than us humans can react and one tiny scratch or bite can be fatal–I really wouldn’t risk it. Set yourself up for success by never allowing the interaction in the first place.
While “knowing your pet” is helpful, I’ve seen plenty of “sweet, innocent, wouldn’t-hurt-a-fly” predatory pets suddenly pounce and kill small animals in the blink of an eye–my own sweet, lazy dogs included!
The articles here are wonderful, I love rats and it’s always great seeing good info and passion from others–keep up the good work! Just do be cautious about the advice you give; you don’t want to be liable for the death of someone’s beloved pet. An ounce of caution is worth more than a lifetime of regret.
Thank you for your very thoughtful comment. I greatly appreciate your concern and for expressing your care and love for rats.
I’ve had many people ask if cats and rats can live in the same home. It was my intention to address this in this post. I do believe cats and rats can live in the same household and that any interactions need to be either extremely closely supervised or avoided altogether.
I’d thought I stressed it enough in my post that cats and rats should never, ever be left alone together. If we do allow them to be together, we need to be right alongside while being extra careful to monitor closely and be ready at any moment to intervene. This can’t be emphasized enough. During the seldom moments when my current rats and cats interact, my hands are right nearby, ready to pick up my rat or cat.
I agree that I’d never want to be responsible for anyone having their rat (or cat) harmed or even killed during an interaction. I’ve had the good fortune to be around animals from a very early age as well as to have worked in a humane society, with rat rescues and in veterinary hospitals. I’ve lived with cats and rats for 28 years and feel I am very well attuned to knowing the body language of both. If someone is new to owning either rats or cats, however, I definitely wouldn’t recommend any type of interaction among them.
I, too, am very concerned for the health and safety of pet rats. This is why I wrote The Great Indoors and Why the Outdoors is Overrated and Making a Room Safe for Your Pet Rats.
Again, I sincerely appreciate your expressing your thoughts and concerns. Your comment helps underscore the importance of using extreme caution and, when necessary, avoiding any interactions at all among cats and rats.
Best Wishes,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I LOVE RATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You came to the right place if you love rats, Phoebe! :)
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I’m interested in getting pet rats for my kids but we have a cat and don’t see how they can be compatible. Any thoughts welcome!
Hi Phoebe,
It’s definitely possible to have both cats and rats. As mentioned in this post, there are many ways to work it out including keeping them separate from one another. I’ve had both cats and rats in the same house for about the past 28 years. The main thing to always remember is to never leave them alone together.
Also, just thought I’d mention that rats can be a lot of work. You probably already know how important it is that parents realize they will likely have a large role in the care of their children’s pets. Not many kids are keen on cleaning and there’s a lot to clean up on a daily basis when taking care of pet rats.
I hope my article gives you some ideas on how you can successfully have cats and rats living together under the same roof. Let me know if you have any specific questions that aren’t answered in this post.
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
Hi!
Although I have looked through the internet I cant seem to find the answer to my question.
Can rats, cats, AND dogs live together?
I know I sound crazy! But I am a pet lover. I currently have two dogs and two cats. I would love to get a pair of rats and give them a good home, but I do not want to bring them into a place they will not enjoy. I do have a place to keep them separately but its a smaller place so they would always be seeing each other. I know my dogs would be completely fine with rats, as they are amazingly gentle with my cats and other small animals. I also know my cats would get used to them over time (they don’t care about too much)!
Am I crazy for wanting a pair of rats when I have 4 other animals? I hope not!
Thanks!
Hi Mattie,
You are definitely not crazy! I would suggest getting babies since young rats can more easily adjust to living with cats and dogs. Another option is to adopt from your local animal shelter. Often the shelter has the previous owner fill out an intake questionnaire for the pet(s) they’re surrendering. This would allow you to find out if any of the rats up for adoption are already used to living with dogs and cats.
Two very important things to keep in mind:
1. Unless you are present in the same room and able to closely monitor any interaction, never, ever leave your rats outside their cage while in the same room as your cats and dogs.
2. You’ve probably already considered this, but it’s really important you have enough time and money when adding two new pets to your family. Although small in size, rats can require a similar amount of attention and veterinary care to what you provide for your cats and dogs.
I used to do a lot of pet sitting where I stayed in the home with the animals I was sitting. I always got permission to bring my rats with me. Most people with dogs told me that their dogs would go crazy when they discovered I’d brought my rats with me and had them inside their house. In almost every instance, however, the dogs didn’t pay my rats any attention at all.
I hope you find this information helpful. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have other questions.
Jasmine | About Pet Rats
I have 3 female rescue rats who are about 1 year old, I’ve had them about 5 months and I got a 10yr old rescue cat today and the rats are terrified of his smell, they are in separate rooms and haven’t met, am I being cruel to keep the cat if my rats will live in fear? I’d hate to give the cat up, but I’d hate to neglect the pets I already have. Please help!! Becky
Hi Becky,
I’ve lived with both cats and rats for the past 27 years. Throughout this time I’ve found that some rats take longer than others to adjust to the presence of cats. Some rats don’t ever get used to being around cats. However, I’ve also had rats who’d attack my cats by lunging at them and pulling out their fur.
In some cases it can take weeks before rats get used to having cats around. A technique you can try is to sit on your couch (or in a chair) with your cat while your rats are safely inside your shirt. If you repeat this exercise for at least 20-30 minutes daily, over time your rats will gradually realize they’re being protected from harm.
For the rats who don’t ever overcome their fear, I just keep them in separate rooms most of the time. At the very least, my rats have all eventually learned to get used to the scent of cats on my clothes.
So, no, you’re not being cruel to your rats as long as you don’t force them to be with your cat. Of course you should also never, ever leave them alone in the same room together.
I would definitely keep your cat. You can work with your rats so they’ll gradually learn to accept that your cat lives there, too. I applaud you for adopting a 10-year-old cat and for adopting cat and rat rescues.
I hope my response is helpful! Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have further questions or need any clarification.
Best Wishes to You, Your Rats & Your Cat,
Jasmine | About Pet Rats