# cats? roam free or keep contained? yesterdays news?



## heather (Sep 16, 2008)

I am a hedgie owner to be this weekend if all goes as expected. I've scoured through this site and many others and I think I'm prepared as to what I need and what to expect. I have three questions though and I would love your advice on these issues:

1. I have three cats. I've seen pics of cats and hedgies interacting but I don't know how to approach this with my boys. They're all front declawed and honestly I think a hedgie would hurt them more than they would hurt it. What do you guys do with your other animals in the house?

2. Do you let your hedgie wander as it wants or would it scurry and burrow a hole in the couch and never come out? All I can compare a hedgie to is the rats and hamsters that I've had and they just wanted to burrow a hole in the furniture and nest- are hedgies this way? I've seen the pics of the playpens on here and thats a great idea...I'm more concerned about the day that the hedgie does break free and where I'll eventually find it  

3. I have a huge bag of "yesterday's news" litter and I read on here that it would be an appropriate bedding. Are you sure that it wouldn't be a choking hazard and that a hedgie wouldn't eat it?

Thank you so much!


----------



## drowsydreamer (Aug 28, 2008)

1) Cats and hedgehogs need to be constantly supervised if they are allowed to be in contact. Declawed or not, a wap with a paw would probably seriously injure a hedgie, simply due to size differences. Sometimes cats and hedgies get along fine, sometimes they don't. Just be careful.

2) I don't know about all hedgies, but I know that if given the opportunity, Turbo will head for any little hidey-hole he can find. Couch cushions, underneath furniture, or anywhere small and dark is straight where he heads. Play pens are a great idea because it keeps these spots off limits and the last thing we'd want is a hedgie getting stuck somewhere irretrievable (is that a word?).

3) Most people on here will tell you to use fleece liners for bedding for your hedgie, but yesterday's news is very popular in litterboxes. The problems with using a paper bedding in the whole cage is an eating/choking hazard and the dust may cause respiratory problems. I don't know exactly what yesterdays news is (I've never used it) but those are the main reasons that fleece liners are the preferred bedding. 

Congrats on becoming a new hedgie owner, and welcome to the site!


----------



## sebian (Aug 29, 2008)

That's pretty much the greatest answer possible to those questions. 

As far as Yesterday's News goes, we use it all the time and haven't had a problem with it. That being said, when we first got our second boy he was still very tiny and attempted eating it when we put the litter box in the cage. We took the litter box out right away and waited until he was a few month older and a lot bigger before we tried again. After that, he tried biting into it and really couldn't, so he hasn't thought twice about eating it again. Don't quote me, but I don't think hedgies like swallowing things they can't chew/isn't soft and Yesterday's News has a coating on each piece of litter making it a bit difficult to eat. Just make sure you keep an eye on your guy-- maybe only put the litter box around when you're going to be watching him and see what he does for a while? 

Also, I think fleece liners are God's gift to hedgehogs and their owners. They're so easy to use and to wash and when they eventually fall apart, just throw them out! I get a king size fleece blanket for like $20 and that gives us at least 25 liners, which are really absorbent for when they "miss" the litter box . And the boys love burrowing in it!

Hope this helps! Good luck and congrats!!!


----------



## hedgie love (Aug 28, 2008)

> I have three cats. I've seen pics of cats and hedgies interacting but I don't know how to approach this with my boys. They're all front declawed and honestly I think a hedgie would hurt them more than they would hurt it. What do you guys do with your other animals in the house?


My cats are terrified of my hedgehog. When Rosie first saw Herisson her eyes went wide and then she turned and ran. :lol:
I think it totally depends on the cats. I don't let my cats near my hedgehog unless I am supervising just incase they decide Herisson is not as scary as they thought.


----------

