# Cat and Hedgehog



## KatieBug (Aug 26, 2012)

Okay, so I didnt get my hedgie yet, but I am on a waiting list and am setting up its habitat. I also have at home two cats. One is three months old and one is three years old. If I take my hedgehog out to exercise in my living room, will it be okay to also leave my cats out? Will they hurt my hedgie or threaten it? Please help!

:lol:


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## Shell (Aug 23, 2012)

When I brought Percy home my biggest fear was the my cat would try to jump on the cage and pull it down. The first few days I would let her stare in the cage and when Percy was on his wheel she'd watch intensely but I was never far and at night I'd keep the door closed so she couldn't get in. Lately I've been going to bed and leaving the door open and it seems the cat has lost interrest. I haven't got the guts to introduce them as Ozzy the cat has killer intincts and I've seen how she torture's moths. Percy's not afraid of anything and one swat could cause serious damage. I'm sure introducing a kitten would be a different story, but not sure about an adult cat.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Depends on the cat's personality; same with a dog. Our dogs (three mini aussies) have different reactions - two are nervous of the hedgehogs and avoid them, one is overly curious and would probably try to "play" or use one as a chew toy. Regardless, we keep the dogs out of the room if we have the hedgies in a playpen on the floor. If they're with us on the couch or something, we're just watchful so the dogs don't get too close. But, if it's a cat or dog that's more mild-mannered, they could potentially coexist - though it should only ever be done under close supervision. It tends to be that larger dogs will see hedgies more as "food" - sometimes smaller dogs or cats (depending on how predatory they are), and other small animals like rabbits or guinea pigs can interact or be out on the floor with a hedgehog at the same time. I'd say be very careful with the first few introductions - you have to know the signs from both the cat and your hedgie, and how to read them. Even if the cat is fine and ignores or isn't aggressive toward your hedgehog, hedgies can be spooked and stressed out by the smell of a predator, so if they don't relax and get used to it after a few introductions, probably better to not keep trying. (Same thing applies to ferrets - also a predator, and capable of causing a hedgie stress even if the ferret isn't being aggressive at all.) Don't ever leave them unsupervised - no matter how well they seem to get along, even if they've had no problems for months, because even in domestic cats and dogs the "wild" predator instinct still exists, and can be set off by something tiny even if it's never happened before. Just not worth the risk.

Also, in a house with cats, even if they're not going to be allowed in the room, make sure the cage is cat-proof. If it's going to be on a table or something, make sure it's tied down somehow so it can't be knocked off, and the space between the bars (or whatever is applicable to your choice of cage) should be too small for a cat to get its paw through. Also make sure the heating source isn't going to get knocked over either.


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## pickles17 (Feb 18, 2012)

I have two cats, they both are interested when hedgie runs around, they stalk her but never act on it, and if she runs up to them, they both yowl and take off at high speed haha. It will depend on the cats personality though.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

My hedgehog Quigley met four cats and two dogs when he was alive. 

One cat hated him, she hissed and ran away all the time (and the feeling was mutual, he always ran at her with his forehead spikes down). The other three cats were more interested in trying to get Quigley's food from the cage than anything else. Quigley didn't care about the cats being around. Once my cat and hedgie and were sitting on the bed and my cat yawned and it startled Quigley. Quigley was ok after a second (everything startled him the poor guy). 

He loved my brother's golden retriever but the dog was totally terrified of my hedgie and the Quigley would follow the dog around the house and the dog would run away it was very funny. Once I was sitting on the couch with Quigley in my lap and my brother's dog beside me I guess the dog didn't realize I had the hedgehog, at least not until Quigley decided to try and snuggle on the dogs back, after a second of being climbed on the dog realized that there was a hedgehog and I had to snatch Quigley up before the dog jumped off the couch and ran off. The other dog was visiting me one day and followed Quigley around the playpen and Quigley ignored her.

All animals need close supervision when you are putting different species together. Be careful if your hedgehog turns out to be the type that doesn't ball up because he won't protect himself and the cats will never get a warning poke in the nose. If the cats continually try to paw at him or he won't run around his play pen when they are near I'd say keep them in a different room during hedgehog play time. Also with dogs and cats a pounce or an overly enthusiastic sniff from a dog is too rough for a hedgehog so you have to be careful about how close they get and really control the contact. It's already been said but once again a single swipe or pounce can be fatal so never leave them alone together and stay vigilant when they are in the same room.


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

My boyfriend and I adopted a two year old cat in February. We were cautious at first, not sure how he would react to Pliny (the hedgehog); Titus was a rescue cat who had been a stray and then part of a vet-tech program. Titus is definitely interested in Pliny and Pliny is oblivious to the cat. That being said, Titus is not allowed on Pliny's cage or the desk it sits on and is reprimanded if we ever find him up there (happens very infrequently these days). Usually when Pliny has explore the floor time, Titus is put in the bedroom; but if Pliny is sleeping on one of us or just hanging out on the bed/couch, Titus can join us. The cat has never threatened the hog, he is mostly just curious. Nonetheless, we to ere on the side of caution!


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## Heavenly Hedgehogs (Mar 19, 2010)

My cat loved the hedgehogs . She would follow them around and they would be eating from the same dish sometimes. Wherever the hedgehogs were, the cat would be


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## SquiggyTheHedgie (Jul 26, 2011)

My fluffy older cat Nova doesn't care for Squiggy. He will watch him walk around and then Nova will run off once Squiggy gets close because he doesn't like getting poked. My younger other cat Kovu however, is always very curious when Squiggy is out and will follow him and occasionally sniff at him. But he's learned his lesson and knows better than to mess with Squiggy.


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## KatieBug (Aug 26, 2012)

Thanks guys! One of my cats (the adult) is very calm. She normally just sleeps in the sunshine. She sometimes even sprawls out on the floor. She occasionlly will drag around a toy mouse or chase a golfball around the house. On the other hand- my 3 month old kitten- Sasha- is the CRAZIEST thing. She chases moths around the house, chews on the carpet, and runs around like a sycho person.


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## PixiesExoticHedgies (Sep 4, 2008)

My adult cat is has no interest in my hedgehogs. Even though he is a "hunter" and likes to bring home other "trophys". He's never shown any aggression towards my hedgies. Sometimes I catch him laying down in front of the cages; just observing and watching them. When the hedgies are out of their cages, he's never shown any interest in them.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

PixiesExoticHedgies said:


> My adult cat is has no interest in my hedgehogs. Even though he is a "hunter" and likes to bring home other "trophys". He's never shown any aggression towards my hedgies. Sometimes I catch him laying down in front of the cages; just observing and watching them. When the hedgies are out of their cages, he's never shown any interest in them.


That was the same with one of my cats, when we let him outside he'd always come home with a "trophy" but he didn't care about my hedgehog.


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## bugster (Aug 18, 2012)

Heyo KatieBug! Ever since my cat met my hedgie she did not want anything to do with her. The second day we had my little Snickers out (my hedgehog), my cat touched her, got pricked, and walked away. We don't have to worry about it ever now, hopefully you won't have to either!


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## Virtual_Rachel (Mar 23, 2012)

We have a 17.5 year old cat at my parents. Holly's been introduced to her on a number of occasions when I've been there. I think the cat is more scared of Holly than the other way round - backs away! (Though to be fair, she is very old.)

When I was down recently, Holly seemed fine about the cat, but then one night she was asleep on someone's lap and suddenly screamed twice, horribly! :shock: She may have been having a nightmare about the cat, so perhaps it does stress her out after all...


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