Can degus live with cats?

[skern49]

I bet it depends on the cat. But is there a safe way to find out if the animals are compatible, without risking the cat eating a goo?

[Lrak]

Good question, I've never really had a problem with my cat. Every now and then he will look like he is going to pounce on the goos but the dogs normally stop him.

I personally think that it's best not to risk any interaction in anyway. If my girls are out then the cat gets shut in the kitchen.

[moletteuk]

I don't think cats should be given free access to degus, unless there are exceptional circumstances. Also depending on the cat, the cat may need to be kept out of the degu room altogether if the cat bothers the cage. Depending on the degus, they can be very much upset by the presence of cats and dogs.

I don't know how you would test it out if it's a potential new home you are considering, because if you took the degus to visit they would be on edge due to their new location anyway.

[bijett]

Well, nature wants the cat to be a predator and the degu to be a prey.... but strange things have happened and unusual friendships do form sometimes. If the cat is an adult, I personally wouldn't risk it, if it was a kitten then maybe...

[swiffermuis]

If you mean the cat wandering around while your degus are loose, I would say a big big NO. Like Bijett said, cats are predators and degus preys. Cats can be very sweet at first, but they are still animals and there is a chance they can snap. I would certainly not recommend it and take the risk.

[Karma]

I found this picture again recently and thought you would like to see it Now This is one end of the spectrum!! I would not trust any other cat, just Boomer because I know him and he will listen very well to commands. (He was off leash 1/2 block away from me and listen to a "wait" command when a rabbit darted a foot pass him). He knows about 35 commands, including gentle and leave it. So he is a very special cat, and for him I can trust him when the degus are loose, although the degus always have a spot they can run and hide too and Boomer has a spot to run away too.

Actually the last time I had them out in my room I had to rescue Boomer .... They were tag teaming him and scaring him, one would distract him at the front, then the other would nip at his bum, tail or feet - Boomer would turn around and it would start over. Normally the degus chasing him into a corner where he lies down and watches them play. lol I love how cheeky degus are

[Lrak]

Lol poor cat :-D boomer looks a lil scared there lol