Been Offered a Pair of Pet Rats ?

[**TINA**]

I took on 2 rabbits as they were neglected, and i had 3 cats at the time.
They were my 2 bridge babies F.anny Cat & Rosie       Splitz at the time was 4 (now 13) and they were all great with them.
They would run out their hutch & straight in the house, the cats went & sat in their hutch, bless.
But the rabbits went to the bridge in a short space i had them    Old age, i didnt realise they were in their prime, i just wanted to save them & give them love.
(I called them George & Mildred) then found out George was a Georgina  )

I aint seen the pair of rats, but apparently have a big cage (a one with bars im sure), and a few balls to play in.
Thehe novelty has worn off  , so dont get out much. They were moved the into their garage, but she said she brought them back indoors with it turning cold.

If we do take them on, they will get attention, as i will fuss cats in one room & Mick can fuss the rats (i dont know their names either)

So Splitz will probably watch them, Pod, i aint sure what his reaction will be. He ate (sorry i know its sort of nature) my friendly wild mouse that used to come for food & take it
under the shed (we called him Stuart) And Rolo, i dont know, he used ti hunt rabbits & brought one home bigger than him 

[JackSpratt]

Awww, I love ratties. I've kept rats and cats in our home before with no real issues. Generally, the cats become kind of blase about the fact they're sharing with a rodent.

But the thing about rats is they are not only really intelligent but in general really love human interaction. Some smaller animals are really indifferent and prefer to be left to their own devices in a decent sized home with lots of mental stimulation; rats aren't like that. They grow bored really quickly.

It all depends on whether you have the time to give them that. (Although by the sounds of it they'll get more interaction with you than where they are.)

(Hehe, sorry couldn't resist the picture!)

[CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls]

I had 4 cats and a budgie, yes the cats were intriged but if they went over to sniff Tweety they would get a peck on the nose   they soon learned to leave her alone.

I have 8 rabbits and 6 cats at the moment, they are all allowed to mingle. One of my cats is a hunter and he used to hunt the rabbits, not doing any harm to them though cos I was there watching over them. He dosnt even bother with them now, neither do any of my other cats. I think if they are supervised they should be fine and once they are fully aware of what each other is they should learn to live with one another.

If you dont feel like taking these rats on maybe you could look after them and try to find a home yourself, I know its not really your problem but they could be going to far worse, and this I couldnt live with myself  

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

I think jackspratt has small furries

Yep JS is the "small furry" expert ... I'm sure she can give you lots of advice.

I currently have 3 cats and a hamster and I have to say the cats show absolutely NO interest whatsoever in the hamster ... Rossi used by the cage and watch"grinch" but even that has lost it's appeal nowadays and they all leave grinch alone 

[sixfurballs]

In addition to the sixfurballs I have 8 guinea pigs and 2 rabbits. The guinea pigs and rabbits aren't indoor (they have roomy, good hutches which are raised off the ground, with runs under them and covers to keep them snug and dry). However, they do come in the house (I think buns are even easier to house train than cats). I don't let the cats in the same room as the cats. When I have the hutches open to feed, groom or cuddle the furries or clean the hutch the cats normally come over and say hello. They have little nose rubs and have never shown any sign of aggression. In saying that I wouldn't leave them unsupervised for a second.

[Millys Mum]

As long as they are seperate when loose i dont see a problem, go on, save the poor little things!

[Beth]

I kept rats for years they are fantastic animals, so full of character you wouldn't believe, and the boys are the best they're much slower and more cuddly than girls, usually much bigger too. If you have a little time to dedicate to handling them and cleaning them out then go for it i'm sure you wouldn't regret it.

I haven't had cats and rats together, but i did have rats with my dogs for a while, i also had a bunny along with a trained working springer who i dogsat for a few months, and even they got along fine. I think most animals if introduced carefully are okay together. (obviously under supervision and behind bars! ) the worst problem you might have is cats getting addicted to "rat-tv"

[Bryony84]

I have 2 cats and a hamster.

What kind of cage is it? We keep the door shut to the spare room where mouse (the hamster) lives, but she doesn't have any bars or anything on her cage where they could take a swipe at her. They are interested but not to the point where it seems to bother mouse much.

[Dawn F]

I think jackspratt has small furries

[MrsR]

Yes I had a rat for years with my cats and once the novelty of something new worse off they left him alone.    I always shut the cats out the room when I let the rat run around freely but you can buy massive clear balls for rats to go in and run around in.      The cats wouldn't bother my rat when I had the rat on me say when I was on the sofa watching tv.

[**TINA**]

Hi ....

Been offered a pair of male rats approx 7mths old & large cage.

The owners dont have the time to look after them.
True story, they are were bought for their daughter, who now slacks in looking after them.
And so after a home for them. asap.
It annoys me this kind of thing !!!!

Has anyone ever had pet rats & cats in the house ...

I must be nuts even asking this question.
Tell me am nuts PLEASE !!!!   
Ive not said yes or no...  i just said BUT i have 4 Cats