Cats and Chameleons?

I'm thinking of getting a kitten. Has anyone ever had problems with a cat being interested in or attacking a caged chameleon? Is this a big no-no?

Could cause visual issues for the chameleon. Try to create a room that is off limits for the cat.

I have two cats they are about 3yrs old I had them before I got my chameleon. They are more intrested in his crickets than him most of time. My house is small so I don't have enough space to have a cat free room. I have seen my chameleon walking on bottom of his cage sometimes nose to nose with my cats. He doesn't seem stressed by them but I do discourage the cats from bothering him particulary when crickets have just been put into his cage.

My cham free ranges in my living room and he just walks by my 2 cats like he owns the world...he just ignores them...LOL! But, that is how my cats behave. It's hard to know what the personality a kitten is going to have so you're going to have to be careful and take precautions to make sure that your new kitten doesn't attack or hurt your cham.. but I wouldn't let that stop you from getting a kitten if you want one

leanna156 said:

I'm thinking of getting a kitten. Has anyone ever had problems with a cat being interested in or attacking a caged chameleon? Is this a big no-no?

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My first experience with this was about 8 years ago when I had a huge cage in our bedroom. It was about 6 feet tall and the bottom of the cage was right about eyeball level of our cats. I was keeping F. cephalolepis females in this huge cage and I realized it was a problem when I woke up to find my cat pawing at the chameleon climbing on the inside of the cage. I could hear his nails catch on the screen. Not a good idea if you use 1/4" hardware cloth.

I've heard about people allowing their cat to sit on top of a screened cage. I've heard about cats walking into bathrooms where chameleons were being watered in a shower only to find that the cage ate the chameleon.

I don't have horror stories but I do feel that you should be cautious in the matter. Right now our cats rule the house. No chameleons are inside our home. Just in the greenhouse.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I like cats, buy my main reason for wanting one is because there is a problem with field mice. I don't know how to tell a cat that it's ok to eat mice, but not chams.

The chams are in the living room, which does not have a closing door. The cages are wooden frames with metal wire mesh screen, like what a window screen is made of.

I'm still undecided.

My first two sternfeldi were eaten by my cats : (
They were in a full screen enclosure and one of the cats jumped on the light at the top. The light fell through the screen and ripped a big hole in the top. It fell through at an angle, and ripped out the front of the screen. The cats couldn't have gotten in those spaces, so I assume the chams got scared and ran out. They were never found. Now all chams go in cat proof enclosures. A tough way to learn from mistakes, but learn I did.

If you have a mouse problem (is it in your home?) try making your yard snake friendly for native non-venomous snakes. You can release some in your yard also, and if there are lots of mice they will stick around to keep eating. Problem solved just always make sure they are native species!

pssh said:

If you have a mouse problem (is it in your home?) try making your yard snake friendly for native non-venomous snakes. You can release some in your yard also, and if there are lots of mice they will stick around to keep eating. Problem solved just always make sure they are native species!

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This sounds like a better solution than getting a cat! Sorry-I am just not a cat person.

I'd go out and by some decon (spelling?) mouse traps to get rid of them. My fat cats wouldn't chase a mouse if their lives depended on it...LOL! But, one of them has become a pretty good cricket catcher

JaxyGirl said:

I'd go out and by some decon (spelling?) mouse traps to get rid of them. My fat cats wouldn't chase a mouse if their lives depended on it...LOL! But, one of them has become a pretty good cricket catcher

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I could use a cricket catcher, too.

I have 2 cats and they both act like the chams don't exist. Like some else said though, they are very interested in the crickets! Which is a great thing when some get loose. Oh, and the chams don't seem to notice the cats ever either...

lisa h said:

My first two sternfeldi were eaten by my cats : (
They were in a full screen enclosure and one of the cats jumped on the light at the top. The light fell through the screen and ripped a big hole in the top. It fell through at an angle, and ripped out the front of the screen. The cats couldn't have gotten in those spaces, so I assume the chams got scared and ran out. They were never found. Now all chams go in cat proof enclosures. A tough way to learn from mistakes, but learn I did.

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I'm sorry this happened to you, but how did you cat-proof the enclosures? I wouldn't mind some tips.

Yes Deffinitly

leanna156 said:

I'm thinking of getting a kitten. Has anyone ever had problems with a cat being interested in or attacking a caged chameleon? Is this a big no-no?

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At first I had my beardie and my cat ripped the screen off of that and left half of the body on my floor.Then she slid open the cage of my Chameleon and killed him too,so take a chance if you want but, I'm only warning.What we do is we lock her in a room when we arn't home so she doesn't get it .

The cage I customed has very strong screen and a hook latch, which my cats are too stupid to figure out. They used to try to jump to the top, but they can't anymore. I learned my lesson when I had my old cat open my mouse cage, kill my mice, and bring them to me side by side when I woke up at 8 years old for school.

Baxter the cat guards the cham room! Has no interest in the chameleons but is a great cricket catcher.

My cat would swallow Neelix whole if he got the chance! I put Neelix in the garden for some sun today & had to play body guard the whole time- fending off the cat. Yesterday, he tried to get in the cham cage whilst I was changing the paper, I nearly had a heart attack- I have to be extremely careful!

I've see a lot of threads on here were cats have killed chams

JaxyGirl said:

I'd go out and by some decon (spelling?) mouse traps to get rid of them. My fat cats wouldn't chase a mouse if their lives depended on it...LOL! But, one of them has become a pretty good cricket catcher

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DeCon is a POISON. Very simply, the active ingredient in it is a type of warfarin that causes the mice to start hemorrhaging internally. This causes huge thirst, so they tend to leave the house to search for water (and that's one reason people like it...the mice don't die in your walls). And, because they are sick and less fit they can be caught by other people's pets that can ALSO be poisoned. Not to mention wildlife such as hawks, owls, those beneficial snakes, or other critters. I have rescued hawks that were poisoned secondarily by warfarin. It does happen.

If you want to get rid of your mice humanely and responsibly, first make sure you know what type of mice they are...either native "field mice", deer mice, or the very common non native "house mouse". If they are native mice, live trap them and release them away from your house or use a plain old classic mouse trap to kill them instantly. If they are house mice don't release them outdoors because they don't belong in the wild. Again, if you use a plain mouse trap (biologists call them snap traps) it is often the quickest and least tortured way to kill them.

Well, cats are predators and I know it'd be a big mistake to leave my cham alone with him, or not to supervise properly. I've a had a few scares with my little dwarf hamsters. My cat is soft as anything, but when it comes to small scurrying things, he's all business. Even playing with me, he has strong little teeth and claws. Accidents happen, but I pray not to mr neelix. The cat was my main reasoning for getting a glass cage in the end, I was frightened he would tear through a screened cage.