New cat afraid of my snakes ☹️
I got my cat in October. My snakes are both in T8S with a lock on it and they are in a separate room. My boyfriend and I'm computer is in that room as well so I would like to keep the door open while we are home/in the office. My only concern is that the cat is pretty terrified of the snakes. She will get fairly close but she is very jumpy afterwards. Since she was a new cat I decided to just put a sheet over their cages and that relieved some of the stress. I'm wondering if anyone else has a cat that was afraid and eventually got used to it or if they have any other suggestions. I would like to take the sheet off but at the same time I don't want to stress her out.
Re: New cat afraid of my snakes ☹️
We have several cats, and I'd much rather they be afraid of our snakes than show the degree of interest that they do.
Re: New cat afraid of my snakes ☹️
maaaan I'm envious of your problem! I wish my cat had that response instead of wanting to eat my BP. However, I understand how stressful it is for your new cat. I hope that you, your cat, and your reptiles can eventually cohabitate and everyone can be safe and calm. :)
Re: New cat afraid of my snakes ☹️
I'm not too concerned about her hurting the snakes. Their cages are locked and whenever I need to open the cage/get them out we close the door. She does seem curious but she is definitely afraid of them. She generally doesn't hide but she will if she sees the snakes. Like I said. She's seen the cage only once or twice and she normally gets freaked out for a while after. I also don't want her to have full access to that room anyways. There are a lot of wires that I wouldn't her to get a hold of (not that she does that). I just wanted her to be able to go in there when we play computer games because we often spend hours doing that and I don't want to shut the cat out or have to constantly cover the snake cages. Mainly just wondering if someone had a cat who was scared but eventually got used to it or if I should just keep doing what I'm doing.
Re: New cat afraid of my snakes ☹️
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Medli
I'm not too concerned about her hurting the snakes. Their cages are locked and whenever I need to open the cage/get them out we close the door. She does seem curious but she is definitely afraid of them. She generally doesn't hide but she will if she sees the snakes. Like I said. She's seen the cage only once or twice and she normally gets freaked out for a while after. I also don't want her to have full access to that room anyways. There are a lot of wires that I wouldn't her to get a hold of (not that she does that). I just wanted her to be able to go in there when we play computer games because we often spend hours doing that and I don't want to shut the cat out or have to constantly cover the snake cages. Mainly just wondering if someone had a cat who was scared but eventually got used to it or if I should just keep doing what I'm doing.
I think you can start removing the covers, or half covering it so it's more of a gradual process but still offering some exposure. She's still new and getting used to her new home, so everything is still taking a while for her to adjust and get familiar with.
Eventually she will gain confidence in her new environment, including the existence of your snake. I've had cats get freaked at the weirdest things, maybe not snakes but something as strange as the fan or lamp or BOOTS. Or things like moving to a new apartment, guests visiting, dogs barking outside, ect. Every cat is different (I don't know what history yours has), but in my experience, cats will eventually gravitate to wherever you are and if that area has something that's scary, they will gradually make steps towards getting passed it, especially if there is some positive association reinforced with it (your attention or treats). I find if you act chill about it they will start picking up on that confidence and feel less guarded. It will just take time and done at their own pace. I have no doubt she will get used to things at some point, just keep being patient:)