New cat afraid of my snakes ☹️

I went ahead and took them down. She seems to be doing much better than the first time. I think it helps nhttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ur.com/Me6w1OJow that she's used to the apartment as well.

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Get rid of the cat.

Cats can take quite a while to adjust to a new environment, so that's perfectly normal. :) Glad to hear that she seems to be settling in. And I love that you adopted a black cat. I've been told by various rescue peeps that black kitties are more difficult to adopt. :( We have 3 black ones in our cat crew, one who used to look a lot like yours but has managed to double his weight in the 8 years we've had him, so now he's a giant beast. 😂

I agree...much of this was being new to your whole place, & new to you. I think that as she trusts you more & is used to being around you, it won't be an
issue at all for her to be in the room with you. Just don't let your guard down, I still don't think she'll STAY afraid of snakes once this becomes 'her' territory.

I have 2 dogs: bigger one I've had for 13 years (she was half-grown when I got her from a shelter). She has only known my house full of snakes, & she pays
no attention to them. She knows I hold them & care for them. I let her sniff their sheds...no big interest. But my other dog (a terrier mix) I got about 5 years
ago, & when he gets the scent of snake (like from a shed skin) he acts both afraid & a little too interested. I love him but I wouldn't trust him very far...;)

And they are both squirrel-chasers in the yard...my bigger dog has caught & killed several. :( I can't speak for cats, but my dogs respect me as their leader &
know that the snakes are 'mine'...it's different when we're not around though.

It's fine to love our dogs, cats (or kids for that matter), but unrealistic to think they are 100% perfect angels, lol. It's up to us to protect them from each other
as needed.

I actually got her because I used to volunteer at a shelter and the black cats would get stuck there so long. Her sister is still there and I think I'm going to sponser her adoption fee because I don't think I can handle another cat right now but I want her to find a good home in a timely manner. Their old owner went into hospice (she had like 11 cats).

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Originally Posted by Medli

I actually got her because I used to volunteer at a shelter and the black cats would get stuck there so long. Her sister is still there and I think I'm going to sponser her adoption fee because I don't think I can handle another cat right now but I want her to find a good home in a timely manner. Their old owner went into hospice (she had like 11 cats).

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I've been involved in our local Humane Society (as a volunteer in thrift store that supports the shelter, & as a board member for a while etc.) & ours won't adopt any
black cats out when it gets close to Halloween, as they are sometimes abused by sickos (-can happen any time but more likely @ Halloween).

Both my current dogs are black, & I never knew before that black dogs are least likely to be adopted. :confusd: (maybe they look more menacing? or their eyes are harder to
"read" their warmth?) I like all colors, but I think black dogs or cats are very handsome. Can't fit them all in here though...if only! :cool:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I've been involved in our local Humane Society (as a volunteer in thrift store that supports the shelter, & as a board member for a while etc.) & ours won't adopt any
black cats out when it gets close to Halloween, as they are sometimes abused by sickos (-can happen any time but more likely @ Halloween).

Both my current dogs are black, & I never knew before that black dogs are least likely to be adopted. :confusd: (maybe they look more menacing? or their eyes are harder to
"read" their warmth?) I like all colors, but I think black dogs or cats are very handsome. Can't fit them all in here though...if only! :cool:

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I think part of it is that a lot of shelters have grey flooring/cages which allow the brighter colored animals to stick out more while the black cats and dogs blend in. The shelter I volunteer has brightly colored kennels to help the black cats/dogs to stand out. It seems to help.

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

Get rid of the cat.

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just jealous of the cutie, I get it

Allowing the cat in there is only asking for trouble. As the cat gains more confidence in her surroundings her curiosity will grow.
Your snakes don't need to be stressed out by what they only perceive as a predator.

Plain and simple: cats and snakes don't mix.

I would keep an eye on the snakes to see if they start acting any different. If they do seem stressed, then consider keeping the cat out of the room or moving the snakes into a room with less foot traffic that you can keep the cat out of. The enclosure that you have them in won't be a problem with the cat (I'd be more worried if you had a thin screen top or had them on a rack that would easily fall if the cat jumped on it). The cat will be fine though, mine don't even notice the snakes anymore unless they're extremely active... Then again, I have mice as well and they pay quite a bit of attention to them, so that might help some. I would definitely keep the cat in another room when handling the snakes though, for the safety of the snakes rather than the cat. If a mouse or rat can injure and potentially kill a snake, imagine the damage a cat could do. It's never been a problem for me though, just take precautions when handling and you'll be perfectly fine.
Gorgeous baby, by the way!!

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Originally Posted by Medli

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.

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It's probably their natural instinct to LIVE kicking in : )


I know that zoo keepers take the big cats dung home to put on their gardens to keep cats and dogs off them ..

I do the same and it works a treat :)


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