Anyone else have cat problems?

[bl00]

I got my first BP about 2 weeks ago, and my cat's just now starting to realize that he exists. She likes to hop on his cage (conveniently located on the bottom shelf of one of my fish tank stands) and stare at him through the screen lid. She also spends alot of her time gazing at the front glass of the tank now.

Are these cat behaviors problems that will excessively stress out the snake, or am I worrying too much about it? And if they are a problem, has anyone else dealt with stopping them successfully?

[Darkice]

Thats an easy fix. Introduce the snake to the cat by placing the snake around the cats neck. And make sure the snake gets a nice firm grip.

[Nate]

Thats an easy fix. Introduce the snake to the cat by placing the snake around the cats neck. And make sure the snake gets a nice firm grip.

Sarcasm, right?

My cat was always curious too...as long as you know your tank is secure and the snake can't get out and the cat can't get in, you will be OK.

Now, my cat is bored with the snakes and couldn't care less about what's in the cage

[p3titexburial]

I think there is a risk (not necessarily absolute) of stressing the poor guy out--having a cat stare at him constantly may be frightening to an especially shy BP. I think it all depends on how your BP reacts.

A cat's still a predator, and a snake is lower on it's food chain. (unless it's a huge one!)

That said, I banned my cats from my room but at EVERY chance they get, they'll run/sneak/trample their way in to stare at my empty glass tank--my corn used to live there before I moved... and they'll sit there for HOURS thinking there's still something in there.

Silly creatures.

[h00blah]

lmao. i have the same issue with my cat.

i also just banned all other animals from coming into my room. my cat would stare into the tubs and just sit there.... soon as i noticed it, i took her out.

i know the tubs are secure, and theres no way my cats gonna get a snake lol, but i just dont want fur or paw prints on the tubs

[Nae]

My snakes are in tubs in a utility closet off my living room. As are my rats. My cat doesn't even seem to know we have snakes until we handle them. She's way more interested in the rat tubs, bearded dragon and our dubia colony.

The best way to deter a cat is to think of something that will cause them displeasure within 3 seconds of doing an unacceptable action whether you are there or not. I like to use tape sticky side up but I wouldn't recommend that near a snake as snakes & tape don't get along.

[gknight]

My cat enjoyed watching at first, and will still watch occasionally, but my snakes seem to bore him now. He'd much rather play with toys that jangle...

[p3titexburial]

The sticky tape idea is actually not bad in theory--hey, you can try a trick people use to prevent dogs from jumping on the couch. Basically you cut up a... those prickly mats people clean snow/mud/dirt from their shoes in strips, and hot glue the strips to the tub cover. So it prickles their behind when they try to sit/lay on it.

The thing with cats is their claws/saliva have special bacteria that's toxic to birds--so even if you "save" a bird from a cat, without proper antibiotics, it'll still die. I don't know how dangerous it is to other animals but I don't know if I'd risk it.

[euphuistical]

My cats are way more interested in my rats than my snakes. Both cats have also been struck at (no contact) by a snake so I think they know that snakes mean bad news. At least I hope so incase a little snake gets out they may think twice before attacking it.

[Spaniard]

My cat was very intrigued with my snakes when I first got them. I introduced them and when he went to go swat at it I verbally corrected the behavior. My kitty is pretty smart and he got the point that they were off limits. Now he doesn't care at all; sometimes I see him over by my rack peering into the tubs but I'm not worried about him getting in. He'd much rather sleep than waste more than 2 minutes standing outside the tubs.