New cat afraid of my snakes ☹️

[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.

[Bogertophis]

Taking the side of the snakes here, I'd be glad your cat is afraid of the snakes & hope she stays that way. Most cats are FAR more interested in preying upon
your snakes & will injure or kill them given any opportunity. When a cat is afraid of something, they generally avoid it...are you sure you aren't misreading her?

Getting close to them of her own volition sounds like she is curious & NOT afraid. It would be best for all if the cat was kept out of the room where the snakes
are, to preclude a bad outcome.

[Danger noodles]

It’s not good for the cat or snake. I have a cat and two pugs. They don’t ever get to go in my room where I keep my snakes. If I own something that I keep in a cage it’s my responsibility to make it the best place for them. They can’t ask me to move them or tell me to get rid of the cat

[WhompingWillow]

We have several cats, and I'd much rather they be afraid of our snakes than show the degree of interest that they do.

[Craiga 01453]

Cats and snakes don't mix, period. It's best to keep the cat away from the snakes and enclosures. My cat isn't allowed in my snake room. And when the snakes are out the cat is in a different room.

[MissterDog]

Honestly it's a good thing your cat is being cautious rather than expressing immediate interest, which I would be way more concerned about.

I also keep my snakes in different rooms away from my cats. One of my cats has zero interest in my snakes but I still would never trust him around my snakes, since cats my nature are curious and unpredictable. My youngest one I especially don't trust lol.

And when they do decide to be unpredictable, they are FAST. You will have no chance to stop an accident happening if a cat decides to tap into predator mode.

I once had my youngest outside on the front porch with me with her harness and leash (yes I walk my cats lol). We usually sit by the steps together. There are shrubs beside the porch and suddenly I see my cat staring into the bush, thinking oh she sees a bug. The usual.

Suddenly she lunges forward and rears back with a little bird in her mouth. Not even three seconds and the bird is unquestionably, completely DEAD before I could even register what was happening.

Keep in mind this all happened right in front of me with her on a harness AND leash. She was just too fast for me to react. I didn't even know there was a bird in there!

Anyways your cat will eventually adapt and either not care, or become more bold and curious. So I really don't think the blanket is necessary and I doubt she's as stressed as you think she is, especially if she's going in the room on her own accord.

Either way I wouldn't worry about kitty. She'll be fine

[wolftrap]

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.

[MissterDog]

Also you can't post about a kitty in the cats thread without posting a picture of the kitty! Show us the kitty!

[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.

[MissterDog]

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