Chistoso... ;)
Sounds like you have a bundle of worries with the cats and ferrets.
Well...when I introduced my cat to the ferrets, his nails were clipped for
safety. Yes, he could do damage with his teeth, but nails typically are a
big danger in a fight.
The ferrets have tough skin, and my cat now, even with claws, hasn't broken
their skin once.
Mindy, on the other hand.... was challenged by the cat in the first month.
She won. The boy still has the scar under his eye from where she bit him
hard. I found the tuft of furr on the floor one day, not knowing what
animal lost it. The cat did.
My parent's cat, however, beat the snot out of the ferret one day because
the fert wouldn't leave her alone. My parent's cat is a veteran scrapper
and hunter (rabbits, squirrels,etc.). I'll sum up the relationship between
the two cats and my ferrets to date.
Samson - my cat (1 yr old)
Pika - my parent's cat (12-13 years)
Mindy - 1.4 year old ferret
Gabby - 1.2 year old ferret
Lola - 3 month old ferret
Samson and:
Mindy - sparring partners. Mindy gets angered with him, and is the
wisest of the three ferts. When she's peaved, it usually winds up with
a stand off. She'll grab a hold of his upper lip and hold him fast
until he calms down. If he dares move, she bites in hard. They
normally ride the threshold of hurting each other when they play. They
appear to like it this way.
Gabby - like an older brother. Plays mildly with her, but doesn't
upset her. Gabby doesn't like rough housing and the cat understands
it. She'll usually start it, and he'll just amuse her or wash her
down.
Lola - heading in Mindy's tracks. She's almost as big as Mindy, but
the energy level of this critter is unreal. She can literally jump on
Samson's back as he runs by, bite into the struff and go for a rodeo
ride. Samson has adjusted his strength levels with her as she's grown.
He was VERY gentle with her when she was palm sized.... now he
challenges her more.
Pika and:
Mindy - keep away from me ferret. Hates Mindy because Mindy bit her
when they first met. Decked Mindy a few times claws and all. Mindy
understands Pika's strength in fighting and respectfully keeps her
distance. Normally Mindy's arrival means Pika's exit to the basement
for peace.
Gabby - getting better. Gabby usually hisses at Pika when Pika hisses,
kind of like a "get lost" game. Pika respects Gabby more and realizes
she's not a threat of any sort. My mother said that last week, Pika
actually would not retreat to the basement and would hang around
quitely and undisturbed.
Lola - hasn't met Pika yet. Have a feeling that she won't listen to
Pika's warnings. Have to keep an eye on her until she's learned a bit
more about Pika's temper.
Suggestions? Have a retreat for the cats. You know that they take a long
time to get used to other animals and they're VERY territorial. Samson was
a piece of cake as he was young as well when he met the ferts. Pika's old
and set in her ways. Cat's hold on to their experiences quite strongly.
It'll take some time, but definitely monitor for at least the first month.
After that, if everything appears to be getting better, slacken the
monitoring.
It might take longer....
Rob & Kate with crew in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Samson, Mindy, Gabby and Lola
[Posted in FML issue 1639]
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