I've had ferrets for about 14 years and have always had cats in the
house as well. All of my cats have gotten along with the ferrets but
only some play with them. I think cats tend to view ferrets as kittens
since they're so active and playful. And since they're equal on the
food chain I've never seen any prey/hunter interaction, well, unless
it's the cat hunting the ferret LOL I think the most important thing is
to make sure the cats have an "out" - a chair they can jump to to get
away from the ferrets, a baby gate they can go past to be completely
ferret free if they want. I also keep all my cats' claws trimmed VERY
close. I have put my hand in while a cat's slapping to see if the claws
are out, though, and they never have been But better to be safe. I also
never leave my ferrets out unsupervised.

Percy, a Persian I adopted five years ago when he was two, fell in love
with them instantly - even sleeping on top of their cage until I'd let
them out. He loves to grab them and groom them like mad and has always
played and groomed the females far more often than the males. Currently
he's absolutely in love with Mitzy, a little one year old I adopted
last year. He also plays with Bitzy, who's slightly younger. Bitzy does
something I've never seen a ferret do and it drives Percy completely
mad. She'll play dead - lay there completely still while he meows at
her and even paws at her. His meows get increasingly louder and more
annoyed till he finally gets bored and walks away. She then jumps up,
gives him a hiss and dashes off LOL Will have to get this on video
because it's just too cute. And you can tell it really bothers Percy
that she's "dead".

I have oodles of ferret/cat interaction on my Youtube page. Here's
one of Percy with the whole gang several years ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFG8eGHDUu8

Percy with Roxy - who he completely adored. He really mourned her
loss and I really HAD to get a new female once she passed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DITq0PVpvN4

Penny, my adopted Exotic Shorthair playing with the ferrets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvbRq_Xu97c

Recent vids with Percy and the new girls Bitzy and Mitzy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqPAKpcmTa0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRKR6KI0sgM

Laura

[Posted in FML 7151]