Do cats and ferrets get along?

The antics of a ferret on the pet shop window can make you decide to take one of these animals home. Having an exotic ferret for a pet is cool! But are you really ready to care for a ferret? Ferrets are bundles of energies that are known to be very curious of their environment. Ferrets can be very demanding of the owner’s time. Caring for the ferret would not be the only concern especially if there are other pets in the house. Can ferrets get along with dogs…and cats? Ferrets and dogs may not be a very good combination but generally ferrets and cats can exist harmoniously in one household. Cats and ferrets usually get along well. Of course there are situations where cats and ferrets in one household can mean an all out war between the pets.

Cats and ferrets have different characters. Cats are noted to have independent personalities. Being solitary animals, cats would not really need other animals to amuse themselves. Cats, unlike dogs would not demand attention from the owners. Ferrets, on the other hand are high energy animals. If cats can placidly lie on the window sill to groom the coat for hours, ferrets can’t be kept still even for one moment if they are not sleeping. Territorial battles and clash of personalities can be avoided if the baby ferret and the baby cat were obtained at the same time and brought up together in the same household. In spite of the difference in personalities, the cats and the ferrets would get along wonderfully as the cat would pay no heed to the mischievous and playful personality of the ferret and the ferrets would not mind the snooty and aloof personality of cats. Cats would even learn to tolerate the little nips ferrets do too entice the cats to play.

Cats though are always attracted to fast moving small animals. A cat owner that wants to get a ferret for a pet has to make sure that the adult cat would not consider the ferret as a prey. In the same manner, an adult ferret can also kill a very young kitten. Careful supervision is therefore very necessary in introducing a new pet to the resident pet. Ferrets appear not to have single fearful bone in their bodies. Ferrets would fearlessly approach cats. The confrontation would result to injuries if the cat manifests a territorial behavior. If the ferret is the resident pet and one that is given a free reign of the house and the new pet is a cat, both animals must be confined in a cage at least for the first week. Introduction must be made gradually. The animals must be allowed to see and to smell each other but must not be given the freedom to get close until both animals gave accepted each other’s presence.

Ferrets, just as cats, have different personalities. A cat may ignore the antics of the ferrets; another may be irked by the mischievous personality and would smack the ferret when it gets too close. Other cats would willingly play and wrestle with these very active animals. Anyone wanting to have a cat and a ferret for a pet must have ample time to supervise the pets. These animals can be the best of friends and co-exist harmoniously under one roof but because of different personalities, battles can easily erupt. Prompt intervention will be necessary to prevent the pets from causing each other serious injuries. It is also important to provide both pets with escape routes the other can’t get to. This is especially important given the fact that it would be impossible for a pet owner to supervise the pets all the time.