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Cat vs. Gerbil Cage

  • How can I keep my cat from sitting on my gerbil cage and freaking out my gerbils? We adopted a http://picasaweb.google.com/akilbane/CatVsGerbilCage#5472053004053077298 last fall. She's a very sweet kitty in most respects, but her favorite thing to do is to sit on top of the http://picasaweb.google.com/akilbane/CatVsGerbilCage#5472053006213568914 looking down intently. I am afraid the gerbils are terribly stressed by this, and I would really like the cat to stop doing it. We've tried everything we can think of, but she still jumps up there the moment she thinks I'm not watching. The gerbil cage is a glass aquarium with a screen cover. The screen has bowed a little from the weight of the cat, and I'm afraid it will cave in someday. Here's what we have tried: - Spray bottle with water whenever she jumps up there. This sometimes works but sometimes she ignores us until we lift her off. - We got a smaller table for the cage to sit on. It used to sit on a slightly larger table, which gave the cat room to sit on the table next to the cage and peer in the sides. Since we got the smaller stand, she can't do that anymore. - Tinfoil on top of the cage. It makes a sound so we know immediately when she has jumped up there. I thought the sound and feel if it would repel her, but she has learned to ignore it, and push it out of the way so she can see her furry friends. - Shouting - Blowing at her face - Lifting her by the scruff of her neck as I lift her down - I don't do this much because I'm afraid I'll hurt her. - Spreading lemon juice around the cage. I read somewhere that cats don't like citrus scents, but I don't think she even noticed. She definitely knows she's not supposed to be up there, but I guess it is hard to resist the predator instinct. We are careful to always close the door to the room where the gerbils are when we are away from home or sleeping. I don't want to keep that door closed all the time - it's where our computers are, and it's so nice to have kitty snuggles while I'm surfing Mefi. I don't mind if she sits on my desk and looks across at the gerbil tank from a distance of 3 or 4 feet - I don't think the gerbils have good vision at that distance anyway. I just want the top of the cage to be out of bounds. Do I have any hope of changing my cat's behavior? Or do you have any other tips for minimizing cat/gerbil interaction? I'm happy to spend money on a different cage or something; I'm just out of ideas. Help me hive mind!

  • Answer:

    The best cat deterrents are surprise, noise, and scent, in that order. "Bad kitty!" doesn't even make the list. Set up something that will fall down and make a noise, without you being present. The ultimate cat deterrent would be some Rube Goldberg contraption that immediately flings a balloon (the inside of which is lightly coated with some kind of orange oil) onto a thumbtack after a cat leap. Motion! - bang! - hateful citrus!

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You can't. The cat is not being bad: fascination with possible prey is a deep, non reprogrammable part of a cat's nature. Keep the gerbils in a closed room, or give them away.

zadcat

Just create a physical barrier, like an arch of chicken wire over the cage. That way the gerbils still get light and air, but it is physically impossible for your cat to get on.

Vaike

Can you make some kind of cone to prevent the cat from being able to land on the top?

Solomon

I kept my hamster cage on a bookshelf with adjustable height shelves so I could bring the top one pretty close to the lid while still allowing air flow. Then I made a cat bed where the cat could watch and the hamster wasn't bothered, allowing the evil beast to 'hunt' from afar. It kept the cat happy and the hamster stress free. If your cat has a very strong hunting instinct, you won't be able to bar him completely from stalking, he'll just become more obnoxious and possibly more dangerous (like knocking over bookshelves). Meet him half-way and give him a perch where he can observe, especially if it's in a sunny, comfy spot he should be happy with that.

Miss Mitz

Sticky tape worked for me when I had this problem. Cut several stripes of tape, make into a loop with the sticky surface on the outside, place them in strategic places where the cat is likely to tread. Cat jumps up, gets bits of tape stuck on fur, jumps back down. Repeat until the cat gets the idea.

afx237vi

Can you put kind of a table-like structure over the cage? Something opaque, so if the cat sits on it she can't see downwards. But a couple inches above the mesh for air circulation.

pseudostrabismus

I don't think you do have any way of changing her behavior. At least, I've never found a way of changing any of my cats' behaviors. Your best bet is going to be somehow rigging up a setup that physically prevents her from jumping up there. Can you get a taller table, or put the cage on top of a bookcase?

something something

Get a piece of poster board and fit it into the top, forming a bow as necessary. Tape paper to the sides just to block those off. Then pickup the cat and let it test how stable the surface is. It'll bow immediately so the cat will back off and file that under "places I can't go".

jwells

Rodents have a very good sense of smell. It is possible they are aware of the cat even if she isn't sitting on top of their cage. If your main concern is that they don't stress about the cat, I'd re-locate the cage into a room that doesn't get visits from your kitty. Physical deterrents and barriers are probably the only thing that is going to work in this situation.

Hdog

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