Cats and Panthers?

Lostzen71

Lostzen71

Established Member
So reading some threads on here, as I do most evenings, has got me wondering about something. My 4 month old Ambanja panther, Silas, is still not very friendly. He usually hides and more recently puffs up, hisses and even strikes at me sometimes when I put my hand in the cage. I've had him for a couple months now, and have handled him very little because of his fear of me.

I also have a long haired black cat that is totally uninterested in him, but that does come into his view every day. Her food and water dishes are in the same room as the cham cage. Since she doesn't pay him any mind, I haven't really worried about her being a problem. I've never noticed any reaction from Silas to the cat per se, but I wonder if seeing her is causing him to be stressed to the point that he can't relax and begin to trust me. I kinda figured that if he saw the cat regularly and was never threatened by her that he would just accept her as part of his environment.

Does anyone else have any experience with cats and panthers coexisting peacefully? Should I move his cage to a location that keeps him from seeing her?
 
I had the same concern, and I have a big fluffy black cat! Luckily I have a room for my chams that the cats are only allowed in when I'm working in there. I have noticed some of my chams panic at the site and get stressed. That said, they usually dont see the cats so they never get the chance to warm up to them being around. I would say if your cage has plenty of hiding spots and your cat doesn't mess with them, in time the cham will get used to it. Panthers are pretty bold as far as chameleons go, I'd think you're fine. Just use common sense with safety :)
 
I have a cat and a chameleon. Tony is not cool with the cat at all. All Tony has to do is see Ghost and he makes himself skinny and turns bright colors. He does not tolerate him at all. Which makes sense being as he is small and the cat big and a possible predator to his well being. I generally try to keep them away from each other. It takes Tony a little while to go back to normal after he sees Ghost.

I think possibly your panther might be on edge because he always sees the cat. I feel like in order to build trust with your chameleon there should always be one place where absolutely no harm or stress comes to them. For my chameleon that is his cage/ the room his cage is in. I'm not a chameleon expert though, maybe I would move the cat dishes to a different place from the chameleon cage.
 
Thanks for the responses. I know it may be difficult for some to believe, but I honestly don't worry about the cat doing anything. All cats are not the same, and this one just is oblivious. A sweetheart, but oblivious. I would never leave the cage open, but I'm gone all day for work and there has never been any problem. The cat is uninterested. I read recently about @Rogue 's tragic incident with kitten though, and it breaks my heart. :(

My concern, however, is the chameleon's response. I've read about low level stress shortening their lives and such. And some say they should never be able to see another animal. I don't know if that's reasonable or not, but I'm thinking about putting him in another room and closing it so the cat is no longer an issue for him and see if it makes a difference in his attitude. :)
 
You said..."I'm thinking about putting him in another room and closing it so the cat is no longer an issue for him and see if it makes a difference in his attitude"....good idea.

You might think your cat is different but it's interest could change in a minute.
 
I just want to add that while yes, each cat is different, I wouldn't wish what happened to us on anyone. It was a costly mistake and one that continues to hurt. Just the other day I used his name on the threads instead of Viserion's. All cats have instincts and one of those is to hunt. We have a cat that will not even play if she is being watched. The minute we turn our back, her claws are out and she is hunting her toys.

All I ask... no, BEG of you... is to be overprotective of your cham. I don't recommend underestimating the capabilities of felines. While I am still heartbroken, ashamed and of the consequences of our stupidity, I posted about it here so that it could save another's cham's life.
 
If you can separate them I would do it. I agree with the others cats in general are crazy and tend to always find a new thing to get into. My cat is the same as yours completely careless, he just likes the crickets. It's weird, my chams don't mind my boy cat at all, but are terrified of the girl even though she pays no attention and is smaller. It only be worried about the cat being able to jump on the cage, knock it over, etc. If chameleons can get used to seeing people then they can get used to seeing cats(assuming no bad experiences are involved) IMO.

Like you, I'd be willing to bet I could leave my Cham on his free range all year with the door open and my cat wouldn't bother him. BUT anytime in a cats lifetime that can change and out of the blue 5 years down the road my cat could decide to rip the whole thing apart. I'd never underestimate a cat's unpredictable attitude.
 
I have 4 cats and never worried about them with my chameleon. They never even cared about the chameleon, just were interested in the feeders :). Having said that, Zaphod was kept in a heavy wooden enclosure with no chance of the cats getting him, and he had plenty of cover to feel safe. He didn't care too much about the cats, but if we had him out he was never unattended. No reason to risk it.
Sounds like in your case another spot for the enclosure could help your chameleon to reduce unneeded stress levels.
 
I really appreciate everyone's input! @james our cats do sound similar but I don't think I would go as far as trusting her with him outside his cage! :cautious: ...and I am, imho, very protective of Silas. If I thought for a second my cat was a threat, she would never be near him. He is always secured in his cage with lots of hiding places. It usually takes me a few minutes to find him, which I get a kick out of how well he hides! Honestly, I don't think the cat even knows/cares that he exists.

That being said, I know for a fact that he is aware of the cat! Like @Decadancin said, if this is causing him unnecessary stress, I want to correct that. I want him to be as happy as possible!:)
 
Personally, I can't stand cats. I think they make horrible pets and have reaked absolute havok with local wildlife all over the world where they have become feral. I do agree that it is in a chameleons nature to fear just about everything larger than themselves. Mine gets very upset when he sees my chihuahua, and the dogs half blind and I'm sure can't even see in the cage. All that being said, I do think that a cat, even one that posses zero threat, will stress a wary chameleon. And so all the cat lovers out there don't rip my head off, I have very little experience with them due to an allergic reaction to their dander and kitty litter. I'm sure they actually can very good pets for some, definetly not I though.
 
@Goose502 I like felines as a whole. They are apex predators and overall more badass than dogs lol. They demand respect and you have to earn their trust. I like dogs too, but as an exotic animal lover, cats are more my speed. I totally agree with you on the wildlife thing, it's not their fault people are irresponsible though. Cats should be kept indoors imo.

Btw my cat plays fetch, sticks with me all day, and is overall a great companion. He even listens when I call him or say no

Sorry for the rant lol, just had to!
 
I like to think of cats as fluffy demons. I got a kitten when I was 6 (the neighbors took her to the humane society and the humane society threw her out the back door last year but I won't get into it, I just miss her) and the day we brought her home I relized I wasn't a cat person. She destroyed everything, she peed on stuff because she wanted her food bowl to be constantly full, she's killed all of my fish, and tried to eat my snake. I used to put tack strips on top of my snakes cage to keep her off and she would knock them off and scratch at the mesh top. I loved her but I would never trust her. She never showed any interest in the fish when I was around I would just come home to an empty fish bowl. Also she was fed well, even the vet said she was the fattest cat he had ever seen, she would claw the cat food bags open when I wasn't home and eat all day, until we got plastic bins then she would knock them over.
 
My cat is an ass, I love him dearly. He likes to pee in the dog's bowl when he's mad at the dog. I don't really worry about him trying to hurt the chams, I do keep them in separate rooms for safety and to prevent extra stress on the chams. I really doubt the cat would do anything, he used to climb in the cage with my guinea pigs and sleep with them so I know he's pretty harmless but I'm not taking any chances with my chams.
 
Cats peeing outside of the litterbox is a sign of a problem in someway. Especially for a female. Cats are very individualistic though IME every one is different and I think that's how people get to hordeing them lol
 
jamest0o0 said:
Cats peeing outside of the litterbox is a sign of a problem in someway. Especially for a female. Cats are very individualistic though IME every one is different and I think that's how people get to hordeing them lol
Click to expand...

Yeah my cat had crystals in her bladder, but she would come in my room and pee in the floor when she was mad at me, she would pee beside the cat box when she woul start having bladder issues.
 
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