chameleons and other pets: halp!

WarmGreenandSlimey

WarmGreenandSlimey

New Member
hey guys, i'm upgrading to a 24x24x48 inch cage for my panther and with the cage i have now, my cat just sits on top of. im scared that the cats are gonna scratch the cage and tear it anyway i can prevent this?

t-hanks
~jacob
 
Is there any way you can move the cage to a room where the cat doesn't go? Other than that, I know that there are sprays and such to deter cats/other animals from getting on stuff, but I'm not sure it'd be safe to spray them around your cham..
 
There are a few options, depending on your preferences and circumstances:

You could box off the top of the cage somehow, something as simple as putting a big 3 sided box over the top of your setup so there was a visual barrier stopping your cat from thinking he can get up there.

Put a shelf/ledge piece of furniture at a height for your cat to observe your chameleon without needing to climb up to the top of the cage, maybe put something up nearby that your cat CAN scratch up, should he feel the urge.

Not let your cat in the same room as the cage, or at least, not unattended.

Or a combination of those things!
 
Beat the cat whenever it gets near!

Kidding :p

I eventually made my cats live outside for this and MANY other reasons.
 
WarmGreenandSlimey said:
hey guys, i'm upgrading to a 24x24x48 inch cage for my panther and with the cage i have now, my cat just sits on top of. im scared that the cats are gonna scratch the cage and tear it anyway i can prevent this?

t-hanks
~jacob
Click to expand...

Cats and dogs DO NOT belong around chameleons. Chameleons see them as predators, just as they are, and they cause alot of stress on your chameleons.

Throw the cat outside where it belongs.
 
allowing the cat to be where the chameleon can see it, especially on top of the cage, will cause huge stress on the chameleon.

Close off the access to the top of the cage, or put the cage in a room the cat cannot access.
 
I have 2 cats and they love watching my Cham, actually I think that they are more interested in the crickets!!..
My 48" tall cage sits on top of a 34" stand and then has an 8" , three sided faux top on top of it, helps hide the lights plus makes it waaayyy to high to even think about jumping on top of it!!!

hyzazygu.jpg
 
Just a reminder - suggestions to harm, beat, kill, etc a cat are not appropriate and will not be tolerated. Cats are animals and cherished pets, just like chameleons, and suggestions to harm suggests animal abuse. Cats and chameleons can coexist with some precautions in place.

My cats were initially fascinated by the chameleons, or the crickets in their cages. Any time they put their paws on the cage they were squirted with a squirt bottle of water, and if I could not supervise then to door to the chameleon room was shut. After a while they lost interest and now I don't have to worry about them. Keeping the cage elevated so your cat cannot reach the top is a must so that their goal of a comfy perch is eliminated. Cats like to be high, so a tall cat tower nearby will still allow them to be high, just in a safer place. My cat just discovered my baby bin of chameleons since it has to be lower than normal cages and there is now a shock mat around the baby cage. I've used it before to keep my very mischevious cat out of the pantry (he gets into the trash like a dog!) and now he knows what the mat is and won't go near it. It's just a small shock - I've stepped on many times without remembering it was there and it takes a minute to register as very uncomfortable rather than truly painful. If your cat cannot be trusted then the door to the room with the chameleon needs to be shut to eliminate the danger. And of course, a completely secure cage (resistant to a cat's efforts) is a must.
 
Last edited:
DanSB said:
I wrote a blog with my advice this comes up so often:

https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/dansb/785-how-secure-against-cats.html

The cat was there first, disregard all the bad advice about tossing it out, electrical current etc, put in the work to be a responsible pet owner.
Click to expand...

I read your blog, and there are a few things that need to be pointed out. First of all, you mentioned an electrified system that keeps cats away. Even though cats may be able to jump over it, it still can be an effective system for enclosures that are large enough not to be jumped on - as you talked about in your own blog. A minor electric current is a very effective way to create a barrier for an animal without causing injury.

Secondly, I find it incredibly rude to call "tossing the cat out" bad advice. Keeping the cat around chameleons is just flat inconsiderate. How would you like it if someone put you in a chicken wire box and had a lion circling around it everyday, looking at you like you're a rib-eye steak?

In this case - the responsible pet owner thing to do is keep them separate. And for separate, I mean out of site of each other. The fact is, chameleons are wild animals, and we're keeping them locked in a cage. The most decent thing we can do is try and make them comfortable during their life-long prison sentence.
 
sandrachameleon said:
allowing the cat to be where the chameleon can see it, especially on top of the cage, will cause huge stress on the chameleon.

Close off the access to the top of the cage, or put the cage in a room the cat cannot access.
Click to expand...

I 100% agree with Sandra..

Cats + chameleons = disasters just waiting to happen
 
I have four cats - never had a problem. In fact they help me catch any escaped crickets :D My cham doesn't move fast enough to draw much attention to himself. If I ever catch the cats staring at him, I give them a stern "no!" and they seem to learn that they're not allowed to mess with Mr.Pink or Mr and Mrs food people will be mad. :p
 
kgallego said:
I read your blog, and there are a few things that need to be pointed out. First of all, you mentioned an electrified system that keeps cats away. Even though cats may be able to jump over it, it still can be an effective system for enclosures that are large enough not to be jumped on - as you talked about in your own blog. A minor electric current is a very effective way to create a barrier for an animal without causing injury.

Secondly, I find it incredibly rude to call "tossing the cat out" bad advice. Keeping the cat around chameleons is just flat inconsiderate. How would you like it if someone put you in a chicken wire box and had a lion circling around it everyday, looking at you like you're a rib-eye steak?

In this case - the responsible pet owner thing to do is keep them separate. And for separate, I mean out of site of each other. The fact is, chameleons are wild animals, and we're keeping them locked in a cage. The most decent thing we can do is try and make them comfortable during their life-long prison sentence.
Click to expand...

I sincerely apologize if you meant a humane purpose built shock deterrent device.

As far as rude, what is rude is disregarding a family pet by tossing them out of the house. This is indicative of one who regards animals as toys. There are many responsible ways to keep both in the house.

I get irritated by people's violent opinions and tendencies towards cats, it is very common and I dislike it and probably react much more harshly than I should. Just the other day someone drove on sidewalk to hit a cat in our neighborhood. This stuff is real and deplorable.
 
DanSB said:
I sincerely apologize if you meant a humane purpose built shock deterrent device.

As far as rude, what is rude is disregarding a family pet by tossing them out of the house. This is indicative of one who regards animals as toys. There are many responsible ways to keep both in the house.

I get irritated by people's violent opinions and tendencies towards cats, it is very common and I dislike it and probably react much more harshly than I should. Just the other day someone drove on sidewalk to hit a cat in our neighborhood. This stuff is real and deplorable.
Click to expand...

"Throw the cat outside where it belongs," means "put the cat where it belongs and not where the chameleons belong."

Outside doesn't specifically mean outdoors, but outside the room or area where the cham's are.

I didn't say there was anything wrong with a family pet cat. But some pets should be kept in separate areas. Just like if someone had a dog that eats cats, solution-keep the dog and the cat separate.
 
kgallego said:
"Throw the cat outside where it belongs," means "put the cat where it belongs and not where the chameleons belong."

Outside doesn't specifically mean outdoors, but outside the room or area where the cham's are.

I didn't say there was anything wrong with a family pet cat. But some pets should be kept in separate areas. Just like if someone had a dog that eats cats, solution-keep the dog and the cat separate.
Click to expand...

My only interest is to voice my opinion that cats shouldn't be treated as disposable pets and if that isn't your intent I apologize. Your comments alone didn't seem malicious anyway.

If someone is willing and able to be responsible and take precautions neither animal needs to suffer or be put out.

I've had cats and small animals most of life with no injuries and one bad incident. A kitten knocked the mister on top of the frog terrarium which broke the metal screen and a kitten got into the frogs enclosure. The paw prints all over the inside of the terrariums pool and a wet kitten were my only clues they got in. I now keep a oven baking wire rack that is shaped with no place to sit and the terrarium is in a place where nothing can be dropped on it. Other than missing one of the frogs for a week (heavily planted terrarium with tons of hides) everything was fine, but I got lucky.

What I didn't do was get mad at the cat because I made a mistake. I found a way for all the animals to be safe and happy.
 
I once had a cat sit on top of my tarantulas cage and rip I giant hole in the cage, I woke up to a huge hole and an empty cage, took me 6 whole hours to find her and I am really lucky I did. My solution was to never let the cats in the exotic pets room. They try really hard to get in and sneak through too. lol
 
lainezor said:
I once had a cat sit on top of my tarantulas cage and rip I giant hole in the cage, I woke up to a huge hole and an empty cage, took me 6 whole hours to find her and I am really lucky I did. My solution was to never let the cats in the exotic pets room. They try really hard to get in and sneak through too. lol
Click to expand...

Great solution. The perfect solution!
 
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