keeping my cat away from cham cage

[Cinthia007]

Hi this is my first post Idk what i'm doing.

My cat (pasha) doesn't try to hurt my chameleon (ghost) but he just goes nuts for the crickets. He's knocked down the cage before! Poor cat is soaked, I spray him with water constantly when he goes after. I tried vinegar, He clearly has no sense of smell. I try to keep him out of the room, but he's tearing up the carpet under the door, and I'm a renter. I can put the cage on a higher platform, but i'm afraid Pasha will jump up and get his claws in the mesh and bring the cage down from an even higher distance. He's driving me crazy! any suggestions??

 

[VigilantSpearIII]

Punt your cat into the wall. This is a proven method...(jk) If you are opposed to man on cat violence, you can try curbing the cats enthusiasm with a spray bottle. Shoo it away when it nears the cage. Hopefully it will learn? Not much else you can do besides having a cat room and a cham room. I had a cat indoors before too. No matter what type of towers, toys, scratching posts, the cat would still find a way to harass my chinchillas. Eventually the cat won his freedom and became an outdoors cat. They adapt really well as outdoors pets. Keep trying, cats are so much harder to train than dogs...

 

[CrazyChamLady13]

I don't normally have issues with our cat and reptiles... she was raised with reptiles since the day that we brought her home. We often didn't give her a chance when she was a kitten. Anyways now we have our bearded dragon and he will literally chase after my cat and dog when he's running around. They have touched noses and kissed each other before though.

We still have issues with our cat and fish though.

 

[emilily]

I used to have the same kind of problem. When my cat would get too interested and start swatting at the cage, I would pick him up by the scruff of his neck, use my "angry" voice, and shut him in the basement for a while. Physical violence and squirt bottles have never worked with either of my cats. I still have not been able to get them to leave the cricket keeper alone though. They get bored while we are at work and decide they want to go cricket hunting, so they knock it over.

 

[sandrachameleon]

cup/bowl feed so the crickets are not visible to cat.

keep them separate. I note that you are worried about the carpet in front of the chameleon room door - consider putting down a board / piece of plywood/ rubber mat to protect carpet, try double sided masking tape, or even a zap pad in front of the door (gives mild electric shock to the cats feet - im told its not cruel though I have my doubts).

 

[erik775]

Our pitbull had to learn the hard way...he almost tore the screen on one of my cages tring to get my cham..but after i let him have it like twice he never did it again...i felt bad after but that's just what it took...i would hate to come home to a dead cham and a destroyed cage...

 

[DanSB]

My suggestions are mostly here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/dansb/785-how-secure-against-cats.html

I would like to add that punting a cat or other violence is not only ineffective on cats but is also stupid and lazy.

 

[LLGabriel]

I def agree with a cup or bowl to make less visible. My cats still try to get into the room but I placed one of those thick microfiber mats in front of the door. The water bottle did NOTHING.

 

[Cinthia007]

Great suggestions i do have a little carpet piece under my door but he pulls it out easily even though it has vinegar on it. I was thinking of putting some crickets in a glass jar and letting him have the jar so he can play around with it? It might distract him from the cage. I'll post if it works!

 

[VigilantSpearIII]

My suggestions are mostly here:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/dansb/785-how-secure-against-cats.html

I would like to add that punting a cat or other violence is not only ineffective on cats but is also stupid and lazy.

?...You didn't read or understand (jk) huh... I wont say that not reading a post is stupid and lazy. It is just bad manners bro.

OP try this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._-pla-_-Dogs+-+Training+Aids-_-9SIA00Y0PH9984

 

[Decadancin]

Great suggestions i do have a little carpet piece under my door but he pulls it out easily even though it has vinegar on it. I was thinking of putting some crickets in a glass jar and letting him have the jar so he can play around with it? It might distract him from the cage. I'll post if it works!

Not a glass jar, but you have the right idea!!! The more stimulation your cat gets the less likely it will want to mess with your cham's enclosure. My cats do love to stare at the crickets and one will occasionally jump up to see inside the feeder cup (located next to one side so it is very visible) but that doesn't bother my chameleon. You could also use some catnip when you feed your cham. Spread some out in the other side of the room and see if that is more entertaining then a bug .

Water bottle squirting isn't going to work if the cat can see you doing the squirting and it is not usually an effective method. More play time and stimulation will definitely help!

For my references on my research you will have to check my blog...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAMgzWQiI64

I definitely would consider some sort of anchor for the cage. A simple furniture tie down anchored to the wall should help secure the cage in the event of jumping. You could even use some museum glue!

Good Luck with Pasha and hope this helps!

 

[DanSB]

?...You didn't read or understand (jk) huh... I wont say that not reading a post is stupid and lazy. It is just bad manners bro.

OP try this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._-pla-_-Dogs+-+Training+Aids-_-9SIA00Y0PH9984

I read and understood your post. I didn't think it was funny and while you may have been kidding people regularly abuse and kill cats for lesser reasons. If killing and abusing cats wasn't so common and people were generally decent I might have laughed or let it go.

No hard feelings on my part as I think you probably were kidding, but I do think utilizing violence to modify cat behavior is stupid and lazy and because it is a real issue isn't amusing and shouldn't be joked about on a public forum. Anyone is welcome to think anything they want of me for that conviction but I won't change my mind.

That cat stop product looks promising, a lot of persistant cats seem to ignore the always on ultrasonic deterrents but the surprise blast might do the trick! Thanks for sharing.

 

[VigilantSpearIII]

I read and understood your post. I didn't think it was funny and while you may have been kidding people regularly abuse and kill cats for lesser reasons. If killing and abusing cats wasn't so common and people were generally decent I might have laughed or let it go.

No hard feelings on my part as I think you probably were kidding, but I do think utilizing violence to modify cat behavior is stupid and lazy and because it is a real issue isn't amusing and shouldn't be joked about on a public forum. Anyone is welcome to think anything they want of me for that conviction but I won't change my mind.

That cat stop product looks promising, a lot of persistant cats seem to ignore the always on ultrasonic deterrents but the surprise blast might do the trick! Thanks for sharing.

Well said. I respect your beliefs. I realize that many people get very attached to their pets and become sensitive to anything they perceive as abuse. I know cats are difficult to work with, they operate on instincts more than anything. You know Dan you are one rough cut dude. You spit out your point and get down to the gnitty-gritty. I like that. I may not agree with you but I think id like to share a brew with you and chew the fat about animal raising. I call em as I see em, I'm no fan of animal abuse, but I do laugh at the darker side of humor.

OP I think that even with a lot of stimulation, a cat will still be a cat. They get bored quick and they go back to harassing other pets.

 

[Decadancin]

OP I think that even with a lot of stimulation, a cat will still be a cat. They get bored quick and they go back to harassing other pets.

If you use the proper stimulation and your cat is tired you will have a sleeping cat . If your cat gets bored, you are using the wrong toy! Keep trying and when all else fails... use a paper bag. One of my cats would simply roll around forever and then just pass out from exhaustion. You are correct though, most cats will still be cats and one should never assume that a cat will not do something just because we do not want them to.

 

[LLGabriel]

If you use the proper stimulation and your cat is tired you will have a sleeping cat . If your cat gets bored, you are using the wrong toy! Keep trying and when all else fails... use a paper bag. One of my cats would simply roll around forever and then just pass out from exhaustion. You are correct though, most cats will still be cats and one should never assume that a cat will not do something just because we do not want them to.

Oooh I didn't even think to tell OP about these tricks! Nice! You can also get a cheapy kitty video and put that on. My cats will sit there and watch it for hours and hours!

 

[spottea]

I have a 40 gallon aquarium, so to keep Shaun, my two year old tabby away from it, when he was little and climbing everything, I put double sided sticky tape all round the stand. He hated that, and only climbed up there once!
Cats hate sticky stuff on their feet. So maybe you could try that?
I bought it at the pet store, and it's a bit wider than normal tape, and invisible too.
YumYum, one of my other cats has patted the mesh cage a few times, which is outside, but I can always see her. So, I yell at her to get down. She's learning! She is excellent at catching bugs however, so I never have to worry about stray crickets or anything fluttery. She's on it in a second!
Mr. Tibbs, my big, fat Russian Blue couldn't care less about any of it, as he's much too dignified ( and lazy) to chase around after critters.
Anyway, try the tape, maybe along the door edges etc.

 

[chefboyardee]

set it and forget it

 

[johncjb]

Mabye you should consider getting a glass terrarium. When my bearded dragon was in a glass terrarium my cat did not bother him or the crickets. Also, the cat won't be able to pull down the terrarium as she cannot grip the glass and is not strong enough to move it.
Hope that helps.

 

[Tyaeda]

I don't know why you think vinegar will work...never heard that one. Try and find some 'apple bitter' cats hate the smell of it, I think it's the juice of the skin, and can probably find it in a local pet store...my cats don't really care about Mr.Pink much but they'll stand over the cricket bin and watch/babysit them while I have them out, but if one gets out they're all over it

 

[sandrachameleon]

Great suggestions i do have a little carpet piece under my door but he pulls it out easily even though it has vinegar on it. I was thinking of putting some crickets in a glass jar and letting him have the jar so he can play around with it? It might distract him from the cage. I'll post if it works!

vinegar is not a cat deterrent.
Try hot sauce and ground black pepper

More play time and stimulation will definitely help!

I agree. If you cat isn't bored, it will be less likely to need to entertain itself with cricket/chameleons

I... you probably were kidding, but I do think utilizing violence to modify cat behavior is stupid and lazy and because it is a real issue isn't amusing and shouldn't be joked about on a public forum. Anyone is welcome to think anything they want of me for that conviction but I won't change my mind.

I agree with you. Violence is not funny.