Cat vs. Gerbil Cage
May 17, 2010 10:36 AM Subscribe
How can I keep my cat from sitting on my gerbil cage and freaking out my gerbils?
We adopted a cat last fall. She's a very sweet kitty in most respects, but her favorite thing to do is to sit on top of the gerbil cage 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!
We adopted a cat last fall. She's a very sweet kitty in most respects, but her favorite thing to do is to sit on top of the gerbil cage 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!
Your description and photo demonstrate that you've already tried tinfoil. So...I'd go to your local hardware store and get some anti-bird strip - something with small spikes on it. One jump up and your cute kitteh won't bother to attempt it again.
posted by meerkatty at 10:42 AM on May 17, 2010
posted by meerkatty at 10:42 AM on May 17, 2010
I believe that there are several brands of sticky tape that cats don't like to step on. If you cover the top of the cage, this might solve your problem. I think one brand is called StickyPaws.
posted by JauntyFedora at 10:44 AM on May 17, 2010
posted by JauntyFedora at 10:44 AM on May 17, 2010
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.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 10:44 AM on May 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by pseudostrabismus at 10:44 AM on May 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
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?
posted by something something at 10:45 AM on May 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by something something at 10:45 AM on May 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
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".
posted by jwells at 10:45 AM on May 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jwells at 10:45 AM on May 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
anti-bird strip - something with small spikes on it. One jump up and your cute kitteh won't bother to attempt it again.
This sounds like a really bad idea, likely to involve vet bills for the puncture wounds on the cat's paws.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 10:46 AM on May 17, 2010
This sounds like a really bad idea, likely to involve vet bills for the puncture wounds on the cat's paws.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 10:46 AM on May 17, 2010
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.
posted by Vaike at 10:49 AM on May 17, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Vaike at 10:49 AM on May 17, 2010 [3 favorites]
This sounds like a really bad idea, likely to involve vet bills for the puncture wounds on the cat's paws.
The strips are not actually made of, you know, spikes. More like non-sharp nails, just a barrier they can't land on. You'd easily be able to make your own strip with a small plank of wood or particle board and some nails. I've made a similar strip to keep raccoons from sleeping on part of my deck.
posted by meerkatty at 10:52 AM on May 17, 2010
The strips are not actually made of, you know, spikes. More like non-sharp nails, just a barrier they can't land on. You'd easily be able to make your own strip with a small plank of wood or particle board and some nails. I've made a similar strip to keep raccoons from sleeping on part of my deck.
posted by meerkatty at 10:52 AM on May 17, 2010
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!
posted by adipocere at 10:52 AM on May 17, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by adipocere at 10:52 AM on May 17, 2010 [5 favorites]
Hmmm, have you considered placing a motion alarm by the cage? You can buy cheap toy ones off of Amazon or you could Google around for something a that would be louder and more reliable.
posted by ayerarcturus at 10:55 AM on May 17, 2010
posted by ayerarcturus at 10:55 AM on May 17, 2010
N'thing tinfoil- I've never met a cat that likes, or will tolerate, tinfoil.
Or you could always give your cat kitten mittons (yes, that's how they are spelled).
posted by TheBones at 10:56 AM on May 17, 2010
Or you could always give your cat kitten mittons (yes, that's how they are spelled).
posted by TheBones at 10:56 AM on May 17, 2010
Bitter apple is supposed to deter cats. Combine this with some of the sticky tape around the edges of the cage. Oh! Don't they have some kind of mat that is supposed to keep animals off of the couch or counters? Maybe you could create a barier with some of these mats.
posted by mokeydraws at 10:57 AM on May 17, 2010
posted by mokeydraws at 10:57 AM on May 17, 2010
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.
posted by zadcat at 10:57 AM on May 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
Keep the gerbils in a closed room, or give them away.
posted by zadcat at 10:57 AM on May 17, 2010 [4 favorites]
I think a structure sitting over the mesh is your best bet... you can try more behavior modification but your cat has done enough to make it clear to me that that's not going to work. Sometimes cats are willing to put up with alot if they really want what they want; but that's OK because we are tool builders and can build something to do the behavior modification for us even if she doesn't want to cooperate.
I'm picturing a wooden structure high enough off the cage so she cant' lie on it and bend her little neck down, and with a barrier so she can't crawl between the top of the structure and the mesh.
posted by amethysts at 11:03 AM on May 17, 2010
I'm picturing a wooden structure high enough off the cage so she cant' lie on it and bend her little neck down, and with a barrier so she can't crawl between the top of the structure and the mesh.
posted by amethysts at 11:03 AM on May 17, 2010
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.
posted by afx237vi at 11:09 AM on May 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by afx237vi at 11:09 AM on May 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Seems like double stick tape all over the top of the cage would prevent the cat from landing there. Cats hate sticky stuff on their paws, so this is the way I would procede.
posted by snoelle at 11:16 AM on May 17, 2010
posted by snoelle at 11:16 AM on May 17, 2010
Frankly the solution needs to be more than keeping the cat off the cage. Small rodents will sometimes put a paw or tail outside the cage, which gives a predator a chance to seize it. Many years ago we used to have a dachshund mix and it mauled/killed our hamster this way, and we're talking just a regular Petsmart cage. I'm hoping this can serve as an example to others. It's one thing if a cat is indifferent to small critters, but the question posed sounds like predatory behavior -- my advice is to please put the cage away from the cat and keep your gerbil safe.
posted by crapmatic at 11:26 AM on May 17, 2010
posted by crapmatic at 11:26 AM on May 17, 2010
You could probably eschew the double sided tape by just laying tape strips up there, sticky side up. If the cat jumps up they will stick to him even after he gets down so you'll know where he's been.
posted by chairface at 11:29 AM on May 17, 2010
posted by chairface at 11:29 AM on May 17, 2010
Can you make some kind of cone to prevent the cat from being able to land on the top?
posted by Solomon at 11:33 AM on May 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Solomon at 11:33 AM on May 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
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.
posted by Miss Mitz at 11:33 AM on May 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
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.
posted by Miss Mitz at 11:33 AM on May 17, 2010 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks for the responses, everyone! I'm going to try building some sort of opaque cover and put sticky tape on in the meantime. I think you guys are right that some sort of physical barrier to the cage lid is called for.
Just wanted to say, I know these pets are fundamentally incompatible, and I really can't blame the cat for wanting what she wants. Of course if I thought the gerbils were in imminent danger of being eaten I would absolutely keep the door to the room closed at all times and start trying to find a home for them. They're pretty safe in the cage - the walls and bottom are glass, and the screen mesh of the lid is too fine for even a tiny gerbil paw to get through. And we keep the cat out of the room whenever we are not there to keep an eye on things. I just want us all to be able to hang out in there for a couple hours at a time without worrying about the cat scaring the bejeezus out of the gerbils.
Thanks for your ideas! If anyone else has any thoughts, please do post them! I will report back with results.
posted by beandip at 11:47 AM on May 17, 2010
Just wanted to say, I know these pets are fundamentally incompatible, and I really can't blame the cat for wanting what she wants. Of course if I thought the gerbils were in imminent danger of being eaten I would absolutely keep the door to the room closed at all times and start trying to find a home for them. They're pretty safe in the cage - the walls and bottom are glass, and the screen mesh of the lid is too fine for even a tiny gerbil paw to get through. And we keep the cat out of the room whenever we are not there to keep an eye on things. I just want us all to be able to hang out in there for a couple hours at a time without worrying about the cat scaring the bejeezus out of the gerbils.
Thanks for your ideas! If anyone else has any thoughts, please do post them! I will report back with results.
posted by beandip at 11:47 AM on May 17, 2010
a can of pennies or similar balanced on the edge so that when she jumps up, the loud crash is an immediate deterrent (and early warning for you!)
posted by wayward vagabond at 11:55 AM on May 17, 2010
posted by wayward vagabond at 11:55 AM on May 17, 2010
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.
posted by Hdog at 11:56 AM on May 17, 2010
posted by Hdog at 11:56 AM on May 17, 2010
I like the idea of making a pitched roof for the cage, something the cat cannot physically jump onto . Make it out of whatever you have handy.
posted by jabberjaw at 12:05 PM on May 17, 2010
posted by jabberjaw at 12:05 PM on May 17, 2010
You need an opaque barrier, like a big flat fitted piece of wood, that preserves ventilation. Maybe get about four 1x2 strips (or even wider, to admit more light - maybe 1x3" strips) the width of the cage and attach those to the underside of the new wooden lid with the smaller edges attached to the flat lid.
Make sure the whole thing is plenty heavy, maybe with a bottom lip to surround the existing lid to make sure it won't slide off.
Good luck! Could be a fun project.
BTW, I'd avoid using plywood for a small-animal-related project.
posted by amtho at 12:16 PM on May 17, 2010
Make sure the whole thing is plenty heavy, maybe with a bottom lip to surround the existing lid to make sure it won't slide off.
Good luck! Could be a fun project.
BTW, I'd avoid using plywood for a small-animal-related project.
posted by amtho at 12:16 PM on May 17, 2010
Why can't you just keep the cat out of the room? The gerbils need to feel safe and secure trumps your need for kitty snuggles - which you can get in any other room in the house. And I'm pretty sure they always know when predators are near otherwise the gerbil race would have died out a while ago. So your little friends will be getting stressed even if the cats not right in their face.
posted by Jubey at 3:55 PM on May 17, 2010
posted by Jubey at 3:55 PM on May 17, 2010
Double-sided sticky tape helped keep our determined-to-ignore-rules cats off my stereo speakers.
posted by rodgerd at 11:22 PM on May 17, 2010
posted by rodgerd at 11:22 PM on May 17, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Ys at 10:39 AM on May 17, 2010