Cats living with lizards :( !!!! BAD !!!!

I have four cats living with my beardie! My kitty Hidey keeds climbing onto his tank and falling in, but she's never even come close to little Mystic! And the other cats avoid coming in my room conpletely (Hidey is kinda aggressive towards them). So for me, at least, it's okay to have cats living with your beardie! As long as the tank has a secure lid and there are no cats in your room when you're out of the house, that is~!

What an alarmist and fatalistic post. I won't disagree that cats can be a risk and shouldn't be 'socialized' with reptiles much of this is just needless fear mongering. Encouraging folks to take proper measures with their enclosures and free-roaming time is much more helpful than insisting that the "IT WILL ONE DAY attack that lizard" or that it's not "possible to have both lizards and cats living in the same house."

Yes, cats are a risk to reptiles and any other small pet, they are predators and are naturally adapted to be good at their job, even seemingly superficial scratches and bites should be treated seriously in humans as well as other animals; and while I'd agree that chances are better that a cat will attack a smaller pet given the chance that not this is still not a 100%. Yes there are lots of stories of cats getting into reptile rooms and pulling out tubs and otherwise causing lots of damage but there are ways to safely keep your prey animals away from your cats. However, there are plenty of people who coexist with cats and reptiles in their homes. A well built enclosure that is solid and lockable will solve any problems with the cat breaking and entering. Paying heed to where you cat is when the lizard gets roaming time and locking them apart will reduce the risk of a surprise attack. I don't let my cat hang out with my lizard any more than I let him hang out with the snakes, or have the snakes out with the lizard.

Another beardie attacked by a cat on this forum .... when will people learn cats and lizards should NOT be allowed near each other EVER ?

There are very nasty highly pathogenic bacterium and viruses on cat fangs, and cat claws , and they can quickly cause a life threatening systemic infection if left untreated ( this requires powerful broad spectrum antibiotics (likely orally and by injection).
A short list of germs on a cats teeth and claws (even "clean" house bound cats) is below
Cytomegalovirus lymphadenopathy*
Epstein-Barr virus lymphadenopathy*
Group A streptococcal adenitis
E.Coli
immunodeficiency virus lymphadenopathy*
Nontuberculous mycobacterial lymphadenitis
Staphylococcus aureus adenitis
Toxoplasmosis lymphadenopathy*

... if you cat has bitten or clawed your lizard, and drawn blood (just a break in the skin is enough) , penetrating injuries are very much more serious again (on an order a magnitude or two in the risk of a life threatening systemic desease as a result , and these germs will likely now in your beardie's blood stream because of the puncture wounds inflicted because the cat attacked the beardie.

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/st ... 21214.html
https://www.vetinfo.com/health-risks-cat-feces.html

Hi I agree cats and any small pet DO NOT MIX.