Having Cats and Beardies

[Wolfeden]

Both of my boys, under 10, shoot guns too.

 

[ladygodiva35]

That cat is beautiful! That looks exactly like my half persian/siamese cat that passed away over 15 years ago. And the dragon is cute also!

 

[SkeptiBee]

Both of my cats were with me long before my two reptiles. They are in their mid to late age with very different personalities. Isis ss very chill, inquisitive, but knows her limits and doesn't take risks. When I first introduced her to the Hermes (who was full grown by then), she wasn't sure what to make of him. She sat, at a distance, staring at this short spiney thing that randomly moved. During one brave moment, she lifted up a paw, slightly extended it as if to touch Hermes, before changing her mind and setting the paw back to the floor. Bravado is not with this one. She does, however, really like laying inside Hermes enclosure since it's so warm. There was one time I had one of the plexiglass doors slid open so she took the liberty to jump into the enclosure with the lizard while my back was turned. Usually she sleeps on top (the enclosure is one of those crossfire types), but this time she an opportunity to explore the inside. I turn to find her curled up inside the tank, the reptile looking extremely confused, as she hunkered down to sleep on the warm side. Obviously I wasn't going to let her do this. She still, rarely, tries to get inside the cage but I stop her before she makes progress. She's also hopped up on Sienna's cage which does have the mesh top, but in Isises old age, I think she simply prefers to sleep all day on my bed. She's not the one I'm worried about though.

Murphy is. He has a lot of jealousy issues and can be very defensive. I'd wager this has a lot to do with when Hermes would just crawl over the cat to get from point A to point B and Murphy started getting anxious about this. He would also try and bat both Sienna and Hermes heads if they did something Murphy didn't like. Like licking him or mistaking a whisker as food. He's one I have to keep a close eye on.

This is all going to depend on the personality of the cat. Some get along swimmingly with other animals, others can have their issues. I never leave my dragons unsupervised when they are out; they are either in my lap or on the floor and watched with eagle eye if Murphy is in the room. I cannot trust that cat fully. Some day's he's great, others not so much. Getting the cat used to the reptile will be a slow process. I allowed Hermes and the cats to mingle in small increments. If either one of the cats seemed upset, the reptile went back in the cage.

 

[Wolfeden]

That cat is beautiful! That looks exactly like my half persian/siamese cat that passed away over 15 years ago. And the dragon is cute also!

Thanks, he's a pretty cool cat named Mooch.

Interesting...I've always thought of him as a long haired Siamese (if there is such a thing) but also suspected he might be a Persian/Siamese mix. He's a rescue so we'll never know for sure. He was attacked by wildlife, probably coyotes, and the previous owner couldn't afford the medical bills to repair his broken back leg and several torn tendons.

Mooch was going to be euthanized but in the last hour the vet decided she'd try to save him on her own dime and keep him. He's named Mooch because he quickly learned to open all the cabinets, in the vets office, and eat all the other pets food.

Anyway, on the day we had to put our last cat down I think the vet was touched by the sight of two adults and two young boys crying so she offered Mooch to us and we took him home.

That's pretty funny! Cat looked possessed...

This one is slightly less possessed looking, I think the flash makes his blue eyes look that way.

 

[BrendaKay]

I have two cats and a two year old dragon. Typically, nobody pays any attention to anyone else when my bd is out, but I'm usually in the same room. Sometimes one of the cats will sniff him, sometimes raise a paw to touch him, but never more than that. All three are pretty laid back.

 

[FloraBelle]

Hi!
I have always had cats (siamese), although I currently have only one, a 15 year old seal-point. I am a recent beardie owner, but have had cats my entire life. My cat is mildly curious about my juvenile beardie, but not overly so (and yes, my beardie's tail would be my main concern!). I supervise VERY closely if Indy is out of his enclosure (never take my eyes off of them and Indy stays on me - I wouldn't consider putting him down on the floor at this point - maybe when he is an adult, but I doubt it!) Cats can be unpredictable... docile and dozy one second and pouncing the next... I don't believe in de-clawing cats, so that would be a problem!

I agree with other posters that owner vigilance is the key! After all, cats are hunters by nature and will typically "hunt", even if they never actually eat their prey - most indoor cats just "play" with their prey as they are usually well-fed on cat food. Also.... most cats LOVE to give their owners "presents" in the form of a variety of dead critters. My cats have always been indoor cats, but that doesn't stop them from doing this. I even had a cat manage to catch a bird through a window open only about an inch for a little air circulation! He enjoyed presenting me with the little creature and was very proud of himself!

So... I have a fairly cat-proof enclosure... UV is mounted inside the enclosure, basking and ambient lights are mounted on attached hanging brackets above holes covered with heavy grade wire grate (so the cat can't knock them over even if he manages to get on top of the enclosure (which is unlikely). I also have sliding glass doors on my wooden enclosure rather than a screen on top of a tank. Despite all precautions, I still keep an eye and make positively sure never to leave a glass door open at all (I am practically paranoid about this, actually!) even though my cat only infrequently notices my beardie, and the beardie doesn't seem to notice the cat at all.

I think a kitten could work out if you train and expose him to your beardie often. Adult cats are trickier. Also, if you are away from home a lot, that could spell trouble when your cat is young and very curious. Good Luck! I wouldn't "not" get a cat because of your beardie, but it will take effort on your part - worth it though.

 

[jenn4turtles]

They don't seem to notice each other all that much.

LOL! We have a Mesey, too!

 

[jenn4turtles]

We already had our cats prior to getting Smaug. Storm (9 years old) kinda pretends like he's not there; she ignores him for the most part when he is out of his tank, but does occasionally watch him while he's in it. One time he crawled over to her on the kitchen floor, and she took off down the hallway away from him. Sami (8 years old) seems mildly interested in him, especially during his bathtime. She will smell him, and try to touch him with her paw, but I don't let her "bat" at him. Saint (5 years old) seems the most infatuated with him. He has climbed onto the screened top of Smaug's enclosure (and knocked the screen loose!) and has jumped in when the top was off. Whenever we take Smaug out, Saint comes. If Smaug is sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor, Saint is a foot away from him, laying down. If Smaug is in the window, Saint is, too. Bathtime for Smaug - Saint is there. I think that Saint likes him, and is just curious about him.

Window buddies:


All that said, I would NOT trust Smaug with any one of them if I wasn't there! Cats have a high hunting instinct ... A wriggling dragon (and it's long, wiggly tail) might be too tempting. I'm not saying that you can't have both of them; you just have to be careful, and a lot will depend on the cat and the dragon. If you look on YouTube, you will find videos of cats and dragons getting along well, cats that are afraid of the BDs, etc. I would worry that a young kitten would be too playful and rough (not intending to be, but they can play rough) for a smaller BD. I am hoping that one day (when Smaug is bigger - only about 11 inches now from head to tip of tail) I won't have to be so vigilant about it, and he can stay out more.

 

[jenn4turtles]

Speaking of cats and dragons ...

One of my favorite pics on the internet (neither critter belongs to me):



Just something to make everyone smile. :lol:

 

[Wolfeden]

 

[Elmontare]

This is just a little story....

Over the winter wandered in a stray cat which my neighbors started feeding...now mid summer we have 4 strays hanging around (what a surprise...). These cats are now pretty people friendly. Ive also been trying to get my beardie used to the great outdoors but shes quite afraid to move from my lap and tries to hide in my shirt when neighbors walk by.

So today i put her down in the grass and kept a few feet of distance in front of her and two of the cats were wandering around. Now i thought for sure my beardie was going to panic and the cats were going to attack...but neither one seemed to care about the other. My beardie watched them but showed no signs of anything. The cats took a glance but didnt seem to care. It was strange but i dont think i want to tempt fate again.

 

[liss0302]

I have seen some adorable stories about cats and beardie's being the best of friends...I'm hoping for that!
I had my cat, Shir before I got my beardie, Charlie. Shir was a huge fan of sitting on top of Charlies tank for warmth, but then she started ripping the screen, so I made a wooden barrier to stop that from happening. She loves to watch Charlie and Charlie doesn't care at all. She's the chillest beardie... but I just started using the wooden top so we will see how it goes!

it basically sits around my lights (so no issues there) and the hinge on the front allows me easy access and I drilled a bunch of holes to allow air flow while keeping heat in. I'm thinking that Shir's weight won't be an issue with it either.

 

[jenn4turtles]

We've had Smauggie since May of last year, so ... almost a year now. The cats are pretty much used to her, and vice versa. I still wouldn't leave her alone with them, though, just as a precaution. Can't be too careful! But there is a certain camaraderie.


With my oldest cat, Stormy. She's the toughest out of the three cats.



Snuggling with Sami (Siamese - the middle cat) while Saint (the youngest) is nearby.

 

[BrendaKay]

Here is Sidney snuggling up to Cheeto, who in turn was snuggling up to me on my lap.