Kitties... and geckos?

[Scoots85]

Do these two beautiful creatures ever get along? My 9 month old kitten always perks up by the tank and watches as I feed my leopard gecko. The two have even had staring contests, she's pawed at him from behind the glass, and she's even seen me hold the gecko a few feet away from her in my hand yet she's barely shown any interest here. Although I'm sure if she saw the gecko scampering around she'd pounce it within moments.

 

[ariana]

its a cats predatory instinct to hunt..
she sees the gecko as FOOD not a friend...
so just be careful and try to keep the kitty happy too

 

[lizardlove]

Yeah, I'd be cautious about cats. I'm sure a gecko is about the same as a mouse. At best, a kitten would carry it around and play with it, so it would at least end up with a lost tail. Not all cats eat or otherwise over-damage their prey, sometimes they just play, but a gecko would probably drop its tail and otherwise be traumatized for life.

I know that my dog is a bit different, she's just curious so she poked it with her nose and sniffed, at which point she got a hiss and a bite. I keep them apart these days, I don't want her stressing out my gecko, and I certainly don't want her to get bit again. But dogs don't really see geckos as prey the way cats do.

 

[LeapinLizards]

I have a cat, and his room IS the gecko room. 99% of the time he's in there, he's sleeping on the futon. Honestly, he is more interested in the scurrying sound coming from the roach bin than the geckos tubs. He definitely will perk up and watch the geckos when they are at the front of the tubs, but that is as far as he goes. I admit he's been swatted clear across the room once when he grabbed at a gecko I was holding. Since that day he's will not even come within a foot of them. That's not to say if one got out it wouldn't be gone within minutes. Here is a picture I took awhile back with a hatchling...

If I am holding one, he will back up and give me room actually. Just practice responsible keeping and there will be no problems

 

[Scoots85]

That picture is cute! My kitten is very similar, if the gecko is crawling on my hands/arms, the kitten won't pay any attention at all.

 

[Haligren]

Mandarin seems to be intrigued by Sana's tail. When she walks by his tank, Mandarin will try to go after it. I think he thinks it's a big fuzzy worm. lol I've introduced Mandarin and Tiamat to Sana by holding them up to her. She's just sniffed them, although Tiamat was very intrigued and tried to climb on Sana's head, but I was afraid she was going to swat at her.

Also I was feeding Mandarin in a bin one time, and when I turned around Sana was on the table staring at him. I screamed at her and she took off. Since then she's been a little standoffish when I bring them out. (Also she took over the bin when I had removed Mandarin. She had her butt in it. lol Just goes to show that every empty box MUST have a cat in it.)

I guess it really depends on your cat. Some will try to pounce on anything that moves and some seem more inclined to watch especially if you're sending signals that the lizard is your territory. I still wouldn't leave them together in a room by themselves though. You just gotta be careful.

 

[VampyricAngelX]

My cat knows better than to try too hard to get to my geckos. He's such a pansy, so he avoids anything that gets him yelled at. I let him watch them but if he tries anything I give him a warning and he backs off. I still wouldn't leave him in my room with the tanks by himself though.

 

[Chewbecca]

Cats are predators.
Keep them AWAY from your geckos.

Yes, there are exceptions to every rule, even when it comes to predator vs. prey animals, but I would NEVER risk it.

I couldn't even THINK of letting my dog near my geckos.
I don't take them out when she's around. It would take one quick movement and the gecko would be a goner.

 

[Dan K.]

cats and reptiles are natural enimies my freind has cats and has had problems in the past so she keep's her herps and cat in differant rooms

 

[Bellalee]

My cats are odd little cats..but they are interested in the geckos... more so the crickets! And they like to sleep on the cage, its warm and comfy.. but let them together no way...

 

[BettaDragon]

My cat likes to lay on top of their cages and that's really my only complaint about her with the geckos. I'm afraid she'll knock the tops in with her glutenous mass. One time she jumped on top of one tank hard enough that the lid slid open and that was the last time she was allowed to sleep in my room over night. Of course I would never let the geckos walk on the floor with the cat in the room. My cat somehow stays pretty far away from me when I hold the geckos. As soon as I put them back she normally jumps on top of me and starts purring like, "Ok, you put those dreadful critters back, I can love you now!"

 

[Range]

Mine seems to think they're her kittens. She cleans them and then tries to nurse them.
It's the weirdest thing I think I've ever seen. I'll try to get some pictures of it sometime, haha