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Cats and Gliders Getting Along?

Posted By: Emory

Cats and Gliders Getting Along? - 10/17/18 02:45 AM

Hiyaaa! So I have a question for anyone who knows anything about this! Before I got my two beautiful little babies (Chamise and Queso) I did a TON of research, I was so excited and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I found quite a few places on both the internet and social media that showed the relations between sugar gliders, and other pets. I saw that many people found their cats were able to become friends or even best buds with the gliders because cats have an instinct to kill rodents (based on the smell) not small marsupials. I thought, this is great! We have three cats (dog recently passed, though he was getting old) and I thought it was a common thing.

After I'd bonded a bit with my first glider, I decided to (VERY carefully) introduce her to one of our cats. The cat immediately got into a sort of hunting position, the end of his tail flicking, eyes wide and neck craned forward. I saw this as a very bad sign, and as things continued, one of our cats would CLIMB on the outside of the cage while my babies were running around! They are all both indoor and outdoor cats so they hunt a ton, and are very experienced. Im not going to attempt to try again, at least not unless I get a new cat.

Anyway. What do you guys think? Anyone have a cat and glider that get along?
Posted By: Claralice

Re: Cats and Gliders Getting Along? - 10/17/18 03:51 AM

Hi, imo what you are describing is the hunter prey instinct. It sounds like your kittys are hunters and that said, I would not tempt it-gliders are small fragile marsupials.
May have to let them out when the cats are outside.
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Cats and Gliders Getting Along? - 10/17/18 07:48 AM

I know of 1 member who has a cat, chinchilla, and had a single glider(Lord Fevy recently passed away at the ripe old age of 11 or 12 years old).

She worked with them and they all got along, but we're supervised. However I don't think her cat went outside or much in to hunting. It's the personality of the cat/ dog or other species that will make a difference.

I personally feel that all the time and money spent to keep gliders as a companion just isn't worth the risk.
Posted By: KarenE

Re: Cats and Gliders Getting Along? - 10/17/18 03:40 PM

I think you are very wise not to try the introduction again for the safety of the glider.

The majority of the time it is best to keep the species separate.
Posted By: Hutch

Re: Cats and Gliders Getting Along? - 10/18/18 01:54 AM

I've heard the claim many times that it is the smell that triggers the hunting instinct. I truly believe it is marketing hype. Look at other things that trigger that same instinct: insects, laser points, fuzzy toys flicking around, feathers. What they all have in common is movement.

Smell plays a roll, but cats & dogs do not hunt by smell alone. Personality & training may help, but in the end, cats & dogs are predators that enjoy hunting smaller fluffy (or shiny) prey.
Posted By: Hydrus

Re: Cats and Gliders Getting Along? - 11/05/18 10:03 PM

I have a cat in my house with my 2 gliders. He is older tho...15 years old and doesn't pay any attention to my girls. Granted he's been raised with all sorts of critters over his 15 years, including my ferrets, African Grey, Iguana, etc. He's never had a problem with any of them - granted he's strictly indoors, has only been outside to go to the vet and when I moved.

That being said, I'd still never introduce them (I actually don't allow any of my pets to interact together besides my dog and ferret as they are besties and have been for 5 years now). Its too risky. I'm just happy he doesn't show any interest in them in their cages. The only thing he cares about is that I have his heat pad on under his cat bed lol. He's such a lazy bum.

Even if you get a new cat down the road, I don't think I'd tempt fate.
Posted By: the_eidolon

Re: Cats and Gliders Getting Along? - 08/10/19 01:00 PM

January 2009, I got my first glider, Nand, a 1-year-old rehome. He really wanted companionship. I had two feral cats, siblings, both 3 years old. Annia had a friendship test. She would beg for food. She didn't want the food, she wanted to know if it would be offered. She begged Nand for food. Two nights in a row, he tossed food out to her. He had never been with a cat before, but somehow, he figured it out. She became his best friend. They would nose kiss and play.

A couple of months later I got Xor so Nand wouldn't be a lone glider anymore, but the colony's alliance with my cats has never ended. Marc decided that since Nand was Annia's friend, Xor had to be his because that was only fair. Nand even once nipped Marc on the nose for being mean to Annia lol Unfortunately Nand, Xor, and Annia have all since passed away, but Marc is still around and the gliders still nose kiss him. He lets them drink from his water, play with his toys, and snack on his food. When Gordo first came to the colony, Xor spent a long time clicking and popping away at him. Then I let Gordo out. He had never seen a cat either, but he knew the cat was ok right out of the cage, having been isolated in a room where he could not have seen the cat. I am left to draw the conclusion that Xor explained the cat to him.

Marc and Annia were both vermin killers. They would bring unknown animals alive and unharmed for a verdict. They never even did that with the gliders. If I name it, feed it, and house it, it is family. Others of its kind could even be vermin, and that makes sense to the cats, because all outside cats are vermin to them. Some animals just get to be exceptional.

YMMV. It all depends on the gliders' personalities, the cats' personalities, and your ability to train both and keep them under control.
Posted By: Feather

Re: Cats and Gliders Getting Along? - 08/11/19 02:50 PM

I feel that gliders should not interact with other animals. There is too much that can happen. With dogs, one wrong step and the glider has a broken bone or broken back.

Cats, well no matter how gliders smell they still move like a prey animal.

My recommendation is that gliders should not be allowed to interact with your other pets.
Posted By: the_eidolon

Re: Cats and Gliders Getting Along? - 08/11/19 03:34 PM

Mine is not the popular or common opinion, but I will elaborate on my experience and techniques.

For starters, maybe I am just very lucky. I will say I would not put a kitten loose with a glider. Ever. They lack the context, understanding, and impulse control for that to ever end well. Even if they perceive it as another weirder kitten, they play too rough. Cats (and gliders) don't start becoming mentally an adult until age 3. You need a trained cat, a smart glider, and a controlled environment for it to ever work. My cats were 3 when I started, and my surviving cat turned 13 in May 2019.

There is a risk inherent in this. It's up to you to decide what your philosophy and goals are. I wish everyone else could have the beautiful experience I did, but it could just as easily go wrong.

Last night I caught Marc cuddling with Bubbles on my bed (yes, I leave them alone together - he hasn't hurt a glider in the 10 years he has been with them and he knows he'd lose my trust if he did - he knows it is his job to protect them and they associate his smell with safety and their colony). When the gliders are joeys, he puts up with literally any behavior from them no matter how irritating or awful. I see joeys land on his face and he just sits there and does nothing. When they get older, he pushes them away (no claws, no injury) to let them know when they're being annoying and disrespectful (you have no idea how many times I have said, "Marc, be nice to the gliders." "(Glider), be respectful to the cat."). The only downside is that it has taught my gliders to shove rather than nip. Marc dislikes his own medicine. I have had to have this conversation with my cat when they nose kiss him and then randomly shove him (because they are young and they think this is a fun game... young gliders think they are The Wolverine and indestructible), "They learned it from you, Marc."

If he's behaving jealously, he just asks to leave the room. That's his only issue: sometimes he feels the gliders are stealing away attention that ought to go to him. He was jealous with his sister and would sometimes be mean to her. He lost his mind when she died. As a result, he keeps his jealousy in check now, so he asks to leave the room when he gets frustrated instead of doing something he'll regret. If I really have to, I play the dead sister card and ask him, "Marc, Annia loved this colony. This is still her colony. Is this how she would want you to treat them?" He straightens up every time.

It's not a typical experience. You have to make your own judgement about your animals. The best way to test is to let the cats (once old enough and trained enough), near the gliders' cage, and see what happens. You can hold the gliders first in a pouch, then in your hands, and then perched on your arm, and show them to the cats and introduce them. I always ask, "Will you say hello?" to prompt them to make contact and greet. When they get to know eachother, I ask "Will you give a nosekiss?" It's about having a controlled environment where if things are not great, no one is likely to get hurt, and if things work, you can decide whether you want to take greater risks.

My cats were vicious ferals when I captured them. They became the sort of civilized cats who would sit around all weekend with an open bag of cat treats and not eat them because I didn't give those to them. They never tried to take human food. I could leave anything out around them for any length of time and they would not take it. Whatever they or the gliders wanted, if there was no reason I needed to say no, I would say yes. That's what made them respect it when I said no. It takes a lot of communication and work to get an animal to behave that way, and they won't do it for reward. They have to do it because they perceive how you feel about them and genuinely care if you are upset about what they did or disappointed in them. Your love is guaranteed, but your praise, trust, and approval are conditional, and they have to know that.

If you want them to understand you, you need key phrases that help them learn new words and concepts, "You wanna (new word)" means you are offering something, "You gonna (new word)?" means you want them to perform some behavior; these are just two examples, through your needs and contexts, you can come up with other key phrases that would be helpful. When they learn the new word, that word becomes the only prompt you need because they know what it means now from context and repetition. Your cats can learn to understand a LOT with the key phrase technique. Your gliders, with their complex click-pop communication, can learn to understand even more. I have been amazed at how much sugar gliders can learn to understand.

You have to be really dedicated if you want to make this happen.

If it works, it's magic. If it doesn't, it's a blood bath.

Ultimately, this is your choice. These animals are your family and it's your responsibility to decide what's best for them and make it happen.

Whatever you choose, good luck! Let everyone know what you picked and how it went!
Posted By: Animalfan

Re: Cats and Gliders Getting Along? - 10/28/19 11:35 PM

This is interesting, I've heard that cats have a certain bacteria in their saliva that is toxic to sugar gliders and could have serious consequences if they come in contact with it. Is this true? Personally I don't have sugar gliders (have been considering getting some) but I have cats, and even if this is false I don't think I'd take any chances. But I am glad to hear that those experiences didn't end up with any dead Gliders.
Posted By: Feather

Re: Cats and Gliders Getting Along? - 10/30/19 12:22 AM

Originally Posted by Animalfan
This is interesting, I've heard that cats have a certain bacteria in their saliva that is toxic to sugar gliders and could have serious consequences if they come in contact with it. Is this true? Personally I don't have sugar gliders (have been considering getting some) but I have cats, and even if this is false I don't think I'd take any chances. But I am glad to hear that those experiences didn't end up with any dead Gliders.


The bacteria isn't toxic, but just like us they need antibiotics to battle the bacteria from a cats mouth. I got bit by a cat a 16 years ago and I went to the doctor because I had a broken nail on my thumb, not for the significant bite on my wrist.

OMG! You would have thought I had typhoid or something. I went home with antibiotics as big as horse pills, they drew all over my bites and said if the redness spread beyond the marks I was to go back immediately. End of the world dramatics here. LOL

It is a very serious bacteria and a scratch or bite or even an open wound that the cat licks would become infected with that bacteria and require antibiotics ASAP.
Posted By: Animalfan

Re: Cats and Gliders Getting Along? - 10/31/19 01:16 AM

Ok, XD
Thanks for clarifying
But I still won't take any chances
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