Cats and tortoises/turtles

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
My sister, Maggie, is having trouble getting on the Forum (I'm sure it's her laptop), so she asked me to post this for her:

I have answered a lot of questions on TFO, some 700+ I'm sure. I always say it's MY experience and MY opinion. I'm pretty firm in how I feel about things...but I sure was wrong on this one. I have 2 older cats who couldn't give a darn about the chelonia in the house. So I have always said that cats don't bother turtles. Boy, was I wrong!

Yesterday morning I went to gather my 3 new turtles, 2 Eastern hatchlings and a 3-toed yearling. The one hatchling is missing his bottom jaw, but that's another thread.....and I couldn't find the yearling.I dug thru that dirt with a sinking feeling in my stomach. Nope, the one hatchling was there, the yearling was gone. Impossible for him to have escaped....
Back track...also over Christmas I inherited a 3 month old female terror kitty named "Willow", (of all things). In my house her name has changed from Willow, to Mischief, and now to Trouble. I have had cats all my life and I have NEVER had one as ornery, nosy, bad, inquisitive and playful as this one. She's so bad, she has to be crated if I leave the house and at night.
So I'm looking for this baby turtle, starting to freak out and I'm NOT paying attention to the hellcat behind me playing with a stuffed mouse....except that it wasn't a stuffed mouse, it was a yearling 3-toed box turtle! He's fine, no wounds, but what an eye opener for me...
-- So, mainly this is an open heartfelt apology to any noobie I told their cat wouldn't hurt their new baby turtle. I am sorry.
Every situation is different, but some beasts you just can't trust.
I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.......and thanks to my sis for posting this, my computer still won't do some stuff....

Maggie and Bob the tortoise


trouble a.jpg trouble b.jpg trouble c.jpg trouble d.jpg trouble e.jpg trouble f.jpg trouble g.jpg
 

stinax182

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2012
Messages
838
Location (City and/or State)
Springfield, Massachusetts
I am sorry to hear this ): thank you for posting this though. My cats love to watch any animal and that alone is enough for me to not trust them. They get that look in their eye and they just can't look away. I bet if it took you longer to discover the turtle, the cat would have started to knaw on him eventually. They like to play with their food first, as I've discovered with many of my cats.....
 

WithLisa

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2015
Messages
967
Location (City and/or State)
Austria
I'm absolutely sure my cat would eat my baby hermanns, he always jumps like crazy at the enclosure when he sees one of them. I guess that's pretty normal, cats are predators after all.

But why do you crate your cat when you leave the house?
 

KTyne

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2012
Messages
189
Location (City and/or State)
Chilliwack, BC
That's scary! Glad your little one was ok.

I know for a fact that my cats would eat any of my reptiles, if they had the chance. That's why all of my guys are kept in their own room with the door firmly closed between them and the cats.

Whenever my cats see one of my reptiles move, they immediately go in to hunting mode and get the crazy cat eyes and try to get to them.
 

Prairie Mom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
4,340
Great post, Maggie. What incredible photos! I love the face poking out of the substrate. Maggie and @WithLisa , I also have a cat who has needed to be crated. This very likeable and pain-in-the-neck "hell cat" would chew threw electrical wires, get into cabinets, swallow small toys, and just cause HAVOC during the night bugging the other animals and knocking things down. -Amazingly, she's alive, well, and snuggled often.:) She calmed down a bit as she grew, but she still gets into trouble and has to be closely watched. Glad your turtle is safe!!!
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,941
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
Glad yours is safe, but any thing that moves is considered a toy.Sounds like you got a real lively kitten for Christmas. Glad with my hordes of cats, I only have to worry about lights setting cats on fire. ;) Only tortoises with open enclosures are the big animals and adults. I myself worry more about my one big sulcata, whom I saw go for a cat with I am positive the thought the kitten would make a fine snack.
 
M

Maggie Cummings

Guest
I'm absolutely sure my cat would eat my baby hermanns, he always jumps like crazy at the enclosure when he sees one of them. I guess that's pretty normal, cats are predators after all.

But why do you crate your cat when you leave the house?
Because she cannot be trusted with the baby turtles and my birds or my old lady kitty. So Trouble is crated so she stays out of 'trouble' and no animals get hurt....
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I myself worry more about my one big sulcata, whom I saw go for a cat with I am positive the thought the kitten would make a fine snack.

This interests me. I have read and seen a few things over the years that make me wonder. I'm really curious about what his intentions were and what he would have done if he had caught the cat.

When you get your camera situation all sorted out, may I please see pics of your big boy?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Maggie, While any cat might want to make a play toy of of a small turtle or tortoise, I share your experience and opinion that they usually don't mess with bigger ones. Sure anything is physically possible, its just not likely, as opposed to a dog which is VERY likely to go for any tortoise.

Thanks for the pics and a good warning.
 

WithLisa

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2015
Messages
967
Location (City and/or State)
Austria
This very likeable and pain-in-the-neck "hell cat" would chew threw electrical wires, get into cabinets, swallow small toys, and just cause HAVOC during the night bugging the other animals and knocking things down.
Sounds pretty normal to me. :p Child safety locks and cable protection tubes can be quite helpful. :D

Because she cannot be trusted with the baby turtles and my birds or my old lady kitty. So Trouble is crated so she stays out of 'trouble' and no animals get hurt....
Are you not afraid to keep them all together? I would not like to have my cat in the same room as my birds and other pets. Cats can attack very fast, a small animal could get hurt or killed even while I'm around, that's why I keep my budgies in a separate room.
 

Heather H

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2015
Messages
1,837
Location (City and/or State)
N.E. ohio
Thank you for posting. My cat hopped into Tuxy's. Enclosure today. I was in the room. She laid down under the heat lamp. But I don't trust her. The door is closed unless someone is in there. Oh I did take her right out. Checked for any loose fur so Tuxy does not eat.
 

smarch

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2012
Messages
4,067
Location (City and/or State)
Massachusetts
My cat has differing oppinions when it comes to Franklin, who's a Russian so he fits under smaller tort category. Outside, when the cat was still outdoor he's stank Franklin and bat at his shell (which I would stop by picking him up and moving him). Inside he wants nothing to do with Franklin, or he'll stare sniff... and then pee in his temporary container any chance given... jealous butt! so I keep them apart always.
 

newCH

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2014
Messages
526
Location (City and/or State)
So.FL
Good advice, glad your tort is ok.
I am not a cat person.
 

kathyth

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
3,156
Location (City and/or State)
Beaumont, CA.
I guess it just shows, that we never really know, when it comes to other animals.
Thanks for the info!!
Great pictures!
 
M

Maggie Cummings

Guest
Sounds pretty normal to me. :p Child safety locks and cable protection tubes can be quite helpful. :D


Are you not afraid to keep them all together? I would not like to have my cat in the same room as my birds and other pets. Cats can attack very fast, a small animal could get hurt or killed even while I'm around, that's why I keep my budgies in a separate room.
I have 2 cages of parakeets that Trouble wants to eat and numerous open topped winter containers with turtles. Look at the first picture, she is in with an adult Eastern box turtle who bites the damn cat. Cat doesn't care tho...Trouble is being taught that all the animals live together without hassling me...She'll learn, in the mean time I got my eye on her....
 

weldorNate

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
191
Location (City and/or State)
North Dakota
I hope ur kitten settles down my sisters kitten she got is finally starting to settle down one trick that help us was to play with her every chance we got.
 

bouaboua

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
11,809
Location (City and/or State)
San Jose CA
One more conformation that no dog or cat in my house.
 

smarch

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2012
Messages
4,067
Location (City and/or State)
Massachusetts
Glad yours is safe, but any thing that moves is considered a toy.Sounds like you got a real lively kitten for Christmas. Glad with my hordes of cats, I only have to worry about lights setting cats on fire. ;) Only tortoises with open enclosures are the big animals and adults. I myself worry more about my one big sulcata, whom I saw go for a cat with I am positive the thought the kitten would make a fine snack.
I definitely remember reading somewhere about how little torts you need to watch other animals around them, but when sulcata's get big you have to watch out for the other animals safety since a good ramming would not end well for them.
I have no idea how that video of the cat riding the sulcata came to be
 

Yellow Turtle01

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2013
Messages
7,710
Location (City and/or State)
OH, USA
Thanks :D
I'm a little surprised! I know dogs will not hesitate to chomp a tort, but this just goes to show about how not every animal is the same?
The cats really couldn't care less, even for the smaller turtles. :(
 
Top