Are Rats Scared of Cats?
WouterA common question about rat behavior is, “Are rats scared of cats?” The answer is both yes and no. Rats can tolerate cats as long as they are kept in separate rooms. The rats will usually start out being scared of cats, but this fear will eventually wear off. Keeping them in separate rooms will also eliminate the risk of cats harming the rats.
Rats are not as big as cats, but they are large enough to intimidate cats. Moreover, feral cats are likely to have had dangerous encounters on the street with larger animals and are reluctant to hunt smaller animals. However, this is not to say that cats do not kill small animals. In fact, cats have been known to kill as many as 500 grams of rats. However, most of these kills were smaller, with less than 200 grams.
In one study, researchers tracked feral cats in a waste management facility. Over 79 days, the cats monitored the rat colony and recorded 20 stalking events and three kill attempts. Two of these attempted kills were successful, but the third failed when the cat lost interest in the rat. However, the presence of cats in a rat colony changed the rats’ behavior significantly.
If you have a rat cage on the floor, make sure it’s out of reach of the cat. This will help deter cats from trying to get in. You can also place a box or an opened paper grocery bag on top of the cage to prevent cats from getting in. If the cage has a door, leave it partly open for air circulation.
