Do Cats And Ferrets Get Along – Managing Behaviors Together

Cats and ferrets might seem like an unlikely pairing, but there are plenty of households that have taken care of healthy and happy groups of ferrets and cats together. A few of us have even had cats and ferrets together ourselves! It’s pure joy to watch a cat and ferret romp around and play together. So, do cats and ferrets get along?

Cats and ferrets get along. They have similar play-styles and some pairings will cuddle and nap together. Both animals are predators, leading to occasional physical conflicts between cats and ferrets.

Most cat and ferret owners can manage their pets without incidents or injury. It just takes some careful management and a little luck. Like any animal relationship, some of your success depends on the personalities of the animals involved. 

5 Ways Cats and Ferrets Can Get Along 

Here’s a quick breakdown of the different outcomes you can expect when you introduce cats and ferrets. 

Best Friends

This is the best outcome, and fortunately, it’s also one of the most likely outcomes. Your ferret and cat might get along famously after their initial introduction and will likely play together. They may also cuddle with one another or take naps together since both animals like cuddling for warmth when they sleep. 

You should still watch your cat and ferret closely when they are together, even if they are best friends. Accidents can happen, and it’s crucial to intervene quickly if you want to avoid your animals getting injured or damaging their relationship. 

Cautiously Tolerant

Cats and ferrets also sometimes learn to tolerate one another without really becoming friends. This kind of pairing isn’t quite as fun as when your cat and ferrets make friends, but it’s still relatively safe and healthy for all of your animals. 

Usually, in this case, the cat and ferret won’t play or will only rarely play. Still, they also won’t react to the other animal being in the room, and they certainly won’t be aggressive under normal circumstances. 

Wary And Unfriendly

This is only very slightly different from cats and ferrets that are cautiously tolerant. If your cat and ferret don’t like each other but also don’t want to do anything about it, they’ll probably avoid one another. Neither animal is likely to have a strong prey drive in reaction to the other, so they’re unlikely to fight unless one surprises the other. 

However, it’s probably best to limit interactions between your cat and your ferret if they settle into this kind of relationship because conflict is more likely than in a cautiously tolerant relationship. 

Best Kept Separate

Many cat and ferret households end up keeping the two animals entirely separate, usually with the ferrets confined to one room while the cat roams the rest of the house. 

If you’re considering introducing cats and ferrets for the first time, be prepared for this outcome. While it’s more likely for your animals to get along after a careful introduction, being ready to keep them separated will keep everyone safer and the stress levels down. 

Not Compatible

This is rare, but there are some instances where your cat and ferret are not compatible. We mark this as a step up from keeping them separate because sometimes it can be challenging to keep your animals in entirely different parts of your house. For instance, some cats know how to open doors, and some ferrets are insanely good at sneaking out of their designated spaces. 

Unfortunately, you may need to consider rehoming either your cats or your ferrets for their safety in these cases. It’s very unlikely that this would happen, but especially if your cat and ferret can’t get along and you can’t stop them fighting, it may be for the best. 

We recommend having a plan for how you would find a new home for one of your animals just in case. You might not need to have a family and a new home picked out, but you should know how to find one and what criteria potential homes should meet for your animal. 

Are Ferrets Safe Around Cats

For the most part, yes, ferrets are safe around cats. Ferrets are too big for most cats to see as prey, and they don’t smell, look, or act very much like your cat’s favorite prey animals. Generally, a cat seeing a ferret for the first time will either think it’s weird, slightly frightening, or possibly a fun friend. 

However, cats can injure ferrets and will if they are startled or if playtime gets a little too rough. Supervision is always essential, especially during initial introductions. 

Do Ferrets Attack Cats

No, unless provoked, a ferret will rarely attack a full-grown adult cat. Cats are too big to be appealing prey animals, and much like cats won’t generally attack a ferret, cats don’t look or act like prey in a ferret’s eyes. 

That said, ferrets play wrestle much the same way cats do and will even practice attack behavior like war-dancing when they are playing. Ferrets can also sometimes be too aggressive for cats, causing the cat to react more aggressively in turn. When that happens, play can quickly turn into a real fight with real consequences. 

Do Ferrets Eat Kittens

Kittens are a different story. Young kittens especially are small enough and vulnerable enough that your ferret might see them as prey. While it’s not universal that ferrets will attack kittens, it’s common enough that you should take some precautions if you’re introducing a kitten to your ferret or vice versa. 

That said, adolescent cats and bigger kittens can form special bonds with ferrets if introduced in a safe and supervised setting. So, while we’d generally recommend keeping small kittens and ferrets separate, you can start the introduction process and start their friendship fairly early. 

Can A Ferret Kill A Cat

Yes. A ferret can kill a cat, and a cat can kill a ferret. It’s about equally likely which side will succeed in a fight between these two predators, and unsupervised fights can become fatal. 

Usually, these two animals will avoid one another in the wild, and it’s rare for pets to get into a fight this serious in your home, but it does happen. 

Because these animals can both be dangerous to one another, you must take the appropriate precautions and have a plan for fights long before you bring them both into your home or start introductions. 

How To Introduce A Ferret To A Cat

Ferrets and cats should be introduced slowly. We recommend introducing the animals in harnesses and on a leash (if your cat will tolerate a harness) and letting them sniff for just a minute or two during their first introduction. Monitor both animals’ body language closely to make sure they aren’t showing any signs of aggression or fear. 

After a few introductions like that, you can put them down in a room together, starting on opposite sides of the room. If possible, keep both leashed so you can prevent them from running right at one another, and be prepared to catch them if they try. 

Over time your cat and ferret will sniff each other and start to interact more. This is when you can start to expect to play if it’s going to happen, and it is usually when the risk of aggression starts going down. 

Eventually, your ferret and cat will be safe to interact with one another more freely, but it’s still best to make sure someone is always nearby to keep an eye on them. Cats and ferrets might be best friends, but they still should be monitored in case of accidents. 

Things To Consider

Ferrets are predators much like cats, which is part of why these two animals get along so well. That said, it’s also essential to respect both animal’s needs and boundaries. 

It’s also important to know that ferrets can be incredibly high energy when they are awake. Like cats, your ferrets need to sleep most of the day, but they are typically more hyper than adult cats when they are awake. 

That might mean that it’s a good idea to have two or more ferrets, even if you have cats too. That way, the ferrets can play together when they are at their most hyper.

It’s also critical to make sure all of your animals have enough space and aren’t getting bored in their environment. Your ferrets should have a cage or habitat that includes toys and sleeping hammocks, and your cats should have cat trees and toys. 

Having enough toys and enrichment items in your home can dramatically reduce the tension between your animals and keep everyone safer and happier!

If you have a particularly grumpy cat or an overly territorial ferret, you might run into problems. It’s important to know that because most ferrets and most cats can get along, that doesn’t mean that all cats and ferrets are compatible.