Cats & Dogs & Other Predators in Same Room With Chameleons

Again and again people ask questions how to keep cats and chameleons together and prevent the latter from trying to entering the cages of the exotic lizards.

Again and again, people will swear, the cats are well educated and trained and will never touch the chameleon and its cage, they swear that they even do not pay attention to those strange lizards at all

Again and again, we are witnesses of Chameleons with injuries, wounds, beaten off extremities including tales, skin lesions, crushed heads… the result of incidental contact with other domesticated animals, mostly the cats and dogs - but can be also domesticated ferrets, rats or raccoons…

I am sorry not v be to be nice now, but I really do not like any debate here.

The question usually to be solved here is:

How can I prevent my cats to be interested in my chameleon and its enclosure?

An this question is absolutely fake. The answer is namely: NO! They have their instincts and even if you depress theirs, you can not explain to chameleons not to be afraid of something, that eats them for millions of years…

In our philosophy of naturallistic chameleonoculture, we care primarily for the welfare of CHAMELEONS.

The question is same stupid such as if a zoo director would ask: how can I prevent lions not reaching through cage rods into the enclosure of antelopes or zebras, situated next to it…

The whole context of this question is false, as the only logical answer is:

NEVER PUT THE PREDATOR AND THE FOOD (closely, reachably, even in sight-distance) together!!! Both parties will be namely terribly stressed:

- the predators (always hungry) because they can not hunt for food and

- the "food" because it is afraid of their lives!!!

So, the only advice I can make (and I am a chameleon lover and cat admirer): MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE THEY CAN NOT GET EVEN IN SIGHT CONTACT, NO COMPROMISSES!!!

You will fail to explain to your cats not to jump on the cages. Their understanding is: cages are untouchable when the super-cat is around but when it is absent, we can do whatever we want.

And, believe me they will do. They will try what ever to get inside and you will one day come to your cages seeing Chameleons torn in pieces how your lovely cats tried to pull them out of the cage through the smallest opening they will be able to find or able to create. Are you really about to risk it and sacrifice the lives of innocent animals that have no way how to resist a a100 times bigger predator then they are themselves?

Believe me, the only really working rule is:

Keep Chameleons and cats absolutely separated, otherwise, it is just a matter of time before you will see a disaster which you only will be responsible for.

If you cannot assure their mutual isolation, then take a choice:

Cats OR chameleons

They can not live happily together.