Recognize that your cat is also capable of seriously harming your guinea pig without intending to do so. [2] X Research source As such, your guinea pig needs an area where they are completely safe, even if only from some overzealous rough-housing.
Always keep all cat toys and guinea pig toys separated in your house. If you have a guinea pig area, keep all of their worldly possessions in that area, and do not store or allow any cat stuff in that area. Disallow your cat from sitting beside or resting on top of your guinea pig’s enclosure at any time.
Wait at least a week before introducing a cat and a guinea pig. Technically, you just need to make sure they are not able to touch one another or make eye contact. To be safe, don’t allow them to see one another at all. [4] X Research source
Place the cat’s food just outside the door of the room in which your guinea pig lives. If your cat gets amped up outside the guinea pig’s room, remove them. Do so in a jovial, relaxed manner – you don’t want to indicate punishment, you just want to distract the cat from its overzealousness. [6] X Research source Place a washcloth that you rubbed the guinea pig with near the cat’s food bowl. Once your cat is entirely comfortable with the washcloth (no longer nervously or excitedly sniffing it from time to time), use the washcloth to stroke the cat as well. Use the same cloth to go back and forth between your pets, stroking each right after you stroked the other. As you do so, be relaxed and high spirited. Send the vibe to each pet that everything is awesome!
Try to introduce your cat to your guinea pig before the cat is ten weeks old. Cats this young are undergoing the critical socialization period of their development and will be especially susceptible to information indicating that the guinea pig is a friend and fellow housemate.
Don’t push either one of them. Trying to expedite the process will likely add stress to the situation and make it harder for them to calm down around one another.
Place the cat inside a kennel. Let the cat watch as you praise the guinea pig and feed the guinea pig treats for being calm and relaxed. The guinea pig will likely play its part because guinea pigs tend not to overthink things. Stop the eye contact session after a minute or two, or if either of the animals become overly energetic or nervous. The goal here is to instill calmness in their relationship.
Bring the cat into the room, in your own or another human’s arms. Whichever human you have assisted you should already have a good relationship with each pet. Hold one of your pets and have another human hold the other one. Each human should pet the animal they’re holding. If each pet remains calm, allow them to watch as the other animal is treated fondly by the other human. Decrease the physical distance between them incrementally. Move closer by a foot each time you have a petting session.
Once the two humans holding the pets are close enough to touch the pet that the other human is holding, hold the distance. If you can sit next to one another with both animals remaining calm, you’re at a good distance to start cross petting. Reach towards the other person and pet the animal that they’re holding. Take turns petting the pet the other person is holding. This will show both the cat and the guinea pig that everyone is calm with everybody else. Reward calm, relaxed demeanors with treats and affection.
Wait until the guinea pig approaches and assure the cat with affectionate petting if it remains calm. It they can noses one another and remain calm, they are likely ready for supervised playtime.
Don’t ever allow the cat to enter the guinea pig’s enclosure. Interrupt your pets’ interactions if the cat begins to stalk the guinea pig or either animal begins to get agitated or aggressive. Try again another day. If aggressive behavior continues, spend time holding the cat in your lap while the guinea pig roams.
Even if they become great friends, don’t ever leave them alone together.
