Lets all be honest, seeing two animals of different species hanging out in a friendly manner is heart melting awww material.
I have a dog, 5 cats, a guinea pig and all of my rats, I have also owned birds in the past. Keeping different types of animals together can be great fun but it also can end tragically.
1. Instinct is strong within animals. Little fluffykitty is sweet and loving to you but just take out a wand toy, wave it around and watch them pounce. Or throw a stuffed toy and watch Fido chase it, catch it, and shake it like mad between their teeth. They are made to go after smaller animals and just the movement can trigger their instincts.
Many dog breeds were bred to hunt. There are even events called Barn Hunt where dogs try to find rats! It may be deep within them to go after other prey animals.
2. Ofcourse that doesn't mean little sweet fluffbutt is a mad rabid killer. I see it oh so often that my kitty or dog would never hurt a fly! First of all most cats will hunt and either attack or kill things. They won't eat them, they are not vicious. It is just in their instinct.
3. Accidents happen. Size difference can mean alot and cause alot of problems. When my dog was a puppy she weighed like 7-8lbs she was tiny itty bitty. Her best friend was my sisters husky who weighed about 50lbs or so. That is a huge difference. He loved her and was often gentle but every now and then he would accidentally step on her or push her too hard.
I knew someone with two dogs one a lab and the other a shih tzu. They were playing and sadly the shih tzu lost an eye. Neither dog was aggressive or had attacked each other, it was an accident.
Now notice the size difference between a rat and a dog...
4. Sharp teeth, sharp claws...sometimes animals just get on each others nerves and lashing out to say hey you are bugging me can cause serious damage.
When people ask if they can put two different animals together my first question is why? Just because it is cute? Is being cute worth the risk? An accident or severe injury could happen in a split second and you can not take it back. Would you be able to forgive yourself for that?
You should NOT put inter-species small pets together. Rats, mice, hamsters, ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits, etc... should never be kept together in the same cages and should not be allowed to play together. Even though they are some what similar and small does not mean they should be together. Rats would almost definitely kill a mouse. Ferrets are predators and would kill a rat. Rabbits have strong legs can could kick and injure another animal badly.
I have heard countless stories of people having their dogs get to their rats and kill them or injure them. Some dogs have even destroyed doors/cages to get to the rats. And these were often sweet dogs who they wouldn't think would hurt anything.
I have also heard stories about cats getting to rats or mice. I even once had a tragic incident when I left the top off of a tank with a mommy mouse and babies. I had a foster kitten and she got into it & killed the babies. She did not eat them and the mommy got away bless her. It was a heartbreaking lesson to learn. I had pets my entire life including mice, rats and birds with cats & had never had an accident before. So this was unexpected and a reminder that animals do what they were born to do.
All that being said...
I have let my animals have some interactions between themselves. I have let my cats sniff my rats. I have allowed them to see each other with very strict supervision. My cats are afraid of my rats for the most part but my rats are not that afraid of the cats. They will chase them or even try to attack them. It can be dangerous for the cats and the rats. I would never leave them in the same room together free.
My dog is a sweetheart, she is small and has played with itty bitty kittens. But she does also have quite a prey drive. I do not trust her with my rats. I do not actually think she would harm them on purpose. But she gets jumpy and excited.
So my advice is this: always be very careful. Do not underestimate your pets, they may be an angel but that doesn't mean they won't react like an animal. Do not take a risk just for a cute moment. Always supervise!! Secure your cages/rooms. Know your pets and what body language to look for.
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