Cat and ferret playing together melts hearts: “Silly derps”

Cats may not be known for being the most-sociable animals, but one cat’s adorable friendship with a ferret has melted hearts.

In a post by u/graciep11 on Reddit‘s r/cats subreddit, Comet the cat is playing with a ferret. “My cat Comet absolutely hates other cats,” the poster wrote. “But she loves it when I let her have a playdate with my sister’s ferret.”

Animal behaviorist Petrina Firth told Newsweek: “Cross-species friendships in domesticated animals can be common, especially when animals meet within their primary socialization period.”

The Reddit poster wrote: “I know many people don’t condone allowing cats and ferrets to play together. And in all honestly, I wouldn’t condone it either with most cats. However, I owned an elderly ferret when I first got my cat as an 11 week old kitten and always trained her daily to be gentle with her when playing.”

The poster added that Comet was very gentle with her sister’s ferret—even understanding not to use claws. “They mainly like to take turns chasing each other around the house,” she wrote. “I can always see my cat’s face light up as soon as I let this little guy out to play and zoom.”

White we don’t often see cats and ferrets together, it isn’t that unusual for animals of different species to make friends.

Because Comet met a ferret when he was just a kitten, he is socialized to understand how they play. He is therefore much more likely to play nicely with a ferret than a cat that is not used to such an animal.

Another example of great cross-species friendships is when cats and dogs make friends.

“We all know how cats are dogs are meant to be sworn enemies, yet frequently they are friends for one another, and curl up together in bed,” said Firth.

This isn’t the first time a cat and ferret have captured online attention. In October 2022, a pet owner was stunned when his cat arrived home with someone else’s pet ferret in tow for a playdate.

With more than 11,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments, the adorable footage of the two pets playing delighted other Reddit users.

“They are such silly derps. Surprised to hear people are against cats playing with ferrets. I grew up in a house with a TON of cats and several ferrets and everyone got along just fine. We did lose a ferret to a dog, though,” wrote one commenter.

Another viewer posted: “I think the ferret is more excited to play than the cat.”

One user commented: “I am obsessed with the way ferrets move especially when excited, how they bounce around and fall over and what not. Such total derps and so so adorable.”

Newsweek reached out to u/graciep11 via Reddit for comment.

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