Help! I got a kitten and my rats are miserable!!!

[hakw]

I have 3 girls, they're about 8 months old. I've had them about 6 months with no other pets and they were very happy. BUT I just adopted a 4 month old male kitten and my girls are miserable! I have their cage up high so the kitten cannot reach them. Still, they are not the same. They aren't eating anywhere near as much as they usually do. Also, when I open their cage to interact with them, they make this weird noise that sounds kinda like grinding teeth. And when I pick them up, they can't wait to get back into their cage, which is unusual. Normally they like hanging out with me, but not anymore.

What can I do to make them more comfortable/less scared? I'm worried about my babies!!

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

How long have you had the kitten? They might just need a few more days to adjust. Can you put the rats in a separate room that the kitten doesn't have access to?

 

[dspch911]

I had a group that was deathly afraid of our cat too. I ended up putting up a baby gate and covering up the gate with a towel so they never had to see her.

 

[Joanne]

I have only had a couple of rats that weren't afraid of cats. The vast majority were afraid, even the ones that were born here. It is instinctual. They may never be carefree like they were before.
This has been demonstrated time and time again for me when I took my rats to the cottage where there were no cats. At home they didn't want to leave the cage. At the cottage they explored the whole place! Totally different rats when there are no predators present.