Introducing a Reptile to the Family

My mom was allergic to cats and dogs when I was a kid, so we always had reptiles as pets. My favorite was our Bearded Dragon, Benny, who had tons of personality and loved to play with us and get pets.

Once I moved out of my mom's house, though, I got the cat that I always wanted. Jane is the best and I love her to death, but I really miss my lizards.

I've seen photos of beardies hanging out with cats on the internet, but I'm not sure how realistic that is. Can I introduce one to my home without putting it (or my cat) in danger? If so, how?

Personally, I wouldn't trust a cat being along with a beard dragon, but it is possible nothing will happen. It really depends on the personality of the cat. You know many cats are too "playful" with other animals. Sometimes they like to bully or even kill other smaller animals just for fun. Cats are in fact the #1 killer species in the world since they kill more than 1,000 other species. All the other predators only kill the same a few dozens species at most. I saw that one on Animal Planet where it was about "Top 10 killers" or something similar to that title.

If you absolutely want to have both a beard dragon and a cat, you might want to try it this way. Keep the beard dragon in a "cat-proof" enclosure. Allow the cat into the same room and watch the cat's reaction. If the cat shows any kind of aggression or too "playful" toward the beard dragon, I don't believe this cat is safe for beard dragon lol. Although, you can still have the beard dragon as long as you keep it inside the closure or play with it without the cat being in the same room.

Haha, thats good to know. Jane isn't much of a killer. Our roommate had a pet bunny for a few months, and she never once looked anything but curious about it.

That said, that's how she started off with bugs too, and she kills those now. Well, she kills them sometimes. I often wonder if she sees herself as a nature documentarian more than a cat

Anyway, I think the rule of not leaving them alone together with the reptile out of a secure cage is a good one. I like the idea of testing it out. Perhaps they can acclimate to each other while I'm home and watching...

Just don't ever leave them alone together. EVER. No matter how much you think they get along. You just never know. I have cats, and they've been around lizards nad snakes all their lives, and tolerate them pretty well. But I'd never trust them alone for any amount of time, even with my tegu.