Cats and Dogs

sinnerboy

Sorry mods if this has been covered before ( I did look but did not find )

Gerry my tabby cat , have him almost 10 years now has been recently joined in my house with Cindy , a Samoyed and Bosco a Boxer / Labrador cross .

Cindy and Bosco love nothing better than chasing Gerry around the place . He spends most of his time above the kitchen presses now .

He is a bit a divil himself .... he can float around at low level and "work them up" .... like a flash and " in one bound our hero was free"

What the dogs don't realize is that if they were ever foolish enough to actually corner him - they , not he , would come off the worse .

So help ! Anyone know what I can do to help these guys all get along better ?

IvySlayer

Can't force animals to get along. I know, my cat and dog went through phases of chasing each other around the place. But we fixed that after the dog got told off for doing it.

You could encourage the dogs not to do it.

IvySlayer

Oh and I forgot to ask, what ages are the dogs? Puppies? Are they play chasing or more serious? If it gets too out of control, a dog may lose an eye or the cat could get severly injured.

sinnerboy

Thanks for responding . Both dogs are about 12 months old . The cat is not inclined to see what they want , so this seems to challenge and encourage the dogs to chase him . I have actively encouraged them not to chase the cat - to no avail

.

IvySlayer

sinnerboy wrote: »

Thanks for responding . Both dogs are about 12 months old . I have actively encouraged them not to chase the cat - to no avail

OK, did you crate train them?

It's how we did it. Our dog never liked the cat, we introduced them and the dog went for the cat (and lost, badly). We put her in the crate and let the cat wander around the room. The dog learned the cat could come and go as she pleased. Eventually she accepted it and they got along soon after.

I suggest you get get your cat, sit on the couch, stroke/play. If the dogs 'go' for him, send them to bed straight away. If they don't listen, then you to get your dogs under your control tbh.

Graces7

Depends on the dog - and cat.

Our wee dog is fine with the cats, but the collie is a different matter. And the cats know it. One whiff or sight of cat and all you see is a black and white blur chasing another black and white blur.

So we keep them apart for safety. It is manageable and needful; collie was middle aged when she came to us and had other problems.

And yes, one of the cats plays on this.. yesterday he managed to get on the house roof and mew, while collie went ballistic below but could not makeout where the cat was. And he will tease collie.

December

We have two dogs, both male a dalmatian and a collie cross, and two male cats - with some luck and perseverence they all get along great (all four able to be in the same room and not be bothered by each other), especially the collie and our oldest kitty..to the point where the dog will let the cat grab his leg and playfully bop it with his back feet, while the doggy cleans the cat. XD

What we did, and this may help you, is to gradually introduce the animals to each other safely and increase this overtime. We first brought in a blanket or dog toy into the cats area (ie their bed) and vice versa - so all animals could get used to the different smells. (I would advise against taking a cat toy to the dogs tho... that normally results in it getting gobbled up XD).

Then we, put the dogs on the lead and would walk them into an area where the cats were, make them sit and allow the cat come (if they wanted to) to see what the big fluffball at the end of a leash was. Making sure that you have complete control over dog.

When the cat (eventually in his own good time ) comes over, just make little corrections to the dog if he gets too overly curious and reward for good behaviour. (Our dally decided he had no idea what this creature, the cat, was and would woof at him constantly looking at us confused - but with corrections that is all inthe past now ).

Eventually we trusted the dogs enough (and our training of the dogs) to allow them off the lead in the same room as the cats while lying or sitting on one of their beds in the living room. The only problem we really had was if the dogs moved too fast the cats could get spooked and dart off - which triggers a 'chase' reaction in the dogs. But with time and corrections this stopped as well.

Sometimes as well, the dogs would get too friendly, nudging and poking their wet noses into kitty faces... which of course the kitty didn't appreciate and so a swift bop on the nose or hiss from the kitty would work if the dog got too close (ofc aswell as our corrections). I should say that no doggy got hurt from any swipes from the cats - as the cats have these wonderful claw covers (soft paws - vet approved) that prevent scratches on furniture etc.

I think its all a matter of, like I said, time and perseverence - but also it helps alot when the dogs know who's boss and will follow your commands. Oh and also not showing any preferential treatment to the animals while your 'training' them to get along. Don't pick up your kitty or dog and coddle it, as then YOU become the object that is to be won/guarded etc.

Treats also work during this process, positive rewards for both creatures (baby cat tabs and little bits of kibble or markies) definitly helped.

All this has now helped us to have a peaceful-ish home with all creatures being happy and actually enjoying each others company. Good luck

iguana

sinnerboy wrote: »

What the dogs don't realize is that if they were ever foolish enough to actually corner him - they , not he , would come off the worse.

Why do you think this? I'm assuming you have never seen a dog tear a cat apart? It's a complete fallacy that cats can hold their own against dogs, it can happen but it's actually pretty rare. When I was about 5 I saw a small/medium dog tear a cat apart in under a minute. The cat was a similar size to the dog but dogs are a lot stronger than cats (a bit like how men tend to be stronger than similar sized women).

Two dogs of the size of yours could have your cat dead in a few seconds. It's not an annoyance, or slight amusement, it's a serious threat to the safety of your cat. You either need to keep them apart at all times or work really hard to make them accept each other. Your cat isn't smart enough to understand that the dogs are a serious danger to his health/life, you are, so keep him safe.

goat2

IvySlayer wrote: »

Oh and I forgot to ask, what ages are the dogs? Puppies? Are they play chasing or more serious? If it gets too out of control, a dog may lose an eye or the cat could get severly injured.

i have got 2 beautiful jack russell puppies 18 weeks old, they and the 2 year old cat share a big basket,
when the pups came i introduced the cat, the cat gave them a few clatters and they have learned to respect her, she is now their pillow, so leave them all at it, the cat will correct them when they get too much for her, and they will respect her more.
good luck

December

goat2 wrote: »

so leave them all at it, the cat will correct them when they get too much for her,

This may be true for young pups and may work for some animals that have a relaxed temperament but I strongly believe that for the safety of both the cat and dogs that they shouldn't just be left to their own devices to work it out - you should be there supervising every interaction until you trust them.

sinnerboy

iguana wrote: »

Why do you think this? I'm assuming you have never seen a dog tear a cat apart? It's a complete fallacy that cats can hold their own against dogs, it can happen but it's actually pretty rare. When I was about 5 I saw a small/medium dog tear a cat apart in under a minute. The cat was a similar size to the dog but dogs are a lot stronger than cats (a bit like how men tend to be stronger than similar sized women).

Two dogs of the size of yours could have your cat dead in a few seconds. It's not an annoyance, or slight amusement, it's a serious threat to the safety of your cat. You either need to keep them apart at all times or work really hard to make them accept each other. Your cat isn't smart enough to understand that the dogs are a serious danger to his health/life, you are, so keep him safe.

Thankfully I have never seen a dog kill a cat , iguana and I hope never to .

But I did see my cat give one of the dogs a very bloody nose so maybe I am reading too much into that one instance . This happened day 1 for the Samoyed and since then ( about 6 months ago ) the dogs have not got close to the cat .

I take what you say very seriously , thank you and thanks to everyone else who responded with good suggestions

iguana

sinnerboy wrote: »

Thankfully I have never seen a dog kill a cat , iguana and I hope never to .

But I did see my cat give one of the dogs a very bloody nose so maybe I am reading too much into that one instance.

It was a pretty awful thing to see, it's seared in my mind. A few years later I saw my nana's dog kill my favourite chicken. It's amazing how fast a dog can turn from a sweet pet in to a vicious animal when it's adrenalin is pumping. Your dog was a pup when it was bopped by your cat so it's not quite the same as an older dog, and when two dogs are involved it can sort of increase the hunt/aggression vibe.

I think people think cats can hold their own against dogs because what people tend to see is a playful/curious dog getting a shock when the cat hurts it. If the dog is 'hunting' it's a different matter. The thing to remember is the size and strength of a dog's jaw compared to a cats.

Good luck with getting them used to each other, I think there is a lot of great advice from people who have both cats and dogs on the thread so hopefully with a bit of perseverance your three will tolerate each other, if not end up pals. My parents' dog is great friends with a stray cat that lives in the area. The cat comes to the window looking for him and they can often be spotted cuddled up in the sun, so it's more than possible for the dog to learn that Gerry isn't prey/an invader.

goat2

Graces7 wrote: »

Depends on the dog - and cat.

Our wee dog is fine with the cats, but the collie is a different matter. And the cats know it. One whiff or sight of cat and all you see is a black and white blur chasing another black and white blur.

So we keep them apart for safety. It is manageable and needful; collie was middle aged when she came to us and had other problems.

And yes, one of the cats plays on this.. yesterday he managed to get on the house roof and mew, while collie went ballistic below but could not makeout where the cat was. And he will tease collie.

this is where it is very important to train or retrain a dog, I find it so rewarding to train my dog, they become such a brilliant companion, a member of the family, and an absolute joy, time spent with the dog training pays off big time, you reap the benefits, i would suggest retarining her

Graces7

We appreciate your thoughts; but this collie was so badly abused for the five years before we had her and she has had to learn to trust and be happy in so many areas already.

She is all those things you say already ; and really there is no need to put her through any more hoops. And this would be just that now. Not needful for her or the cats.

She deserves a peaceful ageing now in the safe place we have here.

With a field to run free in and a loving owner to run back to. No more terror.

We are skilled professional dog folk also; she deserves the fruit of her life with us in her joy and safety now.

It has been hard work with her and now at last she is a happy girl. No longer terrified of doors etc etc etc.

The cats are safe with us and keeping them apart is no problem. They sleep on the bed; the dogs would be too heavy anyways. lol!

Again, thank you

goat2 wrote: »

this is where it is very important to train or retrain a dog, I find it so rewarding to train my dog, they become such a brilliant companion, a member of the family, and an absolute joy, time spent with the dog training pays off big time, you reap the benefits, i would suggest retarining her

Dee_animallover

We have 2 big dogs and 3 cats and they all get on, one of the dogs and one of the cats get on really well in particular coz they kinda grew up together. Our other dog however the lab cross wasnt so welcoming the first time he spotted our cat buster! He chased him around the front of the house and when the cat got to the front door and realised he was cornered he turned around and attacked the lab -by the time I got to the front the dog was standing petrified with the cat with his 2 paws around his neck trying to bite him :o Poor dog didnt know what was happening. Glad it happened though as the dog knew the cat was boss and has never chased him since!
In saying that it really does depend on the dog.

Graces7

Funny!

Someone was telling re re some youtube films on this; I cannot get this up here but she said ask for "cats and dogs"

And yes, always we each know our dogs.

We would not risk anything with the collie thus. Whereas the wee dog is very happy with the cats and they simply walk away if she gets too exuberant with them.

We have known a cat blind a dog also in self -protection.

Dee_animallover wrote: »

We have 2 big dogs and 3 cats and they all get on, one of the dogs and one of the cats get on really well in particular coz they kinda grew up together. Our other dog however the lab cross wasnt so welcoming the first time he spotted our cat buster! He chased him around the front of the house and when the cat got to the front door and realised he was cornered he turned around and attacked the lab -by the time I got to the front the dog was standing petrified with the cat with his 2 paws around his neck trying to bite him :o Poor dog didnt know what was happening. Glad it happened though as the dog knew the cat was boss and has never chased him since!
In saying that it really does depend on the dog.