Fighting like cats and dogs.

fredweena

Our dog and cat won't get on. We've had the cat for two years since a kitten and got an adult dog before christmas. They're not getting along. The dog is afraid of the cat but has started to lunge at the cat now. How can we help them get on?

Pumpkinseeds

For now make sure you keep them apart anyway. The last thing you want is the dog killing the cat. I'm not sure about the best way to integrate them but I'm sure other boardsies will have good advice for you.

Nody

Well I don't have a dog but the thing that strikes me would be similar training to any other such situation; reward for good behaviour, showing you're in control and distraction.

kylith

Where did you get the dog, what breed is it, and how old is it? Some dogs can be trained to accept cats, some never will.

fredweena

The dog was completely fine with the cat at the start. He was tested with cats and totally ignored them before he came. Sometimes when they're both fed and the fire is on they're both ok and relaxed but everyday it's back to square one again. We try to praise the dog and reassure him whenever the cat is around. The cat doesn't seem to care if we pet the dog. He's very self assured!

ISDW

fredweena wrote: »

The dog was completely fine with the cat at the start. He was tested with cats and totally ignored them before he came. Sometimes when they're both fed and the fire is on they're both ok and relaxed but everyday it's back to square one again. We try to praise the dog and reassure him whenever the cat is around. The cat doesn't seem to care if we pet the dog. He's very self assured!

What breed is the dog?

I usually find that it takes 2 weeks for a dog's true personality to come out, when it goes into a foster or forever home, so he may have been a bit overwhelmed at his new home at first, but now feels more confident, so his true personality is coming out, which can also be the same in a shelter/pound environment.

How do you reassure the dog when the cat is around? Sometimes we humans make mistakes in our interactions with our pets, thinking that we are doing one thing, when in fact we're doing another. Dogs don't really understand reassurance, if he is growling, or stalking the cat, and you tell him 'its okay' 'the cat won't hurt you' etc, and in your mind, you are reassuring him, what the dog is picking up is you praising him for behaving like that.

Whenever they are in the same room together and nothing bad is happening, try giving the dog a treat, don't make a huge fuss about it, just give the treat. The dog should then come to see that the cat is a good thing, cat is around, treat comes along.

For safety, make sure that the cat always has an escape route, somewhere high to get to, or a way out of a room that the dog can't follow, child gates are great for that. We have cats and huskies, and we have a locked door between them all the time, hopefully you won't need to do that, but I would suggest that you never leave them alone together.

fredweena

The dog is a border collie type. There's a neighbours cat outside and when he goes out he totally ignores it. We have a child gate up so the cat always has an escape route. We try to make a bit of a bit of a fuss when the cat comes in but we always say no to him in a firm voice etc when he actually goes at the cat. The cat is certainly not blameless in all this but i'm not sure how successful trying to train the cat would be. We've failed miserably with him in the past but the dog seems a bit more trainable. We got him from a rescue where he had a bit of an aggression thing with other dogs
after he'd been in the kennels a few months but he's very relaxed around other dogs now.

foreversky

uncle found a cat a few yrs bk.just wandered in.never left loves that cat.then got a puppy got along great but in the last few mths they havet ,hes nearly 2 yrs old.,think the dog pis*ed of the cat,.stays high where dog cant get him.:rolleyes: maybe over time urs will get along

fredweena

They're both lying down on the kitchen floor. Still keeping an eye on each other but all's calm. Hopefully in time they'll get along. I won't rush them and make sure they're separated if i'm not around to supervise.

maggiepip

We have an (almost) border collie who can act a bit like this with one of our cats (the older grumpy one) and its actually because she is wary of him and frustrated she cant interact properly with him.

She is fine (albeit a bit bossy!) with the other 3 cats. I cant make my older cat be nice to her so I just keep an eye on things - in general they keep out of each others way but she will do the lunging thing at him sometimes if he turns his back on her or is walking away. I never fear she will hurt him (I sometimes fear he could hurt her though!) I just put it down to a frustrated bossy boots who cant manage to tell said cat what to do:rolleyes:!!! I dont however leave them alone unsupervised.