Cats And Dogs How To Introduce?

[Hound dog]

We of course have the 2 inside dogs. They are both fond of our cats, who are outside cats who come in for affection/during bad weather.

Well, easy child had this approx 4-5 mo old kitten show up on her doorstep. Obviously hasn't been homeless long. Clean, no fleas, and desperate to get back inside anyone's house. Kitten is sweet and well behaved. easy child can't keep him cuz she's already got to males.

So easy child talked me into it. Wasn't hard because the cold wet weather is here. This is based on whether or not Molly and Betsy and the new kitten named Buzz can co habitate.

Kitten is nervous and skiddish around the dogs. (not surprising if he was roaming our neighborhood) Molly has already warmed up to him, and he now seems fine with her.

Betsy is our problem. She LOVES cats. I'm not sure, but I think she thinks they're puppies.lol She would never intentionally hurt one, but gets so over excited she is scaring Buzz to death. And she might hurt him while trying to play puppy style.

Tonight she's gated in the kitchen with me. Buzz the new kitty is in the livingroom with Nichole. We've let them "see" each other a few times. It's taken 2 hrs but Betsy has finally calmed down and is lying at my feet.

Any tricks to introducing a cat to a dog I should know about? Cuz with Molly all I have to do is say the word Baby and she knows not to hurt the animal whatever it is. But while Betsy is smart, she's not as smart as Molly.

I'd like this to work. He's a really nice cat. And a good chance to have a well behaved inside mouser. (he actually uses the litter box...YEA!)

But if it doesn't.....Well I've become quite adept with Nichole bringing home so many animals over these past months in finding really good homes.

 

[KFld]

I have heard, and this actually worked with my dog, that you just kind of need to let them go at it and get used to each other on their own. My dog hates other dogs and the first few times my sister in law brought her dog over we tried to keep them seperated and protect them from each other. One day we just left them alone. They went after each other a few times and we didn't step in. Now they tolerate each other. We can bring them to each others houses and they pretty much ignore each other, but the don't fight either.

I don't know if this will work between dogs and cats, but it worked for my dog, and she's a 15 pound long haired daschund who thinks she's a germain shephard :smile:

 

[flutterbee]

Just let them do it in their own time and don't interfere unless it looks like someone might get hurt. Cats have claws and dogs don't like them. We have one cat that every dog that has been in my house - even an 80 pound husky - has been afraid of. She has claws and she's not afraid to use them. ha ha If she was on the steps and my husky was trying to come down, he would stop and whine. He wouldn't move until I came and moved the cat. The cat knew it, too. She'd just sit there and stare at the dog daring at him to walk past her. :rofl:

IOW, I wouldn't worry so much about the cat getting hurt. They'll work it out in their own time.

 

[tiredmommy]

This works for cats, I don't see why it wouldn't work for cats and dogs.
Try to keep them separated until they get used to the idea of being in the same house. Keep a door closed between them. This can take several days to a few weeks. Then, keep them separated through the gate. Don't leave them together without supervision for the next few months.

 

[totoro]

Lock them all in the same room together!!! Let the fur fly!!! Tough Love...

That is what we are going to do when we bring the pup home... lock them in a crate together!!! 2 cats and an 8 week old puppy!!!!


HA HA HA


Just Kidding... I agree with everyone else, that is what we are going to "try" and do with our new pup when he comes home... our cats do not like dogs... yet!!!

Good luck.

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

Keep in mind, the kitty is little yet. She will grow.

As she does, and gets more used to the home (and more used to hearing Betsy being rambunctious in another area of the house), eventually it will be okay to let them be in the same room together. As long as you have a convenient way to keep them apart for a little while, then I say do it. No hurry.

 

[flutterbee]

We've always had both cats and dogs. Really, the best way has been to let them work it out. Stay close at first so if things get out of hand you can run interference, but that kitten can take care of itself, believe me.

We did keep Baby Abbey in difficult child's room for the first week. She was sooo tiny being the runt (and then later found out that was because her kidneys are malformed). After that, we couldn't keep the kitten in difficult child's room. And while she was in difficult child's room, we had to keep a baby gate up outside difficult child's door, so difficult child could come and go without Jewel (our dog) running in. Jewel was sooo curious. She met Abbey, found out Abbey has claws and left her alone. LOL Now Abbey likes Jewel and Jewel just tolerates it. She's not crazy about it.

 

[Star*]

to introduce the cats to your dogs you must get 4 chairs, everyone sit nicely on a chair. then you start the introductions

"Fluffy, this is Killer", "Killer, this is Fluffy." "fluffy, this is Spike." "Spike this is Fluffy." "Spike this is Killer" "Killer this is Spike". "Spike and Fluffy, this is Killer" "Killer and Spike this is Fluffy."

Then look at everyone and say "THESE ARE THE RULES"

"No biting, no growling, no showing dominance, no eating tootsies out of the litterbox, no eating cat food, cat? No eating DOG food. Everyone has their own waterbowl - good. Kitty the dog is not a swatting toy, Dog the cat is not a stuffed animal. Kitty, your claws are registered as lethal weapons, Dogs your teeth can poke holes in sticks - do not make the same mistake with your SISTER. No hissing, no spitting, no swatting, No barking, no posturing, no raising your lips. No pooping in any other area that are NOT designated for pooping, and curtains are NOT for sharpening claws, neither are the undersides of my furniture. THESE ARE THE RULES

ANYONE Caught breaking the rules of this house will be removed and taken to the basement for a bath and then bed without supper.

then yell in your Warrior MOm voice

AM I CLEAR? DO WE ALL GET EACH OTHER?

- I am pretty sure this way you cover all the grounds of effective feline and canine communication.

You introduced them, you laid out the ground rules of your home, you have a consequence appropriate for their ages.

And know this - your cat will be your biggest difficult child. Mine skirts the 'rules' all the time. She'll lay under the furniture and "pretend" to claw the fabric, but in reality is just looking for attention and to hear me say anything about HER. Total difficult child.

Hey-if you don't understand the rules HOW can you get along in the game?

GOOD LUCK - YOUR GONNA NEED IT.

 

[I'm going crazy!!!]

If you're really scared the dog will hurt the cat then keep them separate but it won't be long before the cat will rule the dog. I have to throw this in it's just too funny. We have 1 inside small dog 1 inside cat 1 outside dog lab/pit bull mix. When it's too cold outside for dog we bring her in and put her in a wire cage next to the door and take her out first thing next morning. ok here's the funny part I woke up this morning to my son knocking on the door as i'm walking to the door he starts crying mommy mommy i need my mommy well of course i freak out wondering what's wrong i open the door and find out that he's scared because something barked at him he was asleep when we brought the dog in and it was dark back there by the door i'm still laughing with tears about it

:rofl:

 

[Hound dog]

Star :rofl:

Well, I believe so far things are going quite well. Actually better than I'd expected for the first few days. Buzz the stray has a new name, Bruce aka The Bruce (from Braveheart), as Nichole kept calling him that anyway. lol

This morning Betsy and Bruce were able to stay in the livingroom together for more than an hour. Bruce now seems to realize that Betsy's intentions are to play, not maime or eat. So he's not hissing and spitting at her anymore. Still wary though. Betsy may never figure out that Bruce is NOT a puppy and gets her feelings hurt that he isn't ready to play with her yet. :rofl:

However both were able to sit on Nichole's lap at the same time for a loving session. :smile:

Bruce is doing really well with the litter box. However the baby gates seem to have him stumped at the moment. lol He tries to walk thru them instead of jumping over them. When that doesn't work he MEOWS loudly until we place him over the gate to get to his food and water and litter box in the bathroom.

Although Bruce the kitty doesn't want to play per se, he isn't above teasing Betsy.

Now I have another problem. When Betsy went to chase Bruce (he was teasing her), Bruce turned at hissed and batted at her. (nothing serious) Well, low and behold Molly decides she needs to come to Betsy's rescue!!! :slap: Nichole swears Molly just wanted to play too. But I know Molly's body language. If Bruce had taken another hissy swipe at Betsy Molly would've gone off on him. Nichole scooped Bruce up and put him into her room.

Now Betsy wasn't the least bit phased at Bruce's warning. I did mention she's NOT the brain in the family, didn't I? lol Heck, I don't even think the cat had his claws out. But I also don't want Molly attacking him cuz she thinks he's gonna hurt Betsy. :slap: And if Molly's in defensive mode she won't back down, cat claws or not.

Might just be that Molly needs to see that Bruce is part of the family now. Cuz she could care less when our cat Shadow hisses and swipes at Betsy. (which is all the time)

But all in all, it's not going too bad. :smile:

Oh, I think I disappointed Nichole, though. I told her we're gonna look in the paper to make sure the cat isn't someone's lost pet. It's obvious he's used to spoiling, cuddling, and NOT to being outside. (wants no part of it) So he could've slipped out a door and some child somewhere is grieving the loss of their kitty. Nope, I have to make sure.

Thanks for the help.

Igc

:rofl: Too Cute!

 

[Star*]

Daisy,

I'd tell you I'd take him but brining an animal to my house is like taking a teenager to the home of Michael Myers. Not matter what you do - SOMEONE is going to get it.

Our Pit Bull is going to be our last Pit. He's not stable. Df refuses to have him put to sleep, and since we never have company, and the American grew to 130+ lbs - he doesn't seem to pick on poor "smallish" dog. The cat was a different story. We had another kitten that followed me home - literally. I was out walking the Am. Bulldog and we heard this pitiful mrow. It was a grey and white kitten as big as my fist. When I bent down to pick him up he mistook me for a tree and crawled all the way up to my head. I walked home with a kitten on my head. He was a lover, cuddler and perfect until he sliced the Bulldog's nose open. Then we were afraid it would be pieces of cat here, there, everywhere and sadly (oh i cried - I was so angry with my dog for being a dog)found him a new home.

The female kitten that I brought home from a supply house (she was feral and in a dumpster) has been the most well behaved cat ever. Except for carpeting - MY what a penchant for eating carpet. We got her her own play rugs and she still eats my throw rugs. We say she is so narcissistic she won't even barf up her OWN fur - it's perfect thus she must eat the rugs then barf. The AM. Bull gets along with her fine. She thinks she's a bulldog. She'll run with the boys at night chasing the toys - it's hysterical really. But she's about as affectionate as a cactus.
She and the Pit agree to disagree and they seem to work it out mostly, but we never let her and the Pit be alone together. And it's odd, because if no one is watching - he will play with her for hours and nicely too. The minute someone else comes into view? He gets all macho and stupid and stops playing with her.

-She's got his number though. The boys aren't allowed to eat her food, but she sits RIGHT in his dish and gobbles his down. In a former life I think she was a pig. A manipulative cactus pig.

I hope things for you work out.

Hugs
Star

 

[Marguerite]

When I was a kid I remember reading an article on how to introduce a cat and a dog. It said you sit with them both (best to have one person per animal) and each of you pat your animal and keep them calm and reassured. You then reach over and pat the other animal. In doing this, you're also transferring some of the other animal's smell, but in a way that the animal is still being reassured by you. And stop before either of them gets agitated. You may need to repeat this a few times, but it does work.

A number of times in my childhood we had cats and dogs at the same time. Once we got a puppy and two kittens at about the same time - they all ate out of the same bowl at the same time, it was cute. And as they grew, they played together. Visitors would see the familiar sight of a dog chasing two cats, they'd stop and stare at each other, then start up with the cats now chasing the dog. Seriously, they would alternate, taking turns.

Those two cats would work as a team and gang up on you. Technically one was my married sister's (she lived next door) and one was ours, but they were always together. To get to my sister's I had to open the side gate (wire mesh) and walk across a paddock (full of geese, and the house cow) and open her side gate at the milking shed. And often coming back I would see on either side of our gate, two sets of ears twitching in the long grass. Sometimes I'd even see a tail or two lashing in anticipation. I learnt to walk slowly pretending I'd not seen them, open the gate slowly, then rush through suddenly and turn, to see two cats leap too late to get me and collide in mid-air and land trying to look as if they did that on purpose.

They loved our dog and got on well with her, but would see off a strange dog that came too close.

And at sleep time you'd see a kennel full of one dog and two cats.

All were strays that my dad found on the farm where he worked. But for strays they were the most loving, gentle creatures, I remember the babies lying on top of the cats and t hey just put up with it.

A kitten especially will adapt, if you take the time to help her to. To a certain extent the animals will work it out, but I do not agree with the idea of locking them in a room and letting them sort it out for themselves - we wouldn't do that with our kids, in fact we step in to prevent it. Supervised interaction is what we want for our difficult children, surely? At least until we are confident that no supervision is needed any more because they will play nicely.

Marg