To be freaked out by my female dog humping my female cat

[Chocrock]

This is so weird, but everyone else thinks it’s hilarious....After 5 years of living together and totally avoiding each other, Ddog has started humping Dcat! Obviously Dcat doesn’t like it and tries to get away but Ddog pins her down!

How can I stop this?

Obviously it’s not normal behaviour but has anyone else experienced this before? I am worried that Dcat will be traumatised and I don’t want to leave them alone for too long!

it's a normal display of dominance. ddog is making sure the dcat knows he/she is the top pet in the household.

I didn’t know that! Phew. So is it pretty normal behaviour?

Is your dog in heat?

Dogs also hump cushions, human legs...not too surprising except I'd have thought a cat would be able to escape from most dogs.

Is your dog neutered? Our previous dog was an occasional leg humper until we had him done. (Though I gather it doesn't always stop this behaviour)

Oh! Sorry, I misread the title.

Yes it's a dominance thing, not sexual. DDog may be feeling a bit unsettled with her position in the pack for some reason, and she's making sure that she still rates above the cat!

Has anything changed in the house to make either of the furred ones tense? The dog is defo telling the cat who the top dog is. I’m just wondering why she suddenly feels the urge to do this. New neighbours dog next door etc could explain it. You could always fire a water pistol at her when she starts upsetting kitty. That may put her off humping her if she gets a shower each time! Poor kitty!

@Eliza That could be it - I am interim fostering a 13 year old girl who move in a week ago and this has been happening over the past week. The dog and cat live her by the way and she does them, she showers them both with affection but Ddog has always had a jealous streak!
Is there anything I can do about it?!

love her

This type of behaviour can also be triggered by anxiety or over excitement.. Is your cat well? I had a dog that used to display this behaviour only if he detected anything different in my other dog, we always examined the other dog, and invariably it would be something minor like a scratch or something - when the "injury" was treated he lost interest., another time it was full anal glands. It was on both dogs' vet records that he could detect illness! Mind you he was very young when we discovered this.

Dcat seems well. I have checked her over since reading this and can’t find any lumps or sore spots.
She can stand up for herself, when she wriggles free she gives Ddog a good whack around the head then Ddog runs away!

Ignore the posts about dominance, that is incorrect information. This is either anxiety on your dog’s part (biggest cause of humping by far) or a reaction to a smell from your cat that you cannot detect. I would get both animals checked over by the vet and also look at calming activities for your dog- decent chew toys etc.

P.S. re the water pistol comment, if a dog is humping as a release of anxiety and you punish them by spraying water at them that really will not help matters. You need to tackle the underlying cause or she’ll turn to other undesirable behaviours.

I will call the vet and get them both checked over.
I wouldn’t use a water pistol anyway as I am a crap aim and would probably spray Dcat - adding to her trauma!
I’ll get Ddog a new toy today.
I’m thinking it probably is the arrival of the foster child that has swung the balance of the household (if this is a dominance issue) but there is nothing I can do about that. Hopefully Ddog will settle down soon?!

Maybe she just loves pussy?

I'm sorry. I couldn't resist...

I'll leave now...

YABU for referring to them as DDog and DCat. FFS.

Poor cat!