new dog and established cat not getting on!

[ScarletA]

We have an 18 month old cat who we got as a kitten and who loved our old dog. He died at the beginning of the year and we have just taken on another rescue dog. They said he'd lived with cats so I thought it would be OK.

HOWEVER.

New dog has chased cat out, stares at her as if he'd love to kill her and spends all his time when she is in the vicinity focused on her every move or whereabouts. He is a lovely animal, really sweet with the kids and very loving but I am not sure I can trust him.

Cat is quite a brave little animal but is very wary and hissy, and leaves as soon as she sees him. He is shut in the living room now and she is sitting very happily on my lap (her rightful throne) purring away.

What should we do? At the moment I am just keeping them apart, or holding onto the dog whenever she is near as I don't know him well enough to trust what he'll do.

I looked on the internet but there's lots of conflicting advice - like keep them apart for a week or put cat in cat basket and let dog sniff her (cat would be terrified, surely?).

Anyone got any experience/advice? The situation is just 24 hours old.

Not knowing the dog is quite a problem.

You could try taking a blanket that the cat has slept on and placing it in dogs basket and vice versa until they get to know each other smells.

Place a stairgate between them so that they can see each other.

I have always been a bit risky in introducing cats with dogs but I have known the dogs well and known them to be more intrigued then to snap or bite. In general the cat Always comes out on top and is the more likely of the two to snap.

It can take up to 6 weeks to get them to accept each other and even then they may not like each other.

My Cats and Dogs have love-hate relationships. The dog loves them....they hate the dog and they take great pleasure in teasing him at times....other times they all sleep together happily.

We've had our 9-month old pup for over 6 months and he and the cat are still tiptoeing round each other! It's going to take time.

We read up on so much advice: put them in a room together/DON'T put them in a room together/use each other's bedding... you name it, we read it.

I think the best way is to allow your cat to make any approach. Always keep a hold of your dog - he needs to know that the cat is NOT to be chased and that there's no reward for doing so. Your dog sounds lovely, and your cat sounds like she's getting used to the idea of him being around if she's purring on your lap and he's in the next room.

We decided right from the start that the dog wasn't going upstairs, so that became the cat's haven. He knows that upstairs, he can go where he likes and not worry about the dog. Likewise, the pup knows the cat's more important than him as he's allowed upstairs.

At first, downstairs, the cat would be out the door like shit off a shovel, but he's getting braver now and might hang around for 10 mintues or so. At the same time, the pup (now quite grown-up) has learnt to sit when he's in the room and not give chase. He just sits and watches his every move. He still needs constant supervision though, to reinforce this, unless the cat's so speedy and the pup's asleep!

Funnily enough, the cat remembered the other day that he loves to sleep in DD's buggy and clambered in. A couple of hours later, he was disturbed by a nosy dog, who was nuzzling his head and wagging his tail like mad. The cat loved it but before it got messy I took the pup away.

I guess I'm trying to make their encounters as pleasant and unstressful as possible. It's taken a long time to get this far, but we need them to get on...!

Sounds like it's going well - it's only 24 hours! Give it some time and I'm sure they'll be fine.

And stairgates are a marvel...!

MG

Thank you, you two. There's so much conflicting advice, it's hard to know what to do. Stairgate sound like a great idea but we have five flights of stairs in our flat and also the dog is big and could easily jump them. If I give you more info on the cat/dog dynamic maybe that would help?

The cat has to be enticed indoors in the day ie I have to call her, catch her and bring her inside. She is not scratchy or scrabbly in my arms but distinctly tense. She is relaxed when she knows the dog is safely shut in another room. At night we shut the dog in the living room and she comes in about midnight and sleeps on our bed for the night (her usual routine).

We have let the new dog off the lead in the park and he is fairly obedient ie comes when called (though not instantly), sits, doesn't pull when on the lead etc. With other dogs he doesn't fight but he likes to be dominant by mounting, lovely habit. When told to stop he does straight away, which is good, though then he goes and does it again. Something to work on... He is a collie lurcher like our old dog but is much more 'collie' in that he approaches other dogs very fast and low and seems to herd them if there are a lot of them. He has that very intent collie look they have when they stare at sheep to intimidate them. Is this what he is trying with the cat?

This morning I left him alone for the first time and he was fine, no damage to the house anyway! I thought the cat had gone out before I left but found her inside sitting somewhere high up and growling. She felt quite warm, like she'd been curled up somewhere, and when I got her wasn't scratchy so I hope he hadn't cornered her there the whole time I was out. He was very interested in her but didn't jump up or anything, just followed closely and wouldn't back off until I got quite cross with him, then he stayed back. I let the cat out and gave him a treat.

I read that you should always reward good behaviour around the cat as it reinforces a positive message about the cat's presence. She is again curled on my lap and purring now, dog shut out. Should I just continue like this, keeping them as separate as possible? And if so, how long for? 6 months sounds like a horribly long time, especially as she is such a special cat to me. She used to run about being skitty kitty all the time but I think if she ever did that again, she'd get chased.

New dog is lovely though in all other respects, would hate to have to send him back.

It is difficult isnt it , my car now tolerates our dog after 4 years!! The dog will still chase the cat down the stairs if he gets half a chance but other than that and trying to steal the cats food they get on aswell as can be expected. infact now when the cat comes in and miaows to be fed he rubs himself against the dog ,which freaks the dog out a bit ! Give it time and im sure they will work it out amongst themselves

The cat used to do that to our old dog, rubbing herself on him. He hated it! Wish she was as confident with this new one...

anyone?

Try the blanket thing....get them really used to each others smells.

Once they are used to the smells you may find that they become more curious about each other. The cat will probably swipe at the dog a few times but if your calm they will stay calm.

I know what you mean about the cat's old habits. Ours and his brother (sadly killed on the road outside) used to be quite mad and hilarious in the house so we do miss that. However, now we have a 22 month old DD and the pup, so there's never a dull moment...

On the upbeat, the cat spends SO much more time upstairs with us than he ever did before because the pesky pup is there, which is lovely. Do you feed your cat upstairs? We decided it was a good way for ours to feel safe and secure, and I've kind of got used to it now.

It sounds like you're doing all the right things. But you will need to referee for a while until the cat works out how she can "be" around the dog, IYSWIM. They'll get there.

Collie's do have that glazed look when they get down and start "herding". Keep nipping it in the bud when he does that around her - or other dogs for that matter - by getting his attention by jumping around being far more exciting, playing a game or something. You need to to keep reminding him that the cat is boring and to be ignored and that you are the source of all excitement and jollity.

Can the cat get out of the house without you being there to let it out? They need to have a clear way of escape all the time.

And do you know the dog will definitely jump a gate? Ours is a big flatcoat retriever male and hasn't. I think it's more because he's never tried and succeeded to jump anything, so we're probably screwed if he decides he wants to get over one...! We have one at the foot of the stairs and one into our sitting room so he can be confined to the kitchen at night, when we're out, and when DD needs some space during the day.

Keep at it - he sounds like a lovely hound and the cat seems a very cool customer indeed. It may be that they never become bosom buddies, but it sounds like they're well on the way to getting on.

Hope that helps.

Thanks horseshoe - if they had blankets that would be a good idea but cat sleeps on our bed (or under it or on the sofa or the hot pipe that runs under the kids bedroom floor) and the dog sleeps on the living room carpet (we did give him old dog's basket on his first day, he puked in it and that's as close as he's ever got to using it). However, I have used your smell idea - stroked dog (who is quite pongy) and then hand fed the cat bits of chicken that stunk of dog. Hopefully get a good association going there? In fact, I was really pleased - she was sat in the same room as him eating dog stinking chicken while he was made to sit a few feet away (and creep on his elbows ever closer) and he got chicken too (when he stopped creeping on his elbows). BUT all undone this afternoon as she came into the kitchen without me seeing and he chased her out.

Millguff - some great ideas there, especially keen on the distraction by leaping about thing. Will def try it. Though not sure if I am more interesting than a chasable cat...
He will def get over a stairgate - has effortlessly cleared even higher in the park today. Cat has escape route, can get out through the catflap in kitchen door (through which dog sticks his great dumb head). She has sat outside on the kitchen window sill and looked at him bravely through the window, though after being chased again today I haven't seen her for dust .

Last night she didn't come in until after 4 am. I was out in the garden (naked) in the wind and rain calling her every couple of hours. I feel bereft. But new dog is SOOOOO lovely in every other way that I really want this to work.