Cat and puppy

[tinkywinkyshandbag]

(Also posted in the litter tray topic)

Hi , all we got a puppy nearly two weeks ago now and the cat is still terrified. She is coming home which is good, and is eating. But when she comes in she is running straight up the stairs. She is sleeping on our beds which I am okay with, and I am feeding her upstairs otherwise she will not eat. When she wants to go out she ventures downstairs to the door, but otherwise will not come down. If she hears so much as a whimper from the puppy she runs a mile. She is not the most confident cat in general. I am keen to socialise the puppy with her before she gets too big but don't want to force them together. Is it just a case of giving her time? Any tips? I have a feliway, and have given her a blanket with the dogs scent on to sniff. Do you think I should start feeding her downstairs to encourage her down? Thanks.

I wouldn't force it because she may well just move out if she feels pressured to 'meet' the dog . Has she got lots of high places downstairs that she can access that the dog cannot as that may encourage her to sit and watch the pup . I would carry on doing what you are doing and see how it goes .

Did you not consider the cat before you got the dog? Poor thing is probably wondering what's going on and doesn't feel safe in her home, after having free run of the place. Not sure what the solution is but it shouldn't be a forced one.

Hi thanks yes of course we considered the cat! That is why we have Feliway, dog confined behind stair gates, etc. The cat has plenty of safe places to be and is getting lots of quiet cuddles - it's just that she is choosing to stay upstairs. I'm not going to force it. We had a cat and a dog when I was a child and they got along, in fact the cat was definitely the boss. I am hoping eventually my cat will learn the dog is not a threat, I was just wondering if anyone had any experience of this.

Hi, we have had our rescue pup for 10 weeks now, we deliberately went for a puppy for the cats sake, thinking if he grew up with them it would be ok. Well it is ok now, but it takes a long time and the relationship changes as the puppy grows and the cats adjust.
At the beginning, the cats ran away, closely followed by the pup, they mostly stayed upstairs and if together it was a complex manoeuvring with stair gates and doors.
After a while, the cats came down, the bolder one stopped running and just swiped him, so he mostly leaves her alone, the other doesn't run but now has a strange almost flirty thing with him, she allows him to chew her ears and neck until she's fed up and hisses.

It's still evolving, but time is helping, all will be well I'm sure op once they adjust to the new normal!

Hi thanks Tadpole that's encouraging, it has only been a couple of weeks so hopefully all will be well.

When I introduced (adult) dog into house with cats, I copiously treated all pets whenever they were together, to give them positive associations with each other. It worked really well - the dog and one of the cats even now, years on, will do thus cute nose-touching thing in front of me and look up at me hopefully. No idea if this would work with a puppy though (this was with an obedient dog and confident cats).
We also had a stair gate across a room at first, so the dog could be corralled when we weren't around to supervise, giving the cats free access to the rest of the house.