for those who have dogs and cats

[swamp]

I have a 4 year old cat.  He's pretty chill and very social.

We just got a puppy, and she wants nothing more than to play with the cat.    The puppy will jump on her, nip, tumble, and generally pester the cat.  The cat will hiss and swipe, but has not yet used his claws on the puppy.  I was kind of hoping he would so the puppy would stop pestering the cat, and they could co exist in the same room.   The can only do so when they are both napping.  

How do you tell your cat it's OK to claw at the puppy to make her back off? 

[Tennesseer]

Pupplies will be puppies. When the cat has had enough, it will show its claws to the puppy.

[Deleted]

They'll work it out.  She'll crack and kick the puppy's ass someday. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

We had the opposite problem.  Sheldon was the kitten who wanted to play with the older dog and pestered the shit out of him.  Harpo just got up and moved, he never made any sort of aggressive move on the cat.  Later, when the cat got out of the kitten stage they cuddled up together.  The only time Harpo got upset was when Sheldon went into either major knead mode or tried to wash his ears.

Cat realizes that the puppy is a puppy and will put him in his place when necessary.

[Tiny]

Does the cat have someplace to go (like up a tall cat tree) to get away from the puppy? It sounds a bit like the cat doesn't mind the antics of the puppy OR the cat can't get to a spot in a room to avoid the puppy.

When I had cats that didn't mind when my brother's dog visited - the cats would interact (politely) with the dog - and when they got bored doing that they'd retreat to spots the dog couldn't reach but the cats could still watch (taunt?) the dog - the top of the cat tree and under the dinning room table (surrounded by the legs of the chairs the dog couldn't navigate thru).

Eventually the dog would got tired of the cats "ignoring" her and she'd come hang out with us humans. the cats would then settle into their favorite sleeping spots and the dog would pretty much leave them alone.

FWIW:  there's some chance your puppy might need a visit to the vet when the cat puts it in it's place.... a claw to the eye or nose  (by accident)  or a really good cat bite - might require actual care.   Your cat might get damaged too  if a claw gets ripped out (caught in doggy fur  and is bleeding or if the dog actually bites the cat (or grabs and shakes the cat)... 

[happyhoix]

Puppies don't have great memory retention. (Squirrel!) Cat will have to assert itself multiple times but eventually dog will figure out it's place in the household.

[swamp]

Nov 20, 2017 11:18:10 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Does the cat have someplace to go (like up a tall cat tree) to get away from the puppy? It sounds a bit like the cat doesn't mind the antics of the puppy OR the cat can't get to a spot in a room to avoid the puppy.

When I had cats that didn't mind when my brother's dog visited - the cats would interact (politely) with the dog - and when they got bored doing that they'd retreat to spots the dog couldn't reach but the cats could still watch (taunt?) the dog - the top of the cat tree and under the dinning room table (surrounded by the legs of the chairs the dog couldn't navigate thru).

Eventually the dog would got tired of the cats "ignoring" her and she'd come hang out with us humans. the cats would then settle into their favorite sleeping spots and the dog would pretty much leave them alone.

FWIW:  there's some chance your puppy might need a visit to the vet when the cat puts it in it's place.... a claw to the eye or nose  (by accident)  or a really good cat bite - might require actual care.   Your cat might get damaged too  if a claw gets ripped out (caught in doggy fur  and is bleeding or if the dog actually bites the cat (or grabs and shakes the cat)... 

Yes.  Outside, on a counter in the kitchen, or on the top bunk of DS's bunk beds.  

[TheOtherMe]

I only have cats, but I think they will work it out.  They may or may not become friends.

My cat runs to the top of the kitchen cupboards when she feels threatened by small children who lunge at her.  She has never done anything to them.  She just hides until they leave.

[weltschmerz]

They'll work it out themselves without human intervention.

Honest.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Nov 20, 2017 11:18:10 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Does the cat have someplace to go (like up a tall cat tree) to get away from the puppy? It sounds a bit like the cat doesn't mind the antics of the puppy OR the cat can't get to a spot in a room to avoid the puppy.

When I had cats that didn't mind when my brother's dog visited - the cats would interact (politely) with the dog - and when they got bored doing that they'd retreat to spots the dog couldn't reach but the cats could still watch (taunt?) the dog - the top of the cat tree and under the dinning room table (surrounded by the legs of the chairs the dog couldn't navigate thru).

Eventually the dog would got tired of the cats "ignoring" her and she'd come hang out with us humans. the cats would then settle into their favorite sleeping spots and the dog would pretty much leave them alone.

FWIW:  there's some chance your puppy might need a visit to the vet when the cat puts it in it's place.... a claw to the eye or nose  (by accident)  or a really good cat bite - might require actual care.   Your cat might get damaged too  if a claw gets ripped out (caught in doggy fur  and is bleeding or if the dog actually bites the cat (or grabs and shakes the cat)... 

You do NOT want this to happen. Sheldon batted playfully at Harpo, caught his eyeball and scratched the shit out of it. 6 weeks, $1200 later, Harpo lost his eye and Sheldon lost his claws. We were not going to risk a blinded dog. The vet is normally very anti declawing and he recommended it.

[alabamagal]

We had 2 dogs when DD moved in last year with a cat and a dog.  The dogs are best buddies, but the cat took a while to adjust to the dogs.  Our biggest fear was that one of our dogs was a cat chaser.  At our old house he would chase the stray cats in the neighborhood.  Not sure if this was due to his breed (some type of lab mix) or that he was adopted from a shelter where he lived for most of his first 6 months.  Anyway we had a few instances of cat chasing in the house, but they eventually got more used to each other and they co-exist.  Now that the cat has adapted to life in a dog house it is pretty funny.  When the dogs are outside playing in the back yard, the cat will sit at the window and "bark" at them and run back and forth trying to find a way to join them.  The cat appears to want to be a dog.

DD left the cat and dog with us when she moved to Germany, so now we are a house of 3 dogs and 1 cat.  She may try to get the animals once they get settled and can afford to ship them.

[msventoux]

They’ll eventually work it out for themselves, but it’s a good time to introduce the puppy to the “leave it” command. Comes in handy for a lot of things. Leaving other animals alone, not picking up icky things on walks or inhaling non-edible things you might drop on the floor.

Full disclosure though, many years ago in a fit of exhaustion after several sleepless hours of a puppy continually harassing the cat, then the cat turning around and continually harassing the puppy in the wee hours of the morning, I did use the cat to beat the dog. Knocking their fuzzy little heads together a couple of times while shrieking “I said leave it!” was a surprisingly effective way to get everyone settled down. 😳 We all went to sleep and they never tormented each other in my presence again. Not one of my finer pet parent moments.

[zibazinski]

Nov 22, 2017 2:38:52 GMT -5 msventoux said:

They’ll eventually work it out for themselves, but it’s a good time to introduce the puppy to the “leave it” command. Comes in handy for a lot of things. Leaving other animals alone, not picking up icky things on walks or inhaling non-edible things you might drop on the floor.

Full disclosure though, many years ago in a fit of exhaustion after several sleepless hours of a puppy continually harassing the cat, then the cat turning around and continually harassing the puppy in the wee hours of the morning, I did use the cat to beat the dog. Knocking their fuzzy little heads together a couple of times while shrieking “I said leave it!” was a surprisingly effective way to get everyone settled down. 😳 We all went to sleep and they never tormented each other in my presence again. Not one of my finer pet parent moments.

Does it work on kids?

[alabamagal]

Nov 22, 2017 7:34:21 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Nov 22, 2017 2:38:52 GMT -5 msventoux said:

They’ll eventually work it out for themselves, but it’s a good time to introduce the puppy to the “leave it” command. Comes in handy for a lot of things. Leaving other animals alone, not picking up icky things on walks or inhaling non-edible things you might drop on the floor.

Full disclosure though, many years ago in a fit of exhaustion after several sleepless hours of a puppy continually harassing the cat, then the cat turning around and continually harassing the puppy in the wee hours of the morning, I did use the cat to beat the dog. Knocking their fuzzy little heads together a couple of times while shrieking “I said leave it!” was a surprisingly effective way to get everyone settled down. 😳 We all went to sleep and they never tormented each other in my presence again. Not one of my finer pet parent moments.

Does it work on kids?

Actually it does. Encouraging kids to deal with each other, rather than running to parents, is a strategy for reducing conflict.

[zibazinski]

I was thinking rubbing their heads together...but your method does sound more civilized

[kittensaver]

It's always helpful to remember that while cats and dogs are not natural enemies, they're also not natural friends. But they can definitely learn to live together, and some actually DO become close buddies.

The cat recognizes the puppy as a hyper baby, that's why he's being somewhat patient. I agree with others that when he's had enough, he's let her know in.no.uncertain.terms.

If the cat has high places to go to get away from the puppy, and the puppy does not have access to raid the cat's food dish or its cat box (yuck, but they do it ), that is all the intervention you probably need to do. The rest of it - they'll figure out for themselves.

Congrats on the new family addition!  

[swamp]

The cat is now fucking with the dog.   He will walk by her very slowly, let the dog start sniffing him, then run and jump up on a counter.   And stare at the dog from the counter while the dog yaps like a wildwoman.  

My cat is an asshole.  

[Deleted]

Your cat is starting to like new puppy friend. 

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 22, 2017 13:42:09 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Your cat is starting to like new puppy friend. 

Cat is feeling more comfortable with puppy.  

[andi9899]

Nov 22, 2017 13:39:39 GMT -5 swamp said:

The cat is now fucking with the dog.   He will walk by her very slowly, let the dog start sniffing him, then run and jump up on a counter.   And stare at the dog from the counter while the dog yaps like a wildwoman.  

My cat is an asshole.  

They usually are.

[Deleted]

I love your cat.  Yes, they are assholes and that's exactly what the puppy needs.  

[violagirl]

As someone who lived with several dogs and several cats at once, I'd really recommend not waiting for the cat to use its claws on the dog. Occasionally my cats liked to sleep with the dogs, but not really play with them. Now I'm not sure what breed of dog you have, but if there is any prey drive at all, I'd curb any excitement around the cat as soon as possible. If the dog is barking at the cat when the cat is up out of reach, I'd be really careful.

My experience was once the dog reached maturity, it got a bit more serious about the cat and it was not fun and games anymore. This also depends on the cats personality. One cat was extremely skittish around the dogs and if they could catch her on the ground, they would jump on her. Even in this situation she didn't use her claws much. I provided as much separation between dogs/cats as I could, but occasionally one dog in particular would catch her and hump her and cat was NOT a fan of being grabbed by the back of the neck and humped by a dog. Fortunately, the dog never went farther than that, but the fact that she was humping the cat means she was conflicted about what to do once she caught it, which made for 7 very tense years in my house. Other cats were not as exciting because they did not move fast and they did not run, so they were targeted less. But any cats seen outside of the house were definitely prey in their minds, I made sure they did not catch any and that my cats had a place in every room where they could be out of reach of the dogs. 

What did work somewhat was to train the dog to redirect when excited to something other than a cat, like a stuffed toy. It just kind of shifts the dogs fixation to something other than the cat when dog is excited, because excited dogs are totally going on impulse and not thinking much. 

My two cents is unless both the dog and the cat are super calm and relaxed then best case they learn to ignore each other.