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Question

We have a five year old American shorthair cat who has lived in the house at times with two other cats with no problems. However, we added a puppy to the house after losing two of the cats to old age. Al, her name, runs from the pup. When we isolate them with a gate they lay in stare at each other. The pup has gotten to where he doesn't bark or chase the cat unless she runs. She has several "safe" areas to get away from the dog and we do not leave them alone when they are both in the house. The cat was a stray when we adopted her and I think she may have had a bad experience with a dog along the way. Any suggestions to introducing the two so the cat can have the run of the house as she always has had, and the dog can come into the house. Right now the cat is blocked from an area of the house she likes and seems to be unhappy about the situation.

Submitted: 216 days and 4 hours ago.
Category: Cat
Value: $15
Status: CLOSED
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Optional Information

Age: 5; Female; Breed: American short hair

Already Tried:
We don't leave them alone in the house. We have put gates up to keep the dog out of certain areas of the house so the cat has safe areas when the dog is in. When the dog is in the back room the cat will lay at the door to the room constantly. When the dog has gone outside she will venture into the back room and has even been in the dogs cage on her own. But she still hisses and carries on when the pup barks or runs after her. I know this is normal behavior for a cat, but I really would like to get them to live together more peaceably.

Accepted Answer

Hi,

 

Its sounds like you are on the right track. This is something that will take a lot of time and patience. Something you can try to get them more used to each other is to first work with the dog teaching it a few simple obedience commands such as sit, down, wait, etc. Once the dog knows a couple then put him/her on a leash in the same room as the cat, and work on the obedience commands. You will obviously need really good treats while you are doing this to keep the dog's attention. If the cat wants to come investigate she can. The important part is to keep the dog's attention on you rather than the cat. You can gradually work on doing this closer to the cat. You will probably always need to keep your gates on hand. Depending on the dog and cat you may never be able to leave them together when you aren't at home. Here is a link to a page that goes into more detail on how to work on getting dogs and cats to live together well, scroll down to find the appropriate section:

 

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/cat_behavior_tip_sheets/introducing_pets_to_a_new_cat.html

 

For the cat's benefit you might want to try a product called Feliway. It comes in a plug in diffuser, consists of calming pheromones, and works well for any stressful situation. Most pet stores carry Feliway or it can be purchased on-line.

 

If you have further questions let me know. If this answer is helpful please click accept. Thank you and good luck!

 

Lynn



Edited by Lynn on 4/21/2009 at 2:57 PM

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Expert: Lynn
Pos. Feedback: 100.0 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 4/21/2009

Veterinary Assistant

worked at a vet clinic for 15 yrs, BA in biology, have had cats most of my life

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