Help, minimally experienced cat person considering a kitten! Loads of ??

[tammymacb]

Ok. I'm a long time dog lover. I like cats, but don't have a lot of experience with them. I believe they should be indoor pets.. ( all animals should IMO ) and I did have a cat once. We were in the process of moving and a mover accidentally let her out of my bathroom and she escaped and we never found her. That was probably 10 years ago.

Anyway...background. Me, DH, DD 16. Own a large ( over 3000 sq feet ) home. Have all tile and wood floors downstairs. ( My dogs aren't allowed upstairs where the wall to wall carpet is either ) Kitty would stay downstairs.. ( master BR is also downstairs )

We have a fenced yard with a 6 foot privacy fence and locked gates. We DO have a doggy door that is a necessity when DH is on a long assignment and I work a 12 hour day.. ( it's rare we're both gone all day as well as DD ).

I have dogs. A boykin spaniel adopted from a shelter. Got her as an adult. Have no idea how she is with cats. A spaniel mix I got from a gas station as a tiny puppy. She's never been around a cat. She's young, not yet 2.

Greyhounds, one known cat safe, lived in foster with a cat. The other unknown, but was small animal tolerant of our tiny puppy. Loves to play. The greyhounds would be muzzled during the introductions and kitten would be left in a room when we were gone until we were sure everyone got along.

Specific questions.

How do I introduce a kitten to the dogs? In a crate and let them sniff her? It seems like the major danger would be to ME and getting the crap scratched out of me?

Would the doggy door be an issue? Do you think kitty would climb the fence and take off?

Anyone with experience on those little balls you can put at the end of claws. I don't believe in declawing, but would like to save my furniture. Also maybe then kitty couldn't climb the privacy fence?

Would one kitty be lonely? Would she make friends with my younger dogs and would that make enough company for her?

What else am I not thinking about?

Opinions please?

 

[BearcatsFan]

You say the dogs aren't allowed upstairs where the carpet is and that kitty won't be allowed up there either. How do you plan to keep the cat downstairs only - is there a door that closes it off or a babygate or what? Most cats I have had can scale a baby gate without problems, so if that's how you're keeping the dogs downstairs, you may want to rethink that strategy for a cat.

 

[kamik86]

If you want a kitten go to an adoption place and talk to the workers. They can help get you a kitten that will be more likely to do well with the dogs.

As for the claw stuff I don't know. All three of mine just have their claws. I have lost some furniture though. Mostly an old dresser, my cat liked to climb it but had trouble getting his back paws up and would scratch to try to get up there... They scratch a bit at soft stuff but it doesn't show and we can keep them from doing it most of the time.

To introduce them. First you put kitten in its own room. Let them get used to the place and you first. The room if the dogs are allowed there will already smell like them so they will get used to the smell.

Give the kitten a blanket or towel in their crate when you take them home. Put that out with the dogs when you have the kitten in a room. That will let the dogs smell the cat and know its around more.

Since you have multiple dogs I would let them in after a while one at a time with you supervising. If they start hissing/growling seperate them and try again after every calms down. It will probably take a few days for everyone to be ok with each other enough that you will let the cat out with them around... When you do that make sure you'll be around for a while to break up any fights... you don't want to leave the kitten alone with them for a long time at first.

Oh and if your dogs are ever all outside you may want to give the kitten the run of the house for a bit too so they can learn where everything is without the scary dogs.

 

[kamik86]

You say the dogs aren't allowed upstairs where the carpet is and that kitty won't be allowed up there either. How do you plan to keep the cat downstairs only - is there a door that closes it off or a babygate or what? Most cats I have had can scale a baby gate without problems, so if that's how you're keeping the dogs downstairs, you may want to rethink that strategy for a cat.

This is very true as well. Even a tiny kitten can climb a baby gate... and when they get better at jumping many can just be jumped (those ones that are only up to the knee of most people are nothing to a cat... my oldest can manage at least a good 3 1/2 feet up without even having to climb)

 

[tammymacb]

You say the dogs aren't allowed upstairs where the carpet is and that kitty won't be allowed up there either. How do you plan to keep the cat downstairs only - is there a door that closes it off or a babygate or what? Most cats I have had can scale a baby gate without problems, so if that's how you're keeping the dogs downstairs, you may want to rethink that strategy for a cat.

I'd leave her in my bedroom which is on the first floor.

 

[Princess Dolly]

I'd leave her in my bedroom which is on the first floor.

So the cat is only going to live in your bedroom?

As for the claw issues, cats can be trained to only claw on certain objects. My Dolly has three different scratching posts...one is a HUGE cat tree in our bedroom, the second is a smaller verticle scratcher in our family room area and the third is a horizontal cardboard scratcher in our workout room. we have no issues with her trying to claw anything else. Just show the cat what the scratching posts are to be used for and if the cat tries to claw at anything else, try to grab it and take it over to the proper clawing areas.

I don't know about the doggy door and the fence. Aren't there some doggy doors that can be activated with magnets?

 

[tammymacb]

No, she's not going to live in the bedroom. When I'm not home to keep an eye on her, I'll keep her in the bedroom until everyone is used to each other.

 

[ziggystardust]

I grew up with dogs. Allergic to cats. But I love them anyway and just got one back in Oct. She was 6months at the time.

She only scratches her cat scratchers and for some reason the rug that we have in front of the kitchen sink. Never touched a couch or any other piece of furniture. regardless of that, i would NEVER get them declawed. My sister's cat likes couches. She bought this sticky clear paper/sticker that you put on the places the cat likes. When the get their little paw stuck for a second, they never go back. She swears by it now.

Cats fly. If they want to get into a room, over a gate, through a tiny hole, they will. The cat will also want the run of the house. You can't really keep a cat out of anything unless there is a shut door - all the time. When I know she is on the complete other side of the house and I go to open a closet for a second, she ends up inside.

All that being said. I love her and she is the best thing ever. I have had plenty of dogs, of all sizes in the house. She inspects but isn't really into them. I'm sure if they were over longer, she'd get used to them.

 

[Scurvy]

As others have mentioned, cats can be taught to scratch only in specific spots. Some cats take more effort than others but with work they are trainable. Double sided tape, aluminum foil, spray bottles and compressed air are all great tools when training a cat. Clipping their claws also helps. I have no experience with the soft paws or other things like that but some people swear by them. Those may keep the cat from climbing some things but that isn't something you can count on.

Although cats can be trained to do (or not do) lots of things, it's unlikely that you'll be able to train a cat to stay only downstairs. They love to explore. If there's no door keeping it out of an area, it will be almost impossible to keep the cat away from that area.

Yes, the cat will almost certainly get outside if it has access to a doggie door. Cats climb very well and they can fit through very small spaces. If the cat can get into your backyard and the yard isn't completely sealed like an aviary, you have to assume the cat will get out of your yard.

The most important things when introducing the cat to dogs are to do it slowly and to give the cat someplace where it can go to get away from the dogs. Crates and baby gate are good. Basically it's best if you can keep them apart so the cat doesn't approach the dogs until it is curious about them and feels safe enough to approach. If the cat doesn't feel as though it can escape, it is going to get aggressive.

Remember dogs love to snack from litter boxes. Make sure you have somewhere to keep the litter box where the cat can get to it but the dogs can't, unless you don't mind them walking around with cat poop breath all the time.

 

[tammymacb]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...45133307509.112066.58496997509&type=1&theater

Hoping the link works. This is the kitty I want.

 

[sam_gordon]

I put a dog door in for our former cat. Didn't take long for that cat to figure out how to use it. The replacement cat has no problem either.

I think I sort of had to "push" them through the door the first time so they learned how it works.

 

[castmemberb4]

I am a cat person, we have 4 and used to foster for a rescue.
Cats are very different from dogs, I'm wondering why you've decided to add a cat to your household.

To address a few of your concerns, a cat can definately use a doggy door, my nieces cat used to go out theirs, catch "dinner" and bring it back inside. Sometimes dinner was still alive, and usually a baby. Before there are flames let me say this was ages ago, we DO NOT let any of our cats outside in this family now. A six foot fence is nothing to a cat mine climb to the beam the runs across the top of our kitchen.

I think you'll find out quickly that keeping a cat out of a certain area with out a closed door is just not on their agenda ! As for keeping it in the bedroom when you're not home, they do not like being confined like that and will most like try to tunnel out. I have a piece of missing carpet where one of mine accidentally got locked in our bedroom. It will also need a lot of 'stuff' to keep it occupied while it's in there alone or you may come home to total destruction.
The hassel of having to catch it and put it away everytime you leave the house will get old, but you can train it to come to you with treats.

Like most of the PPs mine have scratching posts and don't scratch our furniture, however they do jump up on it and we have a few holes in our leather sofa from that. When we had foster kittens they would climb it before they were old enough to jump up. If that's a concern adopting an older kitten should help. And you can keep their nails clipped, if you start at an early age they get used to it.

I've found that Male cats are more trainable, I have 1 female now and had two for 16 years, the females all seem to have that aloofnes associated with cats. All three of my male cats will come to me when I call them, but my female is always the last to saunter in even when treats are involved !

Good Luck with your new kitty, and please continue to ask questions as they arise. OH ! And we'll be expecting pictures !

 

[tammymacb]

This is her.

I changed my title of the thread, I'm not a *not a cat* person. I've always liked cats. Just don't have much experience especially when compared to dogs.

 

[castmemberb4]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...45133307509.112066.58496997509&type=1&theater

Hoping the link works. This is the kitty I want.

Oh My Goodness, she's beautiful
and part Siamese!
We have a Flame Point Siamese mix and he's a very lovey dovy boy,
he also has a very musical voice. I hope it all works out for you

 

[ziggystardust]

She is gorgeous!

 

[pixiewings71]

OMG I want her too! LOL She is a doll!!!! Just adorable! I have 3 cats and 1 dog, we had used to have 2 cats and 2 dogs, when DGD3 decided she wanted a dog DD24 asked if she could have one of ours, he is a very good dog, especially around kids and other small animals so he moved to Idaho. Then DD15 found a kitten and brought him home so we still have 4 pets, the ratio just changed. LOL Anyway, the cats all use the dog door to go in and out, it took them about 5 minutes of watching the dog use it to figure out. Tigger used to go out but he was too small to jump back in (he's the kitten DD found) so he would stand on the step and meow until we opened the door for him. LOL We have 6 foot fences and the cats climb them with no problems, I don't think you'll be able to keep your girl inside all the time, she's going to figure out the door and go in and out. I also think keeping her locked in your room while your gone won't work, as a PP said she will try to dig her way out.
To introduce your dogs to her you'll want to keep her in a crate, there will be hissing on her part, you'll have to watch the dogs to see how they react before you let her out into the general public area. It will probably be easier to put the dogs on a leash when you introduce them, that way you can probably control the dog easier.
Good luck to you, let us know how it goes please.

 

[kamik86]

As some of the PP mentioned cats are extremely smart. I don't know how but my cats can tell my sound if I opened "their" cupboard (the one that holds the treats, catnip, and wet food) or one of the other ones in the kitchen that doesn't have anything that interests them.

I have an enclosed porch type room but its REALLY drafty we keep it all closed up in winter so it doesn't make the whole place so cold. However the cats LOVE this room. My oldest spent a while trying to open the door one day. No I don't mean scratching at it I mean he climbed up near it and was playing with the handle. So if he can figure out how we open a door they can definitely figure out how to copy the dogs.

I have a sliding door on my bedroom. They can open this. If you leave a drawer open just a little bit they can open those too (front paws or claws go in the opening and then they walk backwards on their back paws).

DH left a bag of treats in just a slightly open dresser and when to bed. When he woke up the drawer was more open the treats were gone. From what we could tell oldest one opened it a bit. Littler one snuck in the drawer and pulled out the treats. They then took this to another room (they have gotten caught with treat bags before because playing with them to claw them open makes alot of noise) and then managed to paw it open and eat half the treats.

Biggest bonding experiece between my oldest and the cat we had before him? When he was a baby I was making a steak. There was a little piece that got cut off when I split it for DH and I. Well I turned around for a second and go back and the piece is missing.

I find the itty bitty one and the older cat that barely got along yet huddled together and very quiet... They stole that little piece of steak and were sharing it!

One thing to get used to with cats is that they will sometimes outsmart you because you underestimated them.

 

[Mokat76]

When I brought my latest kitten into the house (three cats and a big dog already there) he first stayed in the bathroom. I would go in frequently and just sit with him. Poor little guy was terrified. After he got used to me and everyone smelled everyone under the door, Bart graduated to a spare bedroom so he had more room. That took about three days. Again, I'd go in and hang out just with him. I slowly introduced the other cats and the dog, one by one. Oddly enough, he was less afraid of the boxer than the cats. It took about another week of that before I let him out to roam when I was home. Once I was sure he'd be OK and that he'd identified his cat buddy and liked the dog, he was free. It took about three weeks because I was cautious about him and the other cats. Your challenge might take a bit longer because you will have to be very, very sure of your dogs' behavior. Make sure she always has an escape route, be it under furniture, up the stairs or something. BTW, Bart's best kitten toy was my dog's tail. The dog has a natural tail and an unnatural patience for kitten hijinx. Nothing like seeing 4-lbs Bart taking on 75-lbs Zeus. Bart ALWAYS won, although the dog could have eaten him in one swallow.

Good luck. She's a cutie.

 

[cornflake]

Honestly, that many dogs vs. one kitten would make me wary just to begin with. I've known plenty of cat/dog households but if the ratio was off it always, always favoured the cats.

I too don't understand how you plan to keep the cat downstairs only. You said in your bedroom in the beginning but in your original post you say the dogs aren't allowed upstairs and neither will the cat be. As pointed out by everyone else, that's not going to work. Even if you have a full-size door at the stairs, she'd hurry up and scoot in when people are going in and out. Cats won't be denied entry to someplace for long, and certainly not on a permanent basis in a house they live in.

Which brings up that you say you believe in indoor animals, yet have a yard and a doogie door - that means the cat is outdoor. Yes, she'll figure out the doggie door in .2 seconds and no, a 6 foot fence isn't going to keep a cat in the yard for any longer than that either, unless, as someone said, the entire top of the fence is screened over like your yard is an aviary.

Given these things - I think I'd rethinkl the whole 'get a cat' plan. You don't know how several of the dogs will be with a cat, it's an established pack of dogs, the cat will get out, the cat will get places you don't want animals... I'm with the poster wondering about the impetus for a cat in the first place.

 

[Micca]

Geez that kitten is so cute. I guess my main concern would be the limitation
of keeping the cat downstairs. I've never known a cat that hasn't had the run of the house. Even with a closed door, I think she'd make you crazy wanting the door opened. Every time a human would pass through the door, the cat would be there trying to get out. I'm not saying it's cruel or anything, I just think it would be a lot of work trying to control a cat that much. She sure is cute though.