Cats & Dogs UPDATE

[EsmeraldaX]

We got the cat...see my latest reply for what happened


Hi all,

This friday , I will be taking in, possibly permanently if it works out, a 2 year old, fixed male cat. The cat is pretty mellow and weighs about 13 lbs.

I currently have a 9 month old fixed male Jack Russell terrier puppy.

Now, Monty, the dog, takes little to no notice of the cats he's met. I have also had a pet rat (dog was afraid of the rat ) and an injured wild bird I nursed back to health (he took no notice of the bird). He's met the 5 cats who live at my neighbors house, but teh cats bolted out of the room before Monty could really even figure out what they were.

Manny, the cat , has never been outside, or seen a dog before. He is very cuddly and pretty mellow. He is being given up by the owner who has had him since he was 8 weeks old because he decided he'd rather have a "nicer" apartment, then keep his pet.

If this doesn't work out, I am able to keep the dog & cat seperated until a *good* permanent home for Manny can be found.

I know not all dogs & cats get along, but I also know of many more who do.

Does anyone have any advice for me on how to bring Manny, the cat, into my home? I will be picking him up Friday.

Thanks,
Sheri, Chris & Monty (and Manny!)

 

[Disneymommie]

I am no expert by far but have lots of life experience with animals. The cat will be very skitish at first and may hiss and growl for a while. introduce them slowly. It may take awhile for the cat to adjust. The cat is most likly to go into a hiding spot. Do not attempt to get him out untill he is ready. Also when you are not home or unable to watch them keep them seperated. I was once told by a vet it could take upto 3 months for a cat to adjust. Mine have alway adjusted very well a lot faster. As long as the dog does not try to hurt the cat or vice versa give it some time for them to get to know what the other is about. It took my cats a few weeks to agree to disagree and basically ignore each other. My dog was always afraid of the cats and tryed to go the otherway. Good luck and I hope you can get better advice that I could offer. Wishing you the best

 

[Beauty]

Does your puppy sleep in the room with you? If not I would lock Manny in your room with his food/water/liter box. With the door closed Manny can smell your dog and your dog can smell Manny. I would introduce them slowly, hold Manny and let the dog sniff him and vice versa. Its probably a guarantee that Manny will run the first few times. Hes new to the house and everything around him. I say just give it time.......

I have 2 kittens and my mom has a Pomeranian who lives with her in her apartment in a different wing of the house. When mama brings the Pomeranian out to go outside my babies have gotten to where they don't pay her any attention and she pays them no attention. Sometimes mama will leave the Pomeranian out for a while and they just co-exist.

Its very possible just give it time.

 

[doxdogy]

We have two cats along with our dachshund herd and two mixed breeds. When we brought home JoJo first, we left her in the carrier, they inspected her. Then we took her to the back of the house and she gradually came out amongst the dogs. Now they just ignore each other. Fat Mamma had been here before our DD got married and she came back last July. Same scenario as we did with JoJo. The only difference is that Fat Mamma loves the dogs. She rubs up against them. We also have a Monty and he is her favorite. She snuggles up to him, rubs all over him. So, just watch them carefully and don't let the dog chase the kitty.

 

[dianeschlicht]

As a dog breeder and trainer, I would reccomend you bring them together on neutral ground to both. If they are both on neutral territory, they can get used to each other more easily when one is not defending his territory. When you do then bring them together at home, they will kind of know each other. If you have a room in your house that the dog has not been either, that would be suficient as well. It doesn't really sound like you will have a problem. Is the cat declawed? If he is, I wouldn't worry about him scratching the dog, and the cat will hiss and let the dog know when he is overstepping his bounds.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by dianeschlicht
As a dog breeder and trainer, I would reccomend you bring them together on neutral ground to both. If they are both on neutral territory, they can get used to each other more easily when one is not defending his territory. When you do then bring them together at home, they will kind of know each other. If you have a room in your house that the dog has not been either, that would be suficient as well. It doesn't really sound like you will have a problem. Is the cat declawed? If he is, I wouldn't worry about him scratching the dog, and the cat will hiss and let the dog know when he is overstepping his bounds.

Thanks all.

There are some areas of the house the dog rarely goes into, back hallways and such. We tried introducing Monty (the dog) to the cat downstairs and Monty was far more interested in checking out the neighbors apartment than in the cat.

The cat is not declawed, nor will he be. I don't know of many vets around here who will do it, and I have mixed feelings about doing this anyway.

My gut instincts tell me this will work out fine . I think either they'll ignore each other completely or be buddies

 

[chager]

Another thing you could try is taking a couple towels or something and rubbing one on each animal then place the cats next to the dog bowls and the dogs next to the cats bowl. If there is a way to do that now before they actually get together it may be halpful. This way they can get used to each others scents. I always rub one animals face then rub the others to help also. I will suggest watching them closely at first since kitty has claws. Monty may take some scratches on the nose. Good luck

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Day one did not go very well. Monty wanted to play with the cat and so he started growling and pouncing and seemed confused as to why the cat wasn't playing with him...

Everytime he got too close (they were being carefully watched by two adults) the cat would hiss & swat him (missing each time). Monty kept coming back ...thinking they were playing.

Also, I was fine with the cat when we had him at the old owners house, but when I brought him home, I began to have a severe allergic reaction to him. I had to take 3 Benadryls to even be able to breathe. Tomorrow, I'm going to see about getting some prescription allergy medication or the allergy shot with my doctor.

I don't really know what to do now. Will my dog ever just leave the cat alone? I would be happy if they just ignored each other, and the cat is perfectly willing to ignore the dog.

Of course, this was day one and a very short introduction.

I have a potential home for the cat lined up, but he's so cool looking and friendly to people...I'd love to be able to keep him.

I keep telling myself, I did good, I saved him from going to the pound and being put down, I gave him a chance and I'll give him a good home if I have to take out ads in every cat magazine in the country...

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Serena]

Take care of yourself is my idea. Take care of your allergies. The animals will decide if they are going to get along or not in time, but breathing is an important part of life

You need to give them more time to be accustomed to each other. The cat is scared and the dog is probably confused to the new toy you brought home that won't play.
Give it at least a month before making any judgements on them. By then they will know that neither one is going anywhere and decide how they will interact.

 

[katerkat]

It'll take a while! With my boys (two cats), I kept Tycho in a room by himself for a month, out of necessity - he had ear mites and parasites and whatnot that I didn't want Wedge to get. It took a month for him to fully heal, the poor darling. Anyway, during the month, Wedge and Tycho got to know each other under the door, scents and all that. But even still, there was a lot of hissing and growling and swatting the first week or so. So just be patient and let them get used to each other!

Oh, and I hope your allergies get better!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Thank you!