OMG. We just got a puppy! HELP!

[MHopkins2]

We’ve just added an 11 week old female pit bull to our household. (Very lovingly raised, Mom and Dad both beautiful with great temperaments – calm, friendly, affectionate, etc.) The resident cat is a 3 year old male Siamese, front declawed. He’s very much used to being the King of the Castle, and was "less than thrilled" (AKA took off running and hid under the bed) when we brought [as yet unnamed] home, but warmed up enough in the first half hour to (warily) investigate. There’s been no hissing or fighting, but a couple instances of “Halloween Kitty” posture. The puppy seems to be afraid of the cat, and I think that’s helping with fight avoidance.

Suggestions? Tips? “Oh my lord, what have you gotten yourself into?” commiseration? All are appreciated!

 

[NMAmy]

So sorry...just wanted to give you my sympathy and say that I'm sure they'll all settle down in a couple of days!

I'm allergic to cats so not much experience there but whenever I've introduced a new puppy to the resident head honcho dog--they've always become best of friends. DH had two dogs and a cat (older) and they were all pals--even slept in one big pile at the end of the bed!

Good luck to you!

 

[SnoWhite]

Our cat absoultely HATED our dog for the first 2-3 weeks! She was very used to being the Queen of the household, and the Dog takes a LOT of attention. She finally got over it and now they are friends. They chase each other and play a lot. I think it just takes time. Our cat would actually try to hurt the puppy for the first week, so yours sounds like he's doing pretty well!
Give it a little time, it will all work out.
And good luck with the Puppy!

Lisa

 

[MHopkins2]

Okay, the first specific question has already presented itself. I know how to keep the puppy out of the cat food - put it out of the puppy's reach. No problem; Puppy can't quite even make it up on the couch, and Kitty regularly leaps onto the top of the fridge.

Question: how do I keep Kitty out of Puppy's food?

 

[Pop Daddy]

long post

 

[Shugardrawers]

Don't worry, your cat and dog will come to an understanding soon. If they aren't fighting then everything is fine. As for keeping the cat out of the dog's food I HIGHLY recommend you only feed the dog at certain times and not let him eat at will. Put his dish down and give him 20 to 30 min to eat. After that put it away until his next meal. He'll probably need to eat 3 times a day and when he's older can be reduced to 2 times. This also helps with housebreaking. Dogs usually have to go potty about 30 min after eating so you'll be able to predict when he'll need to go. Order a copy of "How to Housetrain your dog in 7 Days" from Amazon.com. It'll take more than 7 days but their method works great. I manage a doggy daycare and boarding facility so I'm real familiar with housebreaking methods. If you need any help in that area feel free to PM me. I have the basic outline of the book in a word document saved on my computer. But definitely order the book. You'll be so glad you did!

 

[MosMom]

My youngest pup (Little Miss Expensive Intestine) is not afraid of the cats and views them as playthings. My oldest dog is deathly afraid of our cats...particularly our Siamese. She will sit on the stairs and block his path just staring at him like "I dare you to pass me". It is hilarious to see a 50lb dog avoiding a 7lb cat like the plague.

 

[Betsyt82]

Hey good luck. I was a cat only person for a long while before getting our dog. Get a kennel/crate and make that the dog house in your house, you can leave them in there at night and when you leave to go to work etc, and gives the dog a comfort/safe zone. Lots of chew toys, to keep "no name" out of your shoes and what not. If you take your dog to the same place in the yard everytime to go pee and poop they will learn that there is the only place to go on your property. We trained our dog to go in the wooded part of the yard. By doing this you eliminate the land mines in the rest of your yard. And that has been the best since we have two kids who love to play in the yard. There is a book out there that is called something like.....now that I have a puppy what do I do. by a Mattie something or other. Sorry cannot recall totally. But he is excellent in instruction for puppies and dogs.

Have fun and watch those puppy puddles!!!

 

[MHopkins2]

We have a name! Thanks to her beautiful, shiny black hair, the puppy has been christened Lucy Liu.

We took her to the vet this morning for her shots and a general checkup, and the vet (coincidentally an Asian woman, who was very amused by Lucy's name) pronounced her a beautiful and friendly girl. Apparently what they say about pits having a high pain tolerance is true - not only didn't she cry or yelp when she got her shot, she didn't even look back to see what was going on. Totally unfazed!

We also got her crate put together, and I'm proud to report that she's in it right now, I'm in the next room where she can't see me, and she's not making a peep! She's a quick learner, and seems to be settling right in.

Chopstick, on the other hand, is TICKED OFF, big time. He's back to hiding under the bed. I'm hoping now that we'll have her crated a lot of the time for housebreaking purposes, he won't find her so threatening.

Thank you for the meal time feeding advice - it's working beautifully.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Congrats! We just got two sweet pound kitties! Aren't they just a joy?! Hope your cat settles in soon! Glad the pup is a prodigy!

Michelle

 

[jeleebeene]

I can kind of relate - except we didn't have a cat, we had another dog. They are both the same breed, just different father's (same mother). Our dog Lexi was 3 when we brought Gracie home, who was just 8 weeks old. It was hard the first few weeks - the little one just wanted to play (after having other brother's and sister's to play with) and Lexi wanted nothing to do with her.

We basically had "meet and greet" sessions with them - put them both on the floor and let them sniff and such. Then we would get a toy, start playing with one and get the other to join in (and we were usually trying to get Lexi to join). After a few weeks, Lexi began to warm up to her more (except when Gracie would get close to Lexi's toys, and Lexi would give a little bark or short nip). Now they are the best of friends - they are 5 and 2 1/2 now, and they hate to be seperated.

Give it a while and I am sure they will become friends - expect a few spats now and then, but they live and learn.

Good Luck!