What did I do? New puppy, kitten related (long)

[RadioNate]

As I posted over the weekend we adopted a puppy. It's been home since Tuesday. We also have a kitten and a 5 year old cat.

I am so beside myself. I feel like I've distroyed my little family. The kitten stopped using it's litter and is crying incessantly. The puppy is obviously not housebroken so I'm trying to do that and it keeps peeing in the crate. I've read a zillion books and websites and I just don't think I can do this.

I'm totally not a dog person, I 100% admit that, but DH is. I know he feels like our family is incomplete w/out a dog. Until we got married he always had a dog. We had to put Kelly asleep about 3 months before our wedding. I've always been open to another dog but now that we have one I don't know if I can handle it. 2 years ago we fostered a Golden and I couldn't deal with that. She was older and had a lot of problems and I let DH convince me that a puppy would be different.

I know it's only been 2 days but I'm sitting her crying. I'm a quiter, when things are hard I quit. I just know if I tell my DH I can't deal with the dog (and DS and the cats) he and DS will hate me. They both want this so much.

I know people will ask why I'm doing all the work. I'm not really, it's just I'm a SAHM and DH works so I'm here.

I know I need to take a deep breath and relax and know that it'll all work out but then why do I keep crying.

Our 5 year old cat, who is my #1st baby is mad and ignoring me. The kitten won't leave me alone. The puppy is just crying, whining, chewing everything and peeing all over. DS is constantly in trouble for yelling at the dog or treating one of the pets inappropriately and I've just locked myself in the office to cry.

Someone tell me I didn't distroy my life and things will be better soon.

 

[minnie56]

Just take it a day at a time and it will work out in the end. Puppies are like babies, they take love, lots of care and patience. They will reward you with undying loyalty for life.

The older cat will come around...I brought a kitty into the house when I had a cat of around 3 and he went on a hunger strike for a week! I was frantic, I had to take him to the Vet to have a sac of fluid injected under his skin so he wouldn't die of dehydration. I felt so badly for the new kitty that he was rejecting that I went and got another one to be pals with the new one!! I was beside myself and thought 'what have I done'??

Give each furbaby one-on-one time and lots of firm direction amidst the cuddles. The kitten has just forgotten his already-pretty-new litter training so keep putting him/her into the litter box to refresh the memory!

Hang in there...this too shall pass!!!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Hang in there! Have your DH do everything that he can when he is home. Otherwise, make sure the crate isn't too big or the puppy is more likely to pee in it. AS SOON as you bring it out of the crate go potty it and bring him outside often. You want to catch him doing the right thing. Make sure you clean up any accidents ASAP with an enzyme solution to get rid of the scent.

That's it with that advice from me. LOL

We got 2 kittens last month and I sure doubted that decision afterwards. First of all, they had fleas, which was a real hassle. Then they got eye infections (that wasn't a big deal, but we had to keep our cats from getting the infection). The fleas were a pain! The hardest time was getting our cat chasing dog over chasing and possibly hurting them. I knew she wouldn't hurt them on purpose, but she can be rough and I know what she does to the squirrels and rabbits in our back yard...

Took a month for things to get a lot better and I can finally leave the dog unleashed and not lock the kittens up when we're not home.

Know that things will get better, but will take a little time.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I am TOTALLY a dog person and I was overwhelmed with two new puppies and no other pets in the house. So if I was feeling the pressures of trying to train up two babies at once, I can only imagine what you're feeling!

First of all, be assured that things will get better. How old is the puppy? It's possible that he's peeing in the crate because he just can't hold it any longer. Very little puppies have very little bladders. You may need to take him outside every 15 minutes during the day until he gets the message that peeing is an outdoor activity. Don't wait for him to tell you that he needs to go. Right now, he doesn't have any idea of how to do that. Take him out the same door everytime and eventually he will go to that door to signal his need.

Use baby gates and other barriers to confine the puppy to the kitchen or other area with a puppy-proof floor. He has to earn the right to be in other areas of the house. I've had our babies for 2 months now and they still are not allowed out of the kitchen-familyroom-study area of the house. It's not that they pee in the house anymore - they chew like mad! Like any toddler, they need to be supervised all the time.

Move anything that the puppy might be tempted to chew out of his reach. If it can't be moved, then spray it with Bitter Apple when you see puppy trying to chew it. You can buy Bitter Apple at the pet store. It tastes horrible and puppy soon associates the smell with a nasty taste. You also need to make sure that the pup has something to cut his teeth on. Nylabone makes puppy bones that my babies love. They really stopped chewing other things too much when I bought them these.

Your kitties will eventually come around. By keeping the pups in a confined area, the cats will learn that they do have a safe haven somewhere else in the house. Don't be too concerned about the little one's regression. It happens with human children, too, when you introduce a major change into their lives.

Take a deep breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. Take everything one day at a time and repeat the Mother's Mantra: "This, too, shall pass."

 

[Lisa L from MI]

It will get better!!! In 1996 we got our first puppy....Babe, a Bullmastiff. At the time I was a SAHM as well with a 6 month old and a 3 year old AND 3 cats!!!
I actually cried my eyes out many many times those first few weeks thinking I made the biggest mistake of my life!!! I never admitted it to anyone at the time though...but did later.

It just seems so overwhelming at first....but hang in there...it does get better!!! I am living proof.

 

[Bashful2]

I agree it will get better. About 4 1/2 years ago, we had 1 dog (dalmatian) who had been our only pet for almost 10 years. We took in a stray kitten which turned out to be pretty easy. He and the dog got along great.

Since then, we've acquired 4 more cats and 1 other dog. Each new animal has presented a challenge with lots of hissing, growling & hiding. After awhile, though, everyone got used to everyone else. Some are the best of friends, some aren't, but they all live together and are usually pretty happy. Even now, one of our cats (Tabitha) doesn't like one of the others (Milo). Tabitha growls & hisses everytime he comes near her. Milo thinks it's great fun to antagonize her so there is often a bit of commotion between the 2. Nobody really gets hurt, though, so we usually ignore it.

We've also had problems with our youngest kitten learning to use the litter box. He eventually got it. Well, pretty much.

Anyway, my point is this. Anytime you introduce new animals into your home with other animals, there is a period of adjustment. Usually, with time, everything will work out and you'll wonder what you ever did without your new additions.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I am an animal person and I was totally overwhelmed by my 2 new puppies we got 4 months ago.

For example...Today I had to rush one of the puppies to the vet for something in his eye. I just put his eye cream in and the other one is drooping and getting red. It is scary. (PD for Butters if you can spare it this evening.)

Chewing?
They have chewed my baseboards in 2 places, a hole in my couch, blankets, all their toys, and today Gracie chewed up a new sheet in the laundry room.
AND I CRATE MY DOGS! I cannot imagine otherwise, my house would be demolished.

Potty Training is the least of the problems actually. Once they have that down you have other stuff to contend to.

I don't think "it" gets better. I think YOU get better handling it, just like a children.

BTW....What kind of dog? Are you the person wanting the collie or Jack Russell or was that someone else?