Due to some shitty personal circumstances, I am going to go live with my parents for what I hope I hope is a really, really short duration.
Problem: I have a cat. Like all cats, he is certain that he is the Ruler of the Universe. He hates change.
My mom has a dog. She is young and playful and enjoys barking at cats.
Are there any tricks I can employ to avoid mutually assured destruction?
Kitty lives in your bedroom, and doggie denied access to the room.
I would just separate them as much as possible in this type of situation.
I have three dogs and two cats in a small apartment and it goes very smoothly, but the cats were raised with dogs since they were tiny, and the dogs are well-used to cats - although they will chase strange cats, if they run.
There’s also the gradual introduction method. It seems that cats and dogs that have gotten used to each other tend to get along fine, (well, at least, as well as either do with their own kind.)
I’d probably keep them separate, but also try (extremely) supervised visits. Perhaps with both on a leash or otherwise contained.
I keep having dreams about dogs and cats talking, I must be a closet furry fan or something.
After the initial meeting, they should get along fine. The puppy will likely treat the cat like it’s another puppy. At least that has been my experience when introducing cats and dogs together.
Though I agree with Mr. Accident to a point, it often depends on a number of factors; i.e the age and sex of the cat, the breed and sex of dog, whether either of them have had any dealings with other cats/dogs, whether they are dominant or submissive, and how territorial they each are. Certainly if there* is *a skirmish it can involve a trip to the vet for one or both, given the high chance of infection from cat scratches and dog bites.
I would maybe check out some dog and/or cat forums for advice.
As long as there are places where they can get away from each other for a while, eventually things will calm down. (Speaking from experience, though when I lived at home my mom’s cats were let outside, as everyone’s cats were then. Come winter, everyone had adjusted nicely.)
They’ve actually already met before - Max-cat and I stayed with my parents for six weeks two years ago, and they were mildly curious about each other. But my mom’s puppy really was a puppy then, and my mom thinks she hates cats now more than she did then. I’m not sure if they’ll remember each other now.
Depends on the dog, depends on the cats. My girlfriend and I didn’t experience any significant problems when we moved in together among my two cats and her dog, though it probably helps that the dog is approximately cat-sized.
It treats the cats like extremely lazy, curmudgeonly dogs, and they treat it pretty much like one would expect a cat to treat a dumb, high energy beast that eats its own poop. It’s definitely at the bottom of the pecking order.
I wouldn’t expect it would be a problem, given that they have been introduced previously, but I would be cautious.
Our dog had zero cat aggression, which is why we chose to introduce her into our household. Before we brought the dog home, we modified two interior doors with “cat holes” (a pet door setup without the door). This gave the cats two rooms in which to escape if necessary. We also have a very tall cat tree so they could escape vertically. The litterboxes are in those secured room.
Even with our prep, we have still had a few “incidents”. I ended up having to put a bell on my most aggressive cat, because she’d sneak up on the dog while she was sleeping and pop her one. The dog would jump up startled, start barking and chase the cat. (The bell seems to have solved the problem, and stopped the feline Bitch Queen of the Universe from sneaking up on the other two cats as well.)
The dog has also freaked out and went after the a cat when they made a particular noise, specifically, that squeak of alarm when someone accidentally trods on their paw or similar. I understand that is considered a ‘prey noise’ and even the most mellow dogs can suddenly wolf-out when they hear it. To be clear, this has been two or three very quickly resolved incidents over three years.
Edit to add: My dog is a 70+ pound Walker hound, so that did make a significant difference in my caution.
The dog ought to remember the cat once she smells him. They have a great memory for smells. Our dogs only met the downstairs neighbor a few times in their lives (although they did like him) before he moved away. Two years later he comes back to refinish the place after his tenants moved out, and they greet him like he’s their Very Best Friend who was rescued from Auschwitz at the last second.
I second the idea of separation and supervision. The cat may have to swat the nose with the claws in order to communicate “slow down, no roughhousing!” but sometimes they can sort it out without that.
Make sure the humans involved interact with the cat gently in the dog’s presence. Let her see this being is accepted by the pack. Our larger pit bull / hound mix, Sadie, originally regarded the abandoned cat we took in as prey, and she definitely lunged at him a few times. But she saw us interact with him and treat him like family, and she very quickly took her cue from us and began ignoring him entirely. Now he sometimes affectionately rubs along her flank, and she usually looks the other way pointedly, as if she’s emphasizing, “Look, Dad! I’m officially not interested!”
Simone, our American Pit Bull Terrier, was just plain afraid of the cat for a long time. Now I think she harbors a secret desire to lick him, and is waiting for his guard to be down.
My partner and I live next door to each other; I have 2 cats and he has 2 dogs. The cats have never left the house, but the dogs have been visiting since they were pups, and I think that makes a difference. I think if we had thrown all four of them together, as adults, it would have been a disaster. As it was, the only problem was teaching the dogs not to eat cat food . . . or anything out of the litter box. And getting the cats to understand that they can’t accompany the dogs outside.
I love it when all six of us sleep on the same (king size) bed.
Dogs and kittens and Cats and puppies tend to get on much better than adults, but it really depends.
I had a full grown dog and full grown cat and I took in another cat for a weekend. The dog barked at it once then said “Oh well, I’ll have to get used to another cat.” My cat spent the entire weekend hissing at the other cat.
The key is showing the cat it can get away from the dog. Whether it’s behind the refridgertor or on top of the couch or under something the dog can’t get at it, it’ll relax the cat.
I would guess the dog will accept the cat much faster than the cat will accept the dog or any other cat
This is a good excuse to post a link to one of my Youtube videos… Fuzzball kitten savages a 130lb golden retriever
Get a cheap baby gate and block off a room for the cat.
It gives the cat a place to escape from the dog (even adult dogs sometimes need a quiet place to get away from a playful puppy), and it also gives you a place to keep the litter box/cat food. You don’t want the dog to have easy access to the litter box. One day of coming home to a dog with litter in his whiskers from eating at the cat box buffet will convince you of that.
We have four cats and have had three dogs over the last year. They chase each other periodically, they all establish their pecking order and their territory. I would be alert to any dangerous behavior, but otherwise stay out of it.
I was hoping for “Cute fuzzball kitten meets Opal’s hand of doom”.
Kyla, from your OP it’s inferred that you’ll be staying with Mom and Pop for awhile, but I shouldn’t assume this. If it’s only for a short duration, could you possibly leave the cat with a trusted friend?
