We’ve had Enzo now for six months. He was a rescue cat and he’s my little baby. He’s as friendly as they come, very affectionate, and has never bitten or scratched anyone to my knowledge. He’s been king of the house for the last six months.
However, my parents have finally been matched up with a Hearing Dog For The Deaf. After a week spent getting to know each other at the training centre King came home last Friday. He is very well trained and does everything a Hearing Dog should do very well. He’s lived with cats before and we were assured it shouldn’t be a problem.
But Enzo is not happy. I anticipated it might be difficult, but I didn’t realise how defensive of my little cat I would be. Enzo’s scared and he runs away from the dog. King only wants to say hello and play, but he’s very bouncy and Enzo has never been a fan of bounciness in anyone other than himself. A position I fully understand.
He’s managed to sit in the same room as the dog, but only on top of the chair (he feels more secure being in a higher place). He’s hyper-aware of the dog and starts whenever it moves. On a few occasions they’ve locked eyes and Enzo’s hissed at him. Once or twice this has lead to King chasing him and of course, Enzo runs hell for leather outside.
I don’t know what to do. Part of me says I should leave them to get on with it, but I hate the fact that Enzo is hiding in my room. I want to help him be more comfortable with the dog.
We’ve got a woman from the Hearing Dog Centre coming on Tuesday to see how King’s getting on and I know she’ll do what she can. But what can I do in the meantime? Should I just leave them alone? Will Enzo eventually pluck up the courage to come down to the living room on his own? I’ve petted him a lot to let him know we still love him and that it’s still his house. I’ve carried him downstairs and tried to sooth him when he’s in the prescence of King, but I don’t want to force him into contact with the dog if he’s not happy with it.
If King has already chased Enzo a couple of times, I’m not sure anything can help now. Enzo will forever be on his guard. There’s also the territory to consider here. Poor Enzo.
Don’t worry to much. At least you don’t have to worry that the cat will eat the dog, which was the problem that I had when I brought my puppy home years ago. The cat is upset right now, he will be in a snit for quite a few months. Gradulaly he will get acclimated to the stituation. Before you know it, they will be playing together and protecting each other.
My cat loathed dogs when we got my puppy. He tried fo do away with the puppy every chance he had. Years later when the dog died, the cat moped for six months. We had to force him to eat. He never really did get over losing his best friend. So there is hope for you. Give it time. Don’t force the issue. Let them discover each other in their own way.
I would advise you not to worry too much, either. I’ve had households with multiple cats several times, and each time a new one came along the others acted skittish for awhile, usually hiding under the bed for two or three days. This seems to be normal for cats and they all became quite close after a time. Dogs can get on their bad side, and your cat and your parents’ dog may not ever become bosum buddies, but based on my experience your cat’s behavior is normal and should only a short while.
IMHO, it’s much too soon to worry (and being chased is not going to permanently scar your kitty).
There is some very good info. here http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/catintro.htm about introducing pets to each other (even though the scenarion they describe is a bit different than yours, the principles are still the same).
Give your animals some time to get used to each other; make sure there is a safe space for the cat to retreat to where the dog cannot go; and invest some time in conducting controlled introductions. If both are generally friendly, as you 've said, then in time they will be fine together.
In my experience, it can take a few months for relations to normalize between an existing pet and a new pet. It’s much too soon to panic! Hang in there for a while.
As long as they’re not actually injuring one another, leave them alone. They’ll work it out between them after a while; they always do, and they get on with it faster without your interference. Sometimes it takes several months for them to get things fully settled, and they’ll still have occasional spats pretty much forever just like kids. Don’t freak about it.
Eponine hated Dolly the Vicious Attack Hound when I first got her, slapped her all over the place on a regular basis, etc. Now Dolly chases her down, squashes her, and sucks on her ears on a regular basis…and the cat loves it. If Dolly stops to scratch or something, the cat just lays there batting at her, as if to say, “a-HEM, I’m waiting.”
I wouldn’t worry yet. When we got our dog one of my cats wouldn’t have anything to do with it. It didn’t affect her normal routine much, she just stayed away from the mutt.
After several months she relaxed and didn’t avoid the dog.
Now, she’ll sit by and purr as the dog licks her head until it is dripping wet.
I once lived with two cats who were really dog-friendly, but when we’d bring in a new training pup, they’d pretty much do what Enzo is doing now. They’d hiss, hide, and just be in a snit for a few weeks.
Eventually, they’d sit there and purr as the dog would chew on their heads.
So - it’s way too soon to worry. Enzo’s behaving like a cat, and King is being a dog. Honestly, they’ll learn to get along. It’s something that can’t be forced or sped up in any way. It will run its course and they will learn to co-exist.
They all do
It also works this way if you already have a dog and introduce a new cat…
So. One day at a time. It may take a couple of months for it all to settle. Remember that the animals also feel what you feel - if you’re being all worried and stressed about it (especially if you pick up Enzo all fretfully), he will think there’s something to worry about, and that will make the whole process take much longer.
If you really want to help Enzo out, you should rub his fur with gravy. Just the store-bought canned stuff would be fine. (Unless you can only get it “tinned”. Then use that.) Make sure there’s always a good coating of gravy on the cat. Then the dog will always be right there with him. Licking, licking, licking. The cat will find out that the dog is nice and all will be well.
I think this would work out much better than the whole “just give them time” plan. But you could go with that too since Elly said so and she’s kinda smart.
I am owned by two dogs and two cats. Every time I bring in a new rescued orphan, it takes the cats a couple weeks to a couple months to decide the newest addition is okay. I think there’s some sort of feline approval process that we humans aren’t privvy to.
The last addition, a rescued Boston Terror from a puppy mill, was probably the most rough for me. I’ve done a lot of dog-sitting for other people, so at first, the cats thought this was another “just passing through” dog, so they ignored him. The dog had had zero contact with cats, so he just thought they were funny-looking dogs and ignored them.
After about three weeks, the cats realized that the new dog was NOT going home and was staying with us. They started approaching him for introductory sniffs, and gradually decided to remain in any room where the dogs were.
By three months, they were all sleeping together on the bed (not much room left for me!) and their first Christmas together, I caught a snapshot of all four of them snuggled up in a big dogpile on the couch.
Just give it time and be sure the cat has lots of up-high escape routes.
Update: the situation is improving. King and Enzo sat in the same room together for an hour today and there was no chasing or hissing. Enzo still likes to stay up high, but I am pleased with the progress. Maybe they will become friends eventually after all.
I had a similar experience when I brought Schrodinger the InvisiCat home. Conan the Wonderkitty’s first reaction was to hiss and growl. Then there was the Week of Constant Surveillance- carried out from atop the dresser, the armoire, the back of a chair, anywhere where Conan would have an aerial view of the newcomer. By the middle of the second week, Conan and Schrodinger were bestest buddies, and are now inseparable.
It might take a few weeks for Enzo to get used to King. Cats are naturally skittish around dogs, but I think he’ll come around. I predict that by the end of a month, Enzo will be washing King’s head on a daily basis.
More anecdotal evidence that they’ll work it out just fine: We brought a foundling cat into the household where the dog had reigned supreme for a long time. Dog wanted to be buddies with cat, cat wanted nothing to do with dog. We made sure cat had places to hide.
They moved from avoidance to tolerance in a few weeks. They almost got to tentative friendship when the cat went to live on the boat. But I expect once we get them back together again, they should do fine.
Just sit back and watch their ballet - it’s interesting and entertaining!
Hang in there for a while.
