# New dog in the house is terrorizing my cat



## glennb999 (Feb 23, 2011)

I recently adopted (10 days ago) a 2-year old chow/shepherd mix named Skye. She gets along great with my pomeranian, but not so well with my persian cat. Every time the cat hits the floor, Skye runs at him, barking loudly, and corners him. He is terrified and then runs to safety. I tried having one person hold the cat and one person hold the dog and soothe them both as we brought them together but that didnt help.

I have now separated them. I have a gate in front of my bedroom and the cat is in there, the dogs roam around the rest of the house. The cat wont go near the gate... he either stays on the bed or goes to his food or litter box. He's usually a somewhat active cat, but I feel like all he can do now is sleep and eat. He seems very unhappy

Am I doing the wrong thing by separating them? Should I let nature take its course and let the dog keep attacking the cat until they learn to tolerate each other? Any other ideas?


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## begemot (Feb 1, 2011)

Please keep them separated. Do not "let nature take its course"! The dog could KILL your cat. It happens all the time. The cat knows this, and is terrified for his life.

You should have tested the dog with cats before you adopted it. Most shelters require this before adopting a dog to a home with cats. It's not too late to find him a new home. However, if you're up for the challenge (it would require a lot of time, patience, and hard work), you can work with a trainer or learn how to train the dog yourself to leave the cat alone. It could be very hard, and the dog may never be safe with your cat. Even if you do get to the point where he isn't attacking him every time he moves, you will never be able to trust them alone together, and you will always have to be vigilant.

I hope this reply doesn't seem too pessimistic. I've known people who've lost their cats because they assumed the dog would never go that far. Dogs are animals and predators, not children, and they will kill animals they see as prey.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

First of all get a CRATE for the dog. Crate the dog some of the time so the Cat, who was there FIRST, can wander around and even investigate the dog in 100% safety. DO NOT FORCE THE TWO TOGETHER BY HOLDING THEM. The CAT does the approaching and the entire approaching the dog is on the Cat's terms. He may NEVER approach the dog. 

Make sure the cat ALWAYS has an absolutely 100% dog proof place to go. And by 100% I mean EXACTLY that. NEVER allow the dog and cat to be in the house together unsupervised. If you leave the house (work etc.) ALWAYS separate them.. and by that I mean securely. Dog in a CRATE and the cat in another room with the door closed. 

Put a leash on the dog and leave it on. If he focuses on the cat and starts to move toward the cat, redirect the dog IMMEDIATELY. If the dog goes to chase the cat, get between the dog and the cat and quickly step into the dog's space and make the dog BACK UP and LOOK UP AT YOU. When you do this say, "MY Cat!" which is what your body language is telling the dog. 

Do NOT allow the dog to corner the cat, chase the cat, bark at the cat or engage in any manner that frightens the cat. The dog WILL kill the cat. His chasing, cornering and barking is PREY DRIVE. This WILL escalate to killing. 

The situation needs to be managed. Again.. stressing the cat will result in the cat doing things you may really hate.. like NOT using the litter box.. Holding his urine so he develops a urinary tract infection and stones resulting in a blocked cat (emergency vet visit must happen then IMMEDIATELY) and other issues such as increased urine Ph (also leads to stones and blockage and is the direct result of stress). 

It is very unfair and very cruel to the cat to do anything that will terrorize or hurt the cat who was there first. 

If you cannot manage the situation, then take the dog back.


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## beverley (Oct 7, 2010)

we had a similar problem when we got our pup at 8 weeks. all he ever did was chase the cats. our cats mainly live upstairs as when the kids were younger they would sometimes kick over the food or litter tray. the problem we had with our pup was that when the cats came downstairs he thought oh this is great toys! 
i was advised on here to make the pup wear a lead all the time indoors so that if any unwanted behaviour presented itself we could just step on the lead so that the dog couldnt go any further/chase the cats.
that worked to a point but sometimes we were too slow in stepping on the lead, and although our pup has only ever sniffed the cats he will chase them which is not good so we bought a gate for the stairs so that the dog cant go up period, and also our pup spends a couple of hours in his crate every afternoon so that the cats can go wherever they like safely.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I agree with other posters so far. You need to keep the cat safe while you are teaching the dog not to chase the cat. Dogs and cats together are always a risk, and it is our responsibility to our cats to protect them from that risk. Your cat MUST feel safe in its own home or it can lead to medical and/or behavioral problems. Stress kills cats!

Set up a dog-free zone in your house using baby gates or other methods the dog can't get through. (I've seen people put cat flaps/doors in interior doors so they can just keep a door to say, the bedroom, closed. It was actually pretty slick, but understandably not everyone is willing to do that.) Vertical spaces like tables and counters are also an escape route for cats, so if your cat hasn't been allowed up on surfaces like that, consider relaxing that rule for the cat's safety, or invest in a sturdy, tall cat tree. Cats like to perch up high and observe new/scary things at their leisure. Definitely confine one or the other in a crate or room when unsupervised. Resources for the cat (food, water, litter, comfortable snoozing spots) should be in the dog-free zone.

It can be done. I acclimated a retired racing greyhound, a die-hard chaser, to 2 kittens that grew safely into 2 cats. But you have to be careful and always keep the cat's safety and stress level in mind.

Also, if you ever visit somewhere else with your dog where there are cats or if you see cats outside on walks, keep in mind that your dog may view "strange" cats completely differently than YOUR cats. Many dogs are pretty safe with "their" cats but not with stranger cats.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

The flip side of this is Atka, a 4 year old GSD who loves cats. ALL cats. She wants them ALL. She wants them to sleep with her, play with her, wash her face and pounce on her tail. 

She is a danger to bring to Petsmart as she pulls me over to see the cats and wants me to bring them home. Not one. Not two. ALL of them.

I have 6 cats, an 8 month old GSD, and a 4 year old GSD. Even tho the dogs LOVE the cats (and I mean really do), I never leave them alone unsupervised.

I have worked very hard for this scenario with an 8 month old GSD and a 16 year old elder cat.. started working with the dog at 8 weeks old.







.


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## glennb999 (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the good advice! I really appreciate the help.

The good news is that Mr Booble (the cat) seems to be comfortable with being safe in the Master bedroom. He is eating a lot (more than normal) and using the litter box. He has been sleeping on the bed and seems very relaxed. I have door blocked with a doggie gate so I can see into the room and Mr Booble can see out. So far, Skye has understood that the bedroom is off limits and stayed away from the gate.

Skye (the dog) is not a rescue...she comes from a very nice home where she lived with a cat and got along great. They gave her up because they moved from a house to an apartment and it was too small for an active dog like Skye. She has had some training in the past with basic commands, and I'm going to enroll her in classes again ASAP. She is very sweet and gets along great with other dogs and people. We did do an overnight teste before I agreed to adopt the dog and that night she and the cat just ignored each other. I'm not sure what changed their relationshiup.  I think maybe she wants to play with Mr Booble and cant understand why he hisses at her. 

I have a very nice crate and am going to confine her to it for a couple of hours per day while I am in the house. I tried a few minutes ago... she whined at first and then accepted it. I put the cat in the same room as her (but not nearby- on the far side of what is a large room), but when she realized he was in the room she started barking and he bolted back to the safety of the master bedroom. I won't put him in the same room again... I'll let him wander in on his own. 

Any other ideas? What about putting a muzzle on Skye while she is in the crate so she can't bark at Mr Booble? I really am going to keep trying.. .Skye is a wonderful dog and I dont want to give up on her unless I have to.


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## beverley (Oct 7, 2010)

my dog will sometimes bark at the cats if he's in his crate, i think its a 'oh im in here and your not so we cant play'!
i wouldnt muzzle her, maybe she is barking as she's not used to the crate?


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## glennb999 (Feb 23, 2011)

Hmmm...she didnt bark in the crate until the cat came in the room. I guess she was barking at the cat, although I still hope she was saying "PLAY WITH ME LITTLE FLAT-FACED ANIMAL! LETS PLAY CHASE!". I'm gonna try some more tonight. Still hoping I can reach the point where she is indifferent.


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## begemot (Feb 1, 2011)

> I have a very nice crate and am going to confine her to it for a couple of hours per day while I am in the house. I tried a few minutes ago... she whined at first and then accepted it. I put the cat in the same room as her (but not nearby- on the far side of what is a large room), but when she realized he was in the room she started barking and he bolted back to the safety of the master bedroom. I won't put him in the same room again... I'll let him wander in on his own.


What are you doing when you're not there? Are you just relying on the baby gate to keep the dog away from the cat, or are you crating the dog?


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## glennb999 (Feb 23, 2011)

Im relying on the baby gate to keep the dog away when Im not there. It is set up in a way that she can't jump over it. You think I should be crating when I am away?


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## begemot (Feb 1, 2011)

glennb999 said:


> Im relying on the baby gate to keep the dog away when Im not there. It is set up in a way that she can't jump over it. You think I should be crating when I am away?


Definitely. You should either crate her, or close the door to the cat's room. There isn't a baby gate known to man that could really keep a dog out when you're not there. Certainly not a chow/shepherd mix. Dogs can chew through drywall, tear up carpets, destroy furniture, etc; a baby gate is small potatoes. This is like a ticking time bomb.

If you crate her when you're gone, that'll also give the cat time to come out and explore, and adjust to the dog's presence.


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## glennb999 (Feb 23, 2011)

Ok thanks. I'll give that a try.


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## begemot (Feb 1, 2011)

Good luck!


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

glennb999 said:


> Hmmm...she didnt bark in the crate until the cat came in the room. I guess she was barking at the cat, although I still hope she was saying "PLAY WITH ME LITTLE FLAT-FACED ANIMAL! LETS PLAY CHASE!". I'm gonna try some more tonight. Still hoping I can reach the point where she is indifferent.


Don't rush it. Let the cat do the approaching and ignore the dog when she barks. If it gets too much, put a sheet over the crate so the dog cannot see out. When she is quite, raise the sheet. If she stays quiet, then good. If not, give her a kong stuffed with peanut butter or fat free Cottage cheese (fill it and freeze it) so she concentrates on that and not the cat so much. 

GIVE IT TIME. 



glennb999 said:


> Im relying on the baby gate to keep the dog away when Im not there. It is set up in a way that she can't jump over it. You think I should be crating when I am away?


I Crate AND have a door shut. Dogs Can and Do break out of crates. Keeping the cat safe is priority one and a baby gate is no safety at all. Never saw a determined dog who could not breach a gate. 

Some dogs are as determined to get at a cat as a male dog is determined to get to a dog in heat. Think of it that way. If you had a dog in heat and your second dog was an unfixed male, would you trust the baby gate to keep them apart???? 



begemot said:


> Definitely. You should either crate her, or close the door to the cat's room. There isn't a baby gate known to man that could really keep a dog out when you're not there. Certainly not a chow/shepherd mix. Dogs can chew through drywall, tear up carpets, destroy furniture, etc; a baby gate is small potatoes. This is like a ticking time bomb.
> 
> If you crate her when you're gone, that'll also give the cat time to come out and explore, and adjust to the dog's presence.


YES to this. Only leave for a little while if the door is not shut and the cat is loose simply because a determined dog can break out of most crates.


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## bkingdom (Feb 24, 2011)

normally dogs and cats cannot get along together ?how bad is the situation is ?if that is the case then you might need to export a pet to another country then haa~


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