# Help! Ragdoll kitten won't defend himself against the puppy



## mandymacagain (Jan 17, 2012)

7 month old Pomeranian + 5 month old Ragdoll kitten = not working :redface:









Our oversized Pomeranian Penelope doesn't mean to hurt the cat, but is just a super excitable little doggie and gets way carried away, quickly. Mind you, Fluffy the Ragdoll presents himself for play, will follow Penelope around, roll over in front of her, etc. But when it starts to get too rough, instead of defending himself he just starts trying to back away, and then run away. Penelope responds by giving chase. 

Ragdolls are notoriously passive and he just won't defend himself with his claws or teeth, so it's an unusual situation. We have one other cat, an American Shorthair, and she isn't having any of puppy and lets her know it, which has worked out fine.

I have tried "leave it" with rewards for responding, I've tried letting nature take its course hoping Fluffy would strike out, I've tried a Sunbeam Sonic Egg (ha, what a joke that thing was, it made dog look at her tail and then do whatever she was doing, more), I've tried Cesar Millan's ssshhhshhhh dominance thing. Nothing stops Penelope from escalating things past an acceptable point.

Is the only solution to keep them separated and never let them play with each other? Maybe keep them separated until Penelope is older and has more training in other areas? How long? Ugh. I don't know what to do next.

I'd love to hear some positive suggestions. Eventually, the cat will weigh more than the dog, but I'm afraid he will have been chewed to bits by then.

TIA,

~Amanda


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

The cat is acting pretty normally if it tries to run away when overwhelmed by the dog. Most cats unless they are cornered with no escape will choose to run away in that situation rather than stand their ground and fight, nor would you really want them to IMO. It is your job to prevent the puppy from chasing the cat when he's had enough, because it's normal for most dogs to chase something running away from them. The cat doesn't speak dog and the dog doesn't speak cat, so you need to step up and teach the dog how to behave.

If the cat is actively soliciting play/attention from the dog, willingly interacting, and no one is getting hurt, I don't think you need to intervene. But when the cat has had enough and runs away, you need to work on a combination of body blocking or otherwise managing the chasing (such as keeping a drag line or light leash so you can prevent him from chasing) while you're also teaching him to "leave it". (I won't go into too much detail because there are a lot of threads hanging around about teaching leave it, no different for the cat than anything else.)

It takes a lot of practice and repetition because a running cat is just so enticing. Depending on your dog, it might be frustrating and take a while. I have a 14 month old dog who has lived with cats his whole life and is just now starting to consistently show some impulse control about bugging and chasing them without us having to intervene. Another of our dogs never cared about the cats at all. But your cat NEEDS to feel safe in his own home when he wants to retreat. Chronic stress is a cat killer.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

You are going to have to monitor them. It's not reasonable to expect the cat to fend off the dog on her own. Some cats just aren't inclined to fight, and shouldn't have to in their own home.

One thought: do you have enough "up" places for the cat to escape to? Dogs chase running things. It's in their nature, and your puppy has a lot of growing up to do before that kind of impulse control can be at all reliable. However, cats can jump up to 7x the length of their tails and dogs cannot, so if you put up empty shelves and such on the walls for the cat, the cat can run away and up, well out of the dog's reach.


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## Canaqua (Sep 27, 2011)

We have a big Maine **** Cat and an 8 month old Border Collie mix (plus the old ACD Mix, but she's a non-issue with the cat). The cat LIKES to play with the puppy, but the puppy does sometimes get carried away or wants to keep playing after the cat is "done". The cat is perfectly capable of defending himself and he will with the ACD (the reason SHE doesn't pester the cat). He doesn't scratch the puppy, however, I think he knows she's a puppy and/or he just likes her. He does not run, he's smart enough to know what will happen if he does that, he's a very dog experienced cat! Puppy starts barking when she's getting overexcited with the cat and has him cornered somewhere, he starts hissing which means he doesn't want to play anymore. When I hear the barking/hissing, I go remove the cat from the situation and put him up high somewhere where he can get a break. I also leave a sliding closet door upstairs ajar at all times, just enough for the cat, but not enough for the big puppy to get through. He goes in there to sleep when he doesn't want to be pestered. 

I'm assuming that when the puppy is grown and/or she's pissed the cat off one too many times, he'll let her have it. He's not shy about scratching anyone else who annoys him. In the meantime, I supervise, so that the cat doesn't get hassled past the point of his tolerance.


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

Well, it is a ragdoll, and that's why they're not supposed to be outside - they won't fight back and can get hurt!

I would make sure there's always escape routes, like suggested. Top of the couches, scratching posts, that sort of thing, so she can get out of his way if she's had enough. 

Teach the puppy not to be a total pest though, if you see him going after the cat, get out some good treats, some toys and do some training and play to tire him out so he's not using the cat as a playtoy. If you keep distracting him he'll soon forget the cat is so much fun to pester. But if he's really persistant, you can always put him in another room for a few minutes to calm down, then start again.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Honestly I don't think the fact that the cat is a ragdoll has anything to do with it. Most cats would rather retreat than stand their ground, and there's no more reason to stand by and let a cat and dog "work it out" (i.e., fight) than to let two dogs get into a fight. Cats are not small dogs, their social behavior in particular is extremely different than dogs and they have very few conflict resolution behaviors - their solutions are generally run away or fight. So if your cat is choosing to run away, it's your responsibility as an owner to have his back and not let the dog chase and harass him.


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## mandymacagain (Jan 17, 2012)

Thanks for the replies, I got some really helpful info! I have settled into a rhythm with them, of stopping the dog when she chases the cat, putting the dog in her playpen if the cat needs some playtime without being harassed, and letting them play when the cat asks for it then stopping it when the cat clearly wants to get away.

Leaving them alone together may never be an option, which is too bad, but we'll see. The dog just started training classes, and the trainer thinks there's hope once I establish more control and she's a bit older and calmer.

I think we will install a cat tree in the corner of the living room and show him how to get up it if he needs to get away. He's got the kitchen table as his main retreat, and there's a baby gate with an opening for him that the dog can't get through. Plus he has a couple of places to run under/behind where the dog can't go.

They've never hurt each other, but I'd like to see them become friends and the dog be more respectful.


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