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How do you go about introducing them? We started out with them in seperate rooms and then switched the rooms they were in so they could sniff around and get used to the scent. After that we put the dog in a kennel and let the cat explore the room with the dog in the kennel at her own leisure. Luckily the dog tries to play with the cat on occasion but most of the time could care less about her and the cat has learned to tolerate (aka ignore) the dog. Also, even after they were used to each other we never let the dog upstairs without supervision so the cat always had a place to go when she wanted to be left alone. In our new house the dog can't go down the basement stairs so the cat now has the basement to herself (this is where her litter box is).
Additionally, we foster dogs alot and in these cases the cat still has her basement space and we also keep the bedroom door cracked for her. The cat can get in and out at her own risk but the dog can't get in. This gives the cat safe spaces on both floors so she doesn't feel threatened.
Have you ever let the dog off the leash to see what happens? You might be suprised my cat is pretty ballsy and at times will taunt the foster dogs. We have had both big and small dogs. We had one dog with a very high prey drive. No matter what the cat is able to get away and since she has a safe space she knows exactly where to go when she feels threatened or has had enough. Most of the time the dogs will get bored with her and find something else to do once they realize they can't catch her. Also, she can get really nasty when she has to she bats and hisses alot but rarely draws her claws. Only once has she actually scratched a dog and drew blood (he deserved it), she definitely got her point across.
@meginstl: At first we exchanged a blanket for weeks, allowing them to get used to each other's scent. Then I started with one cat (the most calm) and brought him to SO's house. We kept them both in the carriers and allowed them to stare at each other. What we've been doing most recently is keeping the dog on the leash with us and allowing the cat to have free roam of the house. The cat usually stays under the bed the entire night and the dog doesn't "go on the chase" unless he sees the cat. My SO brought the dog (on the leash) into the bedroom and he got very excited and started sniffing under the bed while the cat hissed. The dog seemed a little scared by that.
That's as far as we've gotten. I am super overprotective and any time I think the cat might be in danger, I lose it. My SO suggested that I bring the cat over and leave for a few hours while he allows the dog off-leash to see the cat. I think that might be our next best option because I just can't bring myself to do it, I get too scared!
Thanks for your info, it helps me to know that it CAN be done. I just want to make us one big family :)
I am assuming you will be moving into FI house, thus you are bringing the cats over there? You might try bringing the dog to your place. Being in a new space can be pretty traumatic for a cat to begin with. Letting the cats get to know the dog on their own territory may help them.
@meginstl: Yes, I'll be moving in with him. I may try to do that, it's just the logistics that are hard since I'm not technically supposed to have "guest dogs" in my building (manager's a bit prickly). I might try that though, maybe on a Sunay when the manager is out. Thank you so much!
Our cats and dog hated each other when they first met, but I have a little dog, so beyond her actually grabbing their throats, she couldn't hurt them too much. They eventually started to get along better, but the first few days were horror. The dog would chase the cats around whenever she saw them, they were terrified and hid a lot. It was just a bad situation. I think the only way to really let them get used to each other is to let them get used to each other.
Hope it all works out. Let us know!
@MsMonkey: My husband & I have three cats & one dog. We got our dog the day after Easter this year.
One GREAT thing, we have a baby gate at our hallway. It stays open all of the time now. But when we first brought her home we kept it closed. She as in the dog had the living room & kitchen to roam in & our cats had the hallway & bedroom. Also our cats could get through the gate to the living room if they wanted. But also could get back through the baby gate to the bedroom if our dog started to aggravate them. After a week in a half things went back to normal. All of them get along now & roam freely throughout the house.
Here is our baby gate. It swings open like a door so there is no having to step over it. We just let our animals introduce them selves so nothing was forced & it was all natural.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5691050&findingMethod=rr
@callirome: Thank you! Hopefully it ends up working out. I grew up with a big German Shep and 2-3 cats and it was always like that... a couple days of horror and then it worked out. It's just this this dog has a very high prey drive that makes me extra nervous, I guess!
@Mrs.Estep: That is a WONDERFUL idea!! I like the idea that the cats will have a way to get out of the situation and meet on their own. I was wondering about baby gates, but I had no idea they came that tall, haha.
@MsMonkey: It works wonders! I also use it when we have company coming over. Our dog likes to jump on people, bark, ect. So when we know someone is coming over we put her behind it. :-) So even though we don't need it for the cats sake it stays put up & we get good use out of it.
I think it just takes time! My friend went through this recently & it was about a month or so before things calmed down.
@Mrs.Estep: I'm so excited! As soon as I can, I'm going to order it. I was really hating the idea of sectioning off the house, especially if that meant the cats were restricted to a certain area without enough attention. This way, they have control over where they want to be and where they feel safe :)
I don't have any good advice as far as introducing them, but I bet if you cats have claws the dog won't be able to seriously hurt them. My friend has a pit-akita mix, who is very friendly to humans but really aggressive to cats. And he is a BIG, thick-headed dog. The strays in the neighborhood still taunt the dog, and he has gotten his fair share of scratches on his nose, but he has never killed any. OP - Your gets may be pissed for a while, but I doubt their lives would be in actual danger. Just make sure there are "safe" places for them to hide when needed.
@meginstl: This.
Also, if it's any consolation, it took about three weeks for my dog and cat to get comfortable enough to even been in the same room together but admittedly we weren't concerned about either's safety. I guess do what you can to make sure the dog doesn't want to harm them (a cat is not a squirrel) and then let them figure it out. I am a firm believer that if neither pet is in any clear and present danger (and like I said, make certain of this first, as safely as you can!), they'll work it out and establish their own boundaries.
Good luck and good for you for not giving up!!!
We have a dog (approx 65 - 70 pound German Shepherd mix) and two cats. We had both cats before we got the dog, and have had the dog for approx 16 months now. The dog still chases the cats, and the cats still hate the dog. However, as much as he chases them and tries to play with them, he's also terrified of them because he's gotten a few nasty swipes across his nose. So, I second what PP said about your cats being fine if they have claws. Cats can also escape to places where the dog can't go, such as under the bed/dresser and up onto high things. My dog also chases rabbits and squirrels outside (he's actually caught a few rabbits in our backyard and brought them to the door as "gifts" - yay.), but when he chases the cats its different - he recognizes that they're pets and not prey - he honestly appears like he just wants to play with them.
We also have a baby gate with a cat door blocking off access to our office, which is the cat's "safe room" - their litter box and food bowls are in this room. It's important that the cats be able to use the litter box in a place where they won't feel threatened or bothered by the dog, to prevent accidents elsewhere in the house.
Good luck! While our cats and dog still don't get along like I imagined they would (I had grand dreams of them snuggling together in front of the window - lol!), our house has become much more peaceful than it was the first few months.. The cats have grudglingly accepted the dog and no longer actively attack him/ spend all day hissing and growling, and instead only hiss and swat when and if he runs towards them and startles them.
Thank you so much for these replies! I didn't even think about the claw thing. Neither cat is declawed, so that makes me feel a lot better. I suppose I really need to stop stressing and let them work it out, given that the cats have some safe zones!
We had the same situation in reverse (DH had 2 cats, I had 1 dog). Same deal with the running and the barking and the hissing and whatnot. First, the dog will not kill the cats. Cats are FAST. And they can jump high. And they have claws. I would definitely make sure they have some place they can escape and feel safe though, just so they're not always watching their backs.
In our house, we made the basement their "safe place" with their litter box, food and water, and several large floor pillows for them. Then we put a cat door on the basement door so we can keep it closed and they can always escape there when they don't want to be upstairs.
Then.... we just gave it time. And it was sloooooowwwww going. It was about 3 months before the cats would venture upstairs for more than 5 minutes at a time and I felt horrible about it... but you really can't force things. Slowly and surely they ventured up for longer periods of time, got into a few skirmishes with the dog, and learned how to deal with each other.
It's now been almost two years and I'd say things are good, although not quite great. One of the cats has kicked my dog's ass a few times and so my dog has a bit of respect and leaves him alone 95% of the time-- he essentially has full and complete run of the house and is not restricted at all. The other cat unfortunately is still scared of the dog, and hasn't quite stood up to him the way the first cat did. She gets chased a lot more often now, but she still ventures into most places in the house. I'm hoping that over more time she'll get to the same level as the other cat because it does seem to be getting better, albeit slowly.
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I have always been a cat person. I currenly have 2 cats--one that I adopted before I met my SO and one that adopted about a year ago. I'm incredibly close with them. I love alone and I'm never without at least one of my lap. They sleep on my pillow next to me (I know, I'm a cat lady) and I truly think of them as part of my family. My SO and I do not live together, but he loves the cats too. He's just as loving with them when he stays at my place.
Anyway...about a year and a half ago, SO adopted a 2 year old Malamute mix. He is a GREAT dog and we both love him. He has become a part of our little family--we take him on most of our vacations, he sleeps in the bed with us etc. I adore him, but even more, I've never seen a human/animal pair as adorable as SO and his dog. He LOVES this dog.
Here's the problem. We're moving in together in August of 2012. We have tried to introduce the animals, but it never goes too well. The dog wants to chase the cats (and possibly hurt them...we never let him off the leash, so we don't know...but he is prone to chasing squirrels and such) and the cats are terrified. I am scared that the dog will be too rough and accidentally kill them.
I am not getting rid of my babies and my SO would NEVER ask me to. Same thing with the dog. The animals are here to stay.
Does anyone have tips? Of course we're going to keep trying, but I'm preparing for the worst (they can't even be in the same room without safety concerns). The best solution I've come up with so far is to split the house in half and keep them permanently seperated. It just seems like a lot of stress :(