Post # 1
Member
3195 posts
Sugar bee
Hi bees,
I am having a bit of an issue with my pets. My cat and older dog used to play together all the time, but now that we have another dog, they don’t. We also used to let our cat out to go hunt, but after we moved to a busier street with people who put cat food out all the time, we don’t let him out. He would just go over to the neighbors, eat to the point of puking, and come home instead of hunting and getting some energy out. So now, he is bored and has started picking on my dog, probably in an attempt to play like they used to.
He’ll start stalking him and bite and claw him pretty hard, but not enough to make serious marks. The dog will “yell” at him and pin him (gently) to get the cat to stop being an a**. Would you intervene to stop the cat from stressing the dog, or would you just let them sort it out.
Right now, I am just letting them work out the new bounds of their relationship. But I do feel bad because it obviously makes my dog nervous, and my cat is clearly frustrated at the change in his lifestyle circumstances.
The cat in question:
He’s actually very sweet and cuddly.
Post # 2
Member
660 posts
Busy bee
It sounds like your cat is stressed from the move and the big change. Cats like their routines and when you just change it all of a sudden it can really stress cats out. Dogs are different they have routines but can handle change that’s why it’s easier to take a dog on a trip than a cat. My advice is give it time add more toys for the cat, maybe a cat tree and different toys. Take out 20 mins in your day to play with your cat and really tire him/her out. Also keep a window open so the cat can look out of it. Just give your cat something’s to own to his/her self. Hope this helps…
Post # 3
Member
3470 posts
Sugar bee
- Wedding: July 2012 - The Gables Inn, Santa Rosa, CA
It sounds like the cat us stir crazy and the dog is paying the price. It’s not fair to the dog’s quality of life that the cat gets to torment him, until he finally snaps back. I’d say find other ways to entertain your cat and keep it engaged so it doesn’t take to such distructive behavior.
Post # 4
Member
2606 posts
Sugar bee
If he’s not neutered already, doing so may help. I also agree with PPs that you need to help him find an appropriate outlet for his energy. Cat teasers (Da Bird is AWESOME!) or a laser pointer will allow him to work out some energy. Ideally, you should play with him until he’s to the point of panting and doesn’t want to go after the toy anymore. Feeding him afterwards will also give him the satisfaction of hunt/kill/eat without the need for him to go outside.
Post # 5
Bee
382 posts
Helper bee
- Wedding: Cottage on the Creek
Don’t have much advice but the evil look on his face in that pic + the dead mouse + the caption that he’s really snugly made me lol. Good luck helping him!
Post # 6
Member
825 posts
Busy bee
Doesnt that animal planet cat expert always say “play, eat, love” ? They are natural hunters. And you’ve taken away his daily routine. Does he have high enough spaces to climb onto? Do you have vertical shelving setup for him inside to get away from everyone and survey his domain? Does he have a view out the window to watch the birds/squirrels? JG suggests those automatic toys for him to play with because he needs at least an hour a day [unless hes a sphynx of which he’s not]. Food time should be routine and only after playing I think that’s what he said. So it’s play, eat, love. That way he’ll be wound down before bed.
Post # 7
Member
3298 posts
Sugar bee
If your cat has always been an indoor/outdoor cat up until now, I would seriously consider buying or building a ‘catio’ or cat enclosure/run that he can access through a cat door from the house. With a lockable door/flap you can also lock him in the enclosure if you feel your dog is fed up and needs a break.
As PP mentioned, cats also like to be able to climb up high so they can see what is going on (and also get away from children, dogs etc lol).
Also try to play with him until he is totally tired out at least twice a day (15mins each time?), then he probably won’t be anywhere near as bothered to annoy the dog 🙂
Post # 8
Member
3195 posts
Sugar bee
I guess I should mention that I have only observed this behavior since switching to night shift. He does not do this during the day. I think that may be part of the situation because at night we can hear him tearing around the house, running up and down the stairs, playing with all his toys, and on his cat trees. But now that I am up at night, he comes in to hang out with me and the dogs. The dogs only want to sleep, but the cat gets all frisky.
Also, I should also say that this hasn’t had any impact on their relationship outside on the moments when the cat is being a jerk. They will still cuddle right up together and go to sleep.
Miss Apricot: Already neutered.
PorcelainBelle: and
ChicagoSLK: He actually doesn’t have a lot of interest in climbing indoors. That is only something he likes to do if he can get in the trees. He really likes being down on the ground (laying in the dog beds, on the couch, on his cat bed). I thought about putting some shelves up for him in his cat room, but it just seems a lot for something he doesn’t much care for…he doesn’t get on counters/shelves/tables down in the family room, so I think that would still apply if I tried to put them up around other areas.
Post # 9
Member
3195 posts
Sugar bee
Miss Coral: I know, he’s a character and a killer. When we lived at the other house, he’d normally have a mouse/shrew/vole/bird within 20 minutes of being let outside. Sometimes, he would bring 2 home a day….such a good and loving provider!
Post # 10
Member
3298 posts
Sugar bee
Oh man you should hear my two at night. Two MAINE COONS tearing up the place. It literally sounds like they are renovating.
Maybe the switch to night shift made him all antsy due to a change in his routine? If so he might chill out when/if he gets used to it.
Post # 11
Member
4235 posts
Honey bee
LOL, you could not have picked a more sinister looking picture! I love black cats though.
Does he have lots of toys? Does he like to play with toys? What about one of those cat trees where he can climb and jump around? How old is he?
Post # 12
Member
864 posts
Busy bee
- Wedding: August 2015 - Carmen\'s Lakeview
My pets did the same thing for a while, they were just settling in and playing 🙂
Post # 13
Member
109 posts
Blushing bee
This is not helpful- but the description of your cat as “sweet and cuddly” next to this picture made me laugh literally out loud!
I have a dog that has anxiety issues- maybe your cat is struggling with that? I used to give her Bach’s Rescue Remedy. You can buy it in health food stores, Whole Foods and Walgreens…etc. It helped a little for the dog, and it is excellent for humans! 🙂 It’s a natural flower essence spray. You might give that a try while your cat adjusts? It is completely safe. They make a version specifically for pets, but I am not sure it is any different than the regular human stuff. Just a different way to market the product.
Best of luck to you while you try to get this situation under control!
Post # 14
Member
2214 posts
Buzzing bee
I think it would be really difficult to switch a cat from indoor/outdoor to indoor only. One of my two cats has escaped a few times and gone outdoors but has otherwise been indoor only and he still often begs me to let him out, like sitting at the door meowing incessantly. It isn’t really safe for him to go out where we live but I can’t imagine how nuts he would be if he was actually used to going out and now we were containing him. My cat likes the stick toy with a string and something to chase around on the end, I move it around on top of the bed, onto the floor to make him run around.