how to help a stressed cat?

Question

I just got a dog and my cat is not taking it well, what can I do to calm her, get her to eat and socialize again?

Answer 1

The cat should have an "escape" place to get away from the dog. Don't allow the dog to hunt her down everywhere; get a room where you can prop the door open just enough for the cat to get through, but where you can also stop the dog from getting through. If you want, you can even put a small cat-door in the door of that room; make sure it's small enough that the dog can't get through. Put the cat's food, water, and litterbox in this room; don't forget to spread newspaper or cardboard under the litterbox so the litter doesn't get imbeded in the carpet.

Another thing you can try is catnip. Catnip is like a drug for cats. It calms them down, but it won't hurt them as long as it's inside a toy. You can get these at any pet store. Get other toys your cat can play with in that room, too. A cat is like a loner human in this way; they need to be able to get away.

Once your cat has this secure space, your cat will hide out here for awhile. Once the cat has calmed down, it will come out, in its own time, and socialize. Maybe only for short periods of time at first, but don't worry. In a few weeks, the cat and dog will come to terms with each other.

Also, if the dog is overly friendly with the cat, the cat may scratch the dog. Don't worry about it. Certainly don't freak out or punish the cat. The cat is establishing necessary boundaries, essentially putting the dog in its place. Let there be no mistake; the cat will almost certainly establish dominace, and once the dog learns the boundaries, they will get along famously.

Answer 2

Give her some alone time. She will eat when she is ready. She is protesting your new addition. My oldest cat did the same when I brought home my youngest cat. She wouldn't eat (at least when I could see) for two weeks. She wouldn't sleep with me either. She would sit about 3' from me so I couldn't reach her, turn to look at me, then turn and keep her back to me. This lasted about 1 month.

When the dog came home, she was intimidated at first, then she would see me defend her if the dog went to chase her. I would also scold my dog if she chased any of our cats. Then one day, the dog crossed her line and then the dog came running to hide behind me for protection. I didn't protect her. Our dog went where she wasn't suppose to and it was between her and our cat. It is important, just shy of bodily injury, to let your pets work it out on their own.

Bottom line, she'll come around when she is good and ready to. Give her a little one-on-one time during the day, that will help. And let her know it is her territory too, and not to let the dog push her around.

Good Luck.

Answer 3

Cats are territorial and she's now been invade by some loud, bumbling critter she can't get away from. Keep them in different rooms and let them get used to each other's smells. Gradually bring them together - supervised. Make sure you're paying LOTS of attention to the cat, so she isn't feeling pushed aside. Keep her food, water and litter box in a secure position so she can get to them without having to encounter the dog. It's going to take a long adjustment period, so you're going to have to be vigilante and patient. You should sit in a quiet room with the cat, giving her direct attention, with her food in the room and encourage her to eat, and give her as much "alone time" with you as possible to help calm her. Animals DO have emotions, so annoyance, fear, depression, jealousy, anxiety, etc. are all part of the package, and you have to deal with them appropriately.

Answer 4

It'll take a few weeks, but they will learn to get along. Make sure to pay attention to the cat too, and not just the new dog. Have patience, the cat will eat when she is hungry.

Answer 5

is it a small dog or at least bigger than the cat? if the dog is okay around the cat i would say the best thing to do is let them spend as much time together as possible. that is what i did when introducing new pets. they may seem to fight a bit at first, but you can prevent an injuries if you are there. it won't take long for them to become best friends.

Answer 6

Spend quality time with her, reassure her that she's not being replaced, and that she is still the princess. Don't let the dog bark, nip or jump at her. Make sure the dog also know's she's still princess. Then give her time, she will come around. I foster animals, and each time a new one comes into the house, my Buggs pouts and puts up a fuss for a week or two, then he decides it's not so bad after all and will befriend the new comer. Just make sure that you keep her time with you and her routines the same,

Answer 7

You local pet store might have a product called feliway. It is a pheromone that helps "relax" you cat during stressful situations or if they are having behavioral issues. Its about 40 dollars a pop but it works great especially when introducing new pets to the house.
Good Luck!

Answer 8

well most cats hate dogs mabe give your cat a seprate room keep your dog in one room and the cat in a calm peace-ful place cats hate alot of noise so keep him or her in a dim area.it helps the cat relive stress and get used to the dog do this every-day and see if it helps it.

Answer 9

it is going to take sometime for your cat to accept the new dog just make sure you pay extra attention to your cat

Answer 10

rub its ears and give it a special treat isolate it from the dog and keep the dog away from it