They're both males, I had the dog for 3 years and now a friend gave me a baby cat. The problem is that they're afraid of each other, so they're always fighting. The dog is a butterfly pekinese and the cat is european breed. It wouldn't be a problem but they're both in offensive mood. What can I do? I care about them both, but this situation's practicly unbearable.
2006-09-06 04:55:05 · 16 answers · asked by amarice22001 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
I have just gone through the same thing. I have a 4 year old Cairn and just introduce a year old one-eyed cat to the home. First and foremost...DO NOT LEAVE BOTH ANIMALS ALONE WITH EACHOTHER. This will create the animals to either fear eachother or show more aggression in them. I had to research this myself.
First you should put the cat alone in one room for a week with the door closed, preferably one that the dog has been in alot so that the cat can get used to the new surroundings and of a dog smell. Then when feeding the cat and dog, either have the door open a crack or you can put a gate up and put the food dishes on opposite sides of the gate so that way both animals would be in front of each other while eatting. Animals eatting in front of each other shows the confort level they have. I would keep them separated for at least 1 to 2 weeks. After the first week I left the door open and put the gate up so that way they can get used to each other without the possibility of hurting each other and building up aggression towards eachother.
Once you feel that both animals are confortable around eachother through the gate where the dog is not pouncing at the gate to get through or the cat isn't running away when it sees the dog, you should put the dog on a leash and let the cat out. Hold on to the leash. If your dog is trained, put him in the sit position. If not, keep the leash short and the dog by your side. Let the cat move around and whenever you see the dog pull the leash to chase the cat, tell him no and get him in the sit position and give him a treat. Keep doing this. Try this out for a week until you see the cat feels confortable enough to get close to the dog and the dog knows not to chase or attack. After doing this for about a week, for short periods of time you can try having the dog and cat with free roam around each other and see how it goes. If at this point it doesn't work, you may have to go back to the first step of keeping them separate between the gate.
I did all of the above after first making the mistake of letting the dog and cat being around each other first and found out that wasn't the way to go. Both animals just kept fighting and the cat was scared and wouldn't move around. After about 2 weeks both animals room around my apartment freely with no problems. They actually like playing with each other now and can even sleep on my bed together without going crazy. Just remember, both animals don't have to like eachother, they just have to learn to live with eachother.
Good Luck!!!
2006-09-06 06:23:53 · answer #1 · answered by Jen R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try putting a dab of vanilla on the head and butt of all the pets. The idea is that they will all have a common smell, inforcing the impression that they are family.
It's not a cure all, but it may calm them down a little bit. Ususally, any new animal in the house gets harrassed for a few weeks.
Another thing that will help is to sit with both animals (on either side of you) and pet them both. It takes a while for them to get comforable near each other. Just control any sudden motions, so the other won't react in a frightening/frightened way.
Some dogs and cats will tolerate each other, but never get along. The good news is the cat is young and can grow into knowing the dog, and the dog already understands having other animals in the house.
OH ! I almost forgot. The vanilla we put on our dog's head stayed for weeeeeeks. It looked like one of the cats peed on his head. I almost named the new kitten Vanilla Head.
2006-09-06 12:48:29 · answer #2 · answered by Hanged Man Bendy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that kind of situation's harder on us than it is on them. Let them fight it out. You say your dog is 3 and the feline is just a kitten. Animals realize the difference in ages and actually tend to protect the young of any species. The thing I'd worry about is whether or not your kitten has been declawed. If it hasn't, your dog could be hurt very badly...not just during the adjustment period but as long as they're together.
I had a cat and a cocker...had to put the cocker to sleep and the cat was King for about two weeks. Then I got a 4-month-old cocker. Simba (the cat, who's declawed) hissed and swiped at Madison (the puppy) and scared him half to death. After a while he got tired of Simba's antics and started "boxing" back. They were really funny to watch - mainly because neither one got hurt. After a few weeks they became the best of friends.
2006-09-06 12:09:51 · answer #3 · answered by honeybucket 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't worry about it so much. Usualy pets do tend to fight at first but you will see that soon they will learn to get along together. It just takes some time that's all. My dog did the same thing once I got a new cat and now they are always together. In the mean time if they ever fight just seperate them for a while and when they calm down then let them spend more time together. In dew time they will get used to eachother.
2006-09-06 12:05:00 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as you don't think the dog will kill the cat, just let them work it out. I had gotten a shepherd mix, ended up wanting to eat my cats. My cats are older, not as playful, so what I did for awhile, I looked them up during the day (when they usually sleep) in a bedroom, dog had run of the house then. At night/bedtime, dog went into his cage(which he loved) and cats got the run of the house, and the opportunity to annoy my dog in the cage lol.
2006-09-06 12:00:39 · answer #5 · answered by tikitiki 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rub some cat food on the dog and some dog food on the cat.
2006-09-06 12:00:17 · answer #6 · answered by mikky 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Give it time. Let them both know that the other is OK. Don't raise your voice around them, instead, speak in soothing tones and don't intervene unless someone is really getting hurt. They'll work things out by themselves.
2006-09-06 12:00:15 · answer #7 · answered by nmtgirl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some inter-species counseling! Seriously, it just takes time, they both want to be dominant, and they just have to work it out. Sooner or later, one will give give in...but once the kitten has full growth the ankle biter better watch out!
2006-09-06 12:01:31 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Isolate the two together in a room (Occasionally check in on them). That was the best way for me, because eventually they would get used to each other
2006-09-06 11:58:52 · answer #9 · answered by ttaarraa74 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tie a juicy steak to the cat and lock them in a room.
2006-09-06 11:58:07 · answer #10 · answered by grooveface 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋