Cats and dogs

laurenclaire1386 · May 2010

I have three dogs (2 chihuahuas and a boxer mix) and I want a cat. I've been thinking about it for a few months now, so I'm not rushing into it. The dogs are all pretty low maintenance, so I think I could handle adding another animal. What I worry about, though, is whether or not my older dogs are gonna be able to adjust to not only a new animal in the house, but a cat. My boxer mix actively stalks cats. She sits at the window in my front door and growls at this one stray on my street. And chases them out of our backyard when they climb the fence. I can't imagine what she'd do to a cat in her own space. Anybody done the dog/cat intro before? Is it possible for them to all coexist and not kill one another? FWIW, I keep the dogs kenneled when there's no one home.

leayn · May 2010

I currently have 1 cat and a new puppy and when I lived with my parents we had 1 cat and three dogs. These situations were fine, but the cat always came first. I'm not sure how it would go bringing one in with a dog who already seems fixated on them.

Do you have 2 floors in your house? You can always keep the dog in the kennel for the first few sniffings and see how it goes, then just keep them on separate floors if it doesn't work out. Good luck!

klreese0213 · May 2010

i'd suggest a kitten or young cat. the transition will give your boxer a chance to explore but not be attacked by a large adult cat. plus if it's smaller, he may treat it more like a 'baby' and not a toy or treat lol. cat's tend to be the more of the agressor, so if you introduce a kitten then it may not attack your dogs

we got our cat when he was about 5 months. the transition took about a week and then everything was fine. however, we also adopted a 2 yr old female, who was never around dogs. she still isn't fond of our bulldog.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · May 2010

Growing up, we always had both cats and dogs. Usually they're be a few swats and growls at first, but then they'll calm down. When you bring the cat home, make sure to crate the dogs or barricade them in a room and let the cat explore for a while, first. (Same goes for introduing new cats - we kept the old and new separated for four freaking days when we brought them home.)

My mom's dog will occassionally decide she wants to play with the cat and chase him into the next room, but it's always fine. Otherwise, they leave each other alone.

Just make SURE you get a cat that's known to be fine with dogs. You don't want to experiment. My older cat would be terrified of dogs, since he's terrified of most things/animals/people, except me, FI, my best friend and other cats.

bethsmiles · May 2010

I used to have three dogs and a cat. It worked just fine. They all liked each other.

laurenclaire1386 · May 2010

I don't have two floors, but I have a laundry room that's kind of seperate from where the dogs hang out, so it wouldn't be hard to keep them separated at first. I've been reading up on it, and I have a pretty good idea of how to do the intro: gradually, let them learn eachother's scent, etc. Just wondering if anyone's done it recently.

laurenclaire1386 · May 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cats-dogs?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:7f6a9672-380d-4dd6-8b82-a9b502a9ea70Post:e4339576-49f1-4cfe-bcf8-34a295982594">Re: Cats and dogs</a>:
[QUOTE]Growing up, we always had both cats and dogs. Usually they're be a few swats and growls at first, but then they'll calm down. When you bring the cat home, make sure to crate the dogs or barricade them in a room and let the cat explore for a while, first. (Same goes for introduing new cats - we kept the old and new separated for four freaking days when we brought them home.) My mom's dog will occassionally decide she wants to play with the cat and chase him into the next room, but it's always fine. Otherwise, they leave each other alone. <strong>Just make SURE you get a cat that's known to be fine with dogs. You don't want to experiment. My older cat would be terrified of dogs, since he's terrified of most things/animals/people, except me, FI, my best friend and other cats.</strong>
Posted by msmerymac[/QUOTE]
There's a no kill animal shelter in town that I've pretty much decided I'm adopting from if we get a cat. They have a trial period. I talked to one of the volunteers (actually, a Knottie: Jeana) about it and she told me that if we brought the cat home and for whatever reason it didn't work, we could bring it back and try another one. Or just bring it back. So that's good.

goheels05 · May 2010

I had some concerns about getting a cat, too, but everyone gets along now. My dogs would try to chase cats while we were on walks (they couldn't obviously because they were on a leash), but they chase anything that is small and furry (that's what she said).

When we got our cat, we set her up in a spare room with food and her litter box. I put up a child gate so that she could leave if she wanted to but the dogs couldn't get in. She chose to stay in the guest room where the dogs couldn't get her. They were very curious, but after a day or two, they lost interest, so I took the gate down. After everyone sniffed everyone else, they seemed to get along. Now they take naps together.

laurenclaire1386 · May 2010

Ok, I'm feeling better about this. Heels, I was hoping someone added a cat to the mix with a dog who got a kick out of chasing cats and got a good result.

Celles · May 2010

It really depends on the dogs. I have four dogs and two cats, and there's no real friction between them. On the other hand, some dogs have high prey drives and can't be trusted with cats at all. It's possible that your boxer is one of them, but it's hard to tell from his reaction to strays; my dogs are perfectly indifferent to my cats, but they won't let a stray anywhere near the house or yard!

If you do get a cat, I'd suggest keeping it sequestered in a small room -- like a laundry room or bathroom -- for the first few days. This will give the cat a chance to calm down after a move (most cats HATE change), as well as acclimate the dogs to the cat's scent without the risk of an immediate face-to-face meeting when all of the animals are new to each other and stressed from the change.

Also, be sure that any face to face meetings happen with the dogs on a leash, so you can control them if one of them takes a dislike to the cat.

Good luck!

T1+T2 · May 2010

Is there any way you could introduce your boxer mix to another cat before you take the plunge? Maybe a friend's cat that is used to dogs. This might make you feel better about the whole thing as well because you might discover that your boxer mix only seems aggressive towards small furry things outside the window - but doesn't really care about a cat when its close by.

laurenclaire1386 · May 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cats-dogs?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:7f6a9672-380d-4dd6-8b82-a9b502a9ea70Post:a6c6ca7a-9369-42eb-8995-e4a780ab2d06">Re: Cats and dogs</a>:
[QUOTE]It really depends on the dogs. I have four dogs and two cats, and there's no real friction between them. <strong>On the other hand, some dogs have high prey drives and can't be trusted with cats at all. It's possible that your boxer is one of them, but it's hard to tell from his reaction to strays; my dogs are perfectly indifferent to my cats, but they won't let a stray anywhere near the house or yard!</strong> If you do get a cat, I'd suggest keeping it sequestered in a small room -- like a laundry room or bathroom -- for the first few days. This will give the cat a chance to calm down after a move (most cats HATE change), as well as acclimate the dogs to the cat's scent without the risk of an immediate face-to-face meeting when all of the animals are new to each other and stressed from the change. Also, be sure that any face to face meetings happen with the dogs on a leash, so you can control them if one of them takes a dislike to the cat. Good luck!
Posted by Celles[/QUOTE]
She chases squirrels too. The chihuahuas are FI's though, and when we first moved in together, the transition was seamless for her. She was immediately comfortable with them and has never shown any aggression. She's sweet to new animals when they're in the house, just the ones outside the house that drive her crazy. I like to think she wouldn't try to eat the cat. I hope I'm not wrong about that.

klreese0213 · May 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cats-dogs?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:7f6a9672-380d-4dd6-8b82-a9b502a9ea70Post:872c71fc-3458-472c-a9f0-d75e4c7a4109">Re: Cats and dogs</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Cats and dogs : There's a no kill animal shelter in town that I've pretty much decided I'm adopting from if we get a cat. They have a trial period. I talked to one of the volunteers (actually, a Knottie: Jeana) about it and she told me that if we brought the cat home and for whatever reason it didn't work, we could bring it back and try another one. Or just bring it back. So that's good.
Posted by laurenclaire1386[/QUOTE]

FSIL did this. brought a cat home and the cat HATED her dogs. she took the cat back with no problems.

[Deleted User] · May 2010

I would suggest getting a kitten, as they are less threatening to adult dogs and like PP said, they may be more likely to see it as a baby to nurture rather than attack. and definitely get them used to each other's scents first. When we introduced my cats we did this by putting them in carriers near each other, then facing one another so they could see the other. One was a kitten and the other about 4.

Also, there are some helpful tips at petplace.com. I go there all the time to read about illness symptoms, behavior issues, or just helpful articles.

kimheartsscott · May 2010

I think cats and dogs living together would be mass hysteria.

But really, I have had cats and dogs together a lot and it always worked out fine. But my cat is also a badass. He made a great dane pee submissively the other week.

AngelaOct11 · May 2010

We just did this 3 weeks ago. We have a dog that is only a couple years old. He wanted so badly to be friends with a cat :-) He tried to be friends with my parents cat and the cats next door but they wouldn't be friends with him. I grew up with cats and once in a while would look up kittens on petfinder. So I mentioned to my husband a few weeks ago I found some kittens on petfinder and Buck our dog got all excited :-) So we got Maggie from the shelter who was about 6 weeks old when we got her. Buck who is a Boxer German Shepherd mix was really good with her. We just didn't leave them by themselves for the first week. Not that we thought he would hurt her just that she was so tiny. The only thing is he tried to lick her all the time when we first got her. They are good friends and she snuggles with him at night. The only issue we have had is that he eats her food and her litter box. We have fixed that issue though by putting a pet gate up off the ground where her food is. She can easily get under it but he can't.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · May 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cats-dogs?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:7f6a9672-380d-4dd6-8b82-a9b502a9ea70Post:872c71fc-3458-472c-a9f0-d75e4c7a4109">Re: Cats and dogs</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Cats and dogs : There's a no kill animal shelter in town that I've pretty much decided I'm adopting from if we get a cat. They have a trial period. I talked to one of the volunteers (actually, a Knottie: Jeana) about it and she told me that if we brought the cat home and for whatever reason it didn't work, we could bring it back and try another one. Or just bring it back. So that's good.
Posted by laurenclaire1386[/QUOTE]

Awesome! A lot of times shelters know if the animals are good with other cats, dogs, children, etc. So they might be able to point you in the right direction.

karbar42 · May 2010

My dog will try to chase a cat when we are on a walk and one runs by, but when she is in a house with cats (my cousins or FFIL) she is fine with them. The only issues we've had in those situations is that the cats didn't like her, and she got swatted in the face a few times, which obviously she didn't enjoy and she got a little pissed about. She also will chase at squirrels, bunnies or birds in the yard or on walks. So maybe the outdoors cat vs a fellow cat living inside, might be different. Just keep the boxer on a leash when you introduce them, so you can gauge the reaction and still have control if it turns out she doesn't like them inside either...

laurenclaire1386 · May 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cats-dogs?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:7f6a9672-380d-4dd6-8b82-a9b502a9ea70Post:b76a58dc-2503-4f5c-8c8e-1c70cc793b6f">Re: Cats and dogs</a>:
[QUOTE]We just did this 3 weeks ago. We have a dog that is only a couple years old. He wanted so badly to be friends with a cat :-) He tried to be friends with my parents cat and the cats next door but they wouldn't be friends with him. I grew up with cats and once in a while would look up kittens on petfinder. So I mentioned to my husband a few weeks ago I found some kittens on petfinder and Buck our dog got all excited :-) So we got Maggie from the shelter who was about 6 weeks old when we got her. Buck who is a Boxer German Shepherd mix was really good with her. We just didn't leave them by themselves for the first week. Not that we thought he would hurt her just that she was so tiny. The only thing is he tried to lick her all the time when we first got her. They are good friends and she snuggles with him at night. The only issue we have had is that he eats her food and her litter box. We have fixed that issue though by putting a pet gate up off the ground where her food is. She can easily get under it but he can't.
Posted by AngelaOct11[/QUOTE]
Oh my gosh, that is so adorable! Your dog looks a lot like mine.

<a href="#" title="Click to view a larger photo" onclick="return gSiteLife.LoadForumPage('ForumImage', 'plckPhotoId', '3444e231-8c1a-4917-bc61-9390ca2e03b3', 'plckRedirectUrl', gSiteLife.EscapeValue(window.location.href));"> <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/4/12/3444e231-8c1a-4917-bc61-9390ca2e03b3.medium.jpg" alt="" /></a>
Obviously, she's the brown one. That's my mom's weiner dog next to her.

AngelaOct11 · May 2010

They do look a like :-) They are funny to watch. She constantly goes after his tail. Once in a while he will look at me with this "why did you get her" look. He play chases her in the house and she knows exactly where to go where he can't get to her.

xkelbel06 · May 2010

I did this the opposite way, i had the cat first, for about a year, and then I brought a dog home. The first day or two the cat was peeved, but now they freaking love each other!! Honestly, if something happened to one, the other would be heartbroken.

My puppy is an australian cattle dog, so he's a herder and a runner, and he chases the cat all the time. The cat seriously loves it though.

As long as you do the slow intro, you should be good!

kellyjellybelly · May 2010

We have 2 dogs and 4 cats. One of my dogs is a beagle mix with a HIGH prey drive. She goes after birds, squirrels, rabbits, frogs - pretty much any little critter that is outside. She does fine with our cats, though she has been around them since she was a puppy. Her BFF is actually our cat Fatty:

katiewhompus · May 2010

When dh and I moved in together we combined a 9 year old dog who HATED cats with a 4 year old cat who had never seen a dog. I won't lie, it was a really rough first year or so. We had a baby gate set up in the hallway and Demon (cat) would be confined to the bedroom while katie (dog) had to stay in the living room/ kitchen.
When we moved we no longer had the baby gate option and worked with a trainer friend to get them to co-habitate in peace. We did have a couple of bad experiences where Demon just barely escaped Katie's jaws, but it got better.
One thing I found that worked as a "punishment' for chasing the cat was to pick up the cat, leave the room, and give the cat tons of loving. Katie quickly found out that if she attacked the cat she (Katie) lost our attention and the cat got it instead.
I would also recommend a kitten, but more in the 6 month and up range. With a boxer I would worry that too small of a kitten would get unintentionally injured. Even if they were playing injury could happen if the kitten got stepped on or the boxer accidently bit her.

jasmineh7777 · May 2010

LC- Just saw this and haven't read the other responses, so sorry if I'm repeating pps.
We just got our cat three weeks ago. I was worried because our aussie got kicked off a ranch for killing chickens. Our other dog is a border collie/lab and she definitely has a herding instinct.

The first three days, kitty stayed in her own room, and we introduced the animals to eachother's scents. Then, we introduced through a baby gate. I didn't hold the cat, b/c I didn't want the dogs to feel she was "mine" and needed to compete for attention.

Then we introduced the dogs one at a time. The dog was on a leash in a down/stay command. Cat was roaming freely. If the dog was calm, she got a treat. We slowly moved the dog closer to the cat, continuing to give treats as long as she was good. This took about 3 days of trial and error. Lab was way overexcited. Now, they are totally fine. Cat has free reign of the house and dogs are kenneled when we aren't home. I would never leave your dogs unattended with the cat.

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