Cat vs Dog: How to make them live together?!

Pia · 31-01-2007, 18:49

Hello, i've recently had a bit of a change in circumstances, and i have an extra person living with me.

Now, this also means that i have to take a dog on aswell, even though i have a cat already, which isn't going to go down very well.
My mam reckons it's not possible to make them alright about it unless they have grown up together and that my cat will just do a runner and won't come back

Surely though everyone who has both a dog and a cat didn't go out and buy them at the same time so how on earth can i make my cat alright about there being a dog in the house?!

Chimaera · 31-01-2007, 18:58

I found instructions on how to do this once - IIRC it involved keeping the dog under strict 24 hour a day supervision, and it's lead on, so that it couldn't chase the cat. I tried this with my dog and a cat that wanted to adopt us (and my girls were more than encouraging to it!) but the cat was not having any of it and went to a neighbour. It still sets about our dog (who is scared of it now!) so we keep out of the way on walks. The cat seems quite aggressive so I think we might have had more luck with a more compliant cat.

Try this: http://www.cuhumane.org/topics/catdog.html
or this: http://www.leerburg.com/dog-cat.htm
Good luck!

bopdude · 31-01-2007, 18:59

Introduce them to each other slowly and in a controlled enviroment, both in cages next to each other at first if possible, then one in a cage with the other out and vise versa, of course if cages aren't viable then leads and distance.

What sort of dog, and cat for that matter ?

marky · 31-01-2007, 19:06

A pitbull and a tiger

Pia · 31-01-2007, 19:12

The dog is an english springer spaniel and my cat is just a normal one:dist: grey and white domestic there's a photo of him in this thread

The dog is a girl and the cat is a boy, if that matters and both are very placid, though the dog did stay one night last week and the cat had a permanant afro tail and stayed well away, then he went out and didn't come back until the next night.

bopdude · 31-01-2007, 19:22

Mmmmm, I think it's gonna be a case of patience, but, if they really aren't gonna get on then something will have to give

Our cat used to rule the house, the German Shepherd was scared stiff, after all, those claws are like razor blades on the nose

**Paul M** · 31-01-2007, 19:29

Not going to happen I would say - we have a Springer and it naturally hates cats and goes for them (it once caught next doors in it's mouth before we managed to free it) - I don't think you'll ever change that in Springers.

**Damien** · 31-01-2007, 19:30

Dogs and Cats are enemys. The only way they work together is when they are planning something more evil than would be possible with simply one of them.

If they are getting along, watch your back.

tick · 31-01-2007, 19:34

I had a springer spaniel that lived with 2 cats no bother .
A bit of a power struggle to start with but soon settled.

bopdude · 31-01-2007, 19:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by tick

I had a springer spaniel that lived with 2 cats no bother .
A bit of a power struggle to start with but soon settled.

Who won in the end ?

Pia · 31-01-2007, 19:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul M

Not going to happen I would say - we have a Springer and it naturally hates cats and goes for them (it once caught next doors in it's mouth before we managed to free it) - I don't think you'll ever change that in Springers.

Now i'm worried, i am not getting rid of the cat, and he says he can't get rid of his dog, so surely it'll have to work or we're buggered lol.

When his dog was here the other night the dog and cat were in the same room and the dog didn't seem fazed, it was the cat who legged it and stayed out of the way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tick

I had a springer spaniel that lived with 2 cats no bother .
A bit of a power struggle to start with but soon settled.

How exactly did you make them become 'alright' maybe i could try whatever you did!

I was thinking about putting the baby gate on the kitchen door and keping the dog in there, but will i still need to keep the cat in for a week or so, cos i'm scared of him running away

tick · 31-01-2007, 19:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by bopdude

Who won in the end ?

they lived happy ever after

---------- Post added at 19:44 ---------- Previous post was at 19:39 ----------

[

How exactly did you make them become 'alright' maybe i could try whatever you did!

I was thinking about putting the baby gate on the kitchen door and keping the dog in there, but will i still need to keep the cat in for a week or so, cos i'm scared of him running away

[/QUOTE]

We had the cats before the dog and just let them get on with it.
It will be the cat that harms the dog not the other way.
Watch them for a few days and there you go

Pia · 31-01-2007, 19:45

That sounds good lol, so do you think i should keep the cat in the house for a while, in case he runs away?!

bopdude · 31-01-2007, 19:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pia

That sounds good lol, so do you think i should keep the cat in the house for a while, in case he runs away?!

The cat has got collar and name tag, right ? so if the worst happens anyone finding him can contact you, in my experience of cats, had plenty over the years,they always come back, one was away for months

tick · 31-01-2007, 19:50

sounds like a good plan.
The cat will feel put out for a bit but will soon settle.
My dog would chase other cats but not the 2 it lived with.