Cat Has Odd Behavior With My Dog.

FearLuna

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Hello everyone nice to meet you.

I adopted my very first cat at the end of last August. My whole life I've only ever had dogs.

I've been slow introducing my cat Rajah to my sweet and very obedient German shepherd mix, Cero. He's 12.

Thing is Cero is fine and so is Rajah while on the ground. Rajah will come up to him, sniff him and even rub his face on Cero. Things appear fine but then if Rajah goes over the bed or on a table to chill and Cero sniffs him then he’ll hiss and Swipe at him. I'm not saying Rajah gets scared and jumps on a table or hides I mean he’ll be fine on the ground and then I'll have a seat and he’ll follow me and jump on the table to join me and he’s fine and chill then he’ll start hissing like he didn't just rub on Cero 2 minutes before that.

Is this normal cat behavior? I knew my cat is odd but this is very odd.

Oh and I guess the adoption papers say he's Bobtail/bengal mix.
 

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basschick

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it's not very odd - your cat is being territorial, which cats often are. also rubbing his face on Cero isn't necessarily fondness - he is scent marking your dog, showing that he's "his". jumping up may also mean he's showing dominance or he simply believes the table is his, and is letting Cero know that.
 

fionasmom

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I have always had GSDs and cats. That is not a bad mix because most GSDs are quite accepting of other animals and might even be wary of them, especially small ones. I had a 126 lb GSD who was terrified of a tough 10 pound calico.

I do agree that the kitty is scent marking the dog. My current cats rub so hard on the dog and lay on his face that sometimes I think he has to be uncomfortable. But they also take the upper hand and make sure that everyone knows that they are card carrying members of the house as well. I think that Rajah is letting Cero know that he now has a place in the house as well.
 
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FearLuna

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Huh, that is interesting! I guess I'm glad Rajah has warmed up to the house.

Will this territory thing stop at all?

I also can't get him to stop living me. Like it's cute for a second or two but if you let him he’ll lick you raw.
 
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FearLuna

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Licking me***
 

basschick

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my cat is 20, and he still scent marks things and us. whenever i've had a male cat who feels he's the alpha, he tends to continue to do that, although it can mellow over time if the other animal(s) accept him as the alpha and don't challenge him. it happens with dogs sometimes, too.

i had two male chow chows (big furry dogs) through no choice of my own, one several years older than the other. 99% of the time, the younger was submissive to the older one and they got along very well. then a very few times - maybe three - the younger challenged the older one. he was actually stronger, and he'd attack. the first time was horrendous, and breaking it up was really scary. after xing xing's big move, he was happy to be the under dog again. dominance is part of the animal kingdom, and your cat doesn't sound like he's too bad about it.

the licking to excess thing is something some cats do - i've never had one who did that, however you can find people on this board whose cats do that. can you gently do something like play a game with him or throw a toy when he starts licking so he gets sidetracked?
 

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Krista was an avid licker until her most recent round of tooth extractions. I'm not sure if she still has anything (FORLs) still going on in her mouth or if it's just the extreme asymmetry in her mouth now that maybe makes licking less pleasurable (or even painful?) than before. You may find it excessive now but you'll miss it if he ever can't do it due to oral or dental issues. For Krista, I usually redirected her to a blanket or sometimes my shirt or sleeves. I didn't think I'd ever get her to stop the behavior and it seems to be a soothing, pleasurable one for her. Even today, she still wants to do it. It's sad when she puts her mouth to my finger like she's going to lick me and then reconsiders it. So now I make sure to thank her for every kiss she gives me despite whatever discomfort she might have going on now. As long as he's not licking anything he shouldn't, just redirect Rajah to something else.
 

corvidae

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Does Rajah seem to have a preference for textures to lick? My cat Jem really likes to lick fabric, and will sit on my chest and lick the shoulders of my shirts. I bought him one of those faux sheepskin dog toys that he grooms, so when I don't want him drooling all over my shirt I can redirect him.
 
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FearLuna

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Krista was an avid licker until her most recent round of tooth extractions. I'm not sure if she still has anything (FORLs) still going on in her mouth or if it's just the extreme asymmetry in her mouth now that maybe makes licking less pleasurable (or even painful?) than before. You may find it excessive now but you'll miss it if he ever can't do it due to oral or dental issues. For Krista, I usually redirected her to a blanket or sometimes my shirt or sleeves. I didn't think I'd ever get her to stop the behavior and it seems to be a soothing, pleasurable one for her. Even today, she still wants to do it. It's sad when she puts her mouth to my finger like she's going to lick me and then reconsiders it. So now I make sure to thank her for every kiss she gives me despite whatever discomfort she might have going on now. As long as he's not licking anything he shouldn't, just redirect Rajah to something else.
I'm sorry to hear about Krista, thank you for the advice.
 
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FearLuna

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Does Rajah seem to have a preference for textures to lick? My cat Jem really likes to lick fabric, and will sit on my chest and lick the shoulders of my shirts. I bought him one of those faux sheepskin dog toys that he grooms, so when I don't want him drooling all over my shirt I can redirect him.
Yeah, the texture of my face. Lol I don't mind it when he first greets me but then he doesn't stop and when I finally move away from him he’ll start cleaning his private area then he’ll try to lick me again!
 
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