Advice Requested

[berylayn]

My two cats have been in an only cat household since we got them. I have a close friend from HS moving back to my town in Dec. and she needs a place to stay and get settled until Feb. when her husband will be moving back here too.

I would have no problems with having a houseguest however she does have a 2 year old dog. As she says, the dog is well behaved but not obedience trained and has not been around cats. My friend says the only command she really knows is sit.

The room I'd been giving her and the dog is a basement room in my 3-level townhome. The room opens up to a fenced in backyard where the dog could easily roam and play. Her intention is to send the dog to "day care" during the day as to not complete disturb the workings of our house.

My kitty girls are both pretty scared girls, Lilly more so than Ebony. They tend to run and hide rather than face confrontation.

I don't know if it would be a good idea to combine them with the dog though. Any ideas, advice or suggestions on if and how we could make this work would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[plebayo]

I think it really depends on the dog, how it reacts to the cats and what the owner is going to do about it if the dog tries to go after the cats. Obedience is a must if the dog is intent on killing your cats. If the dog wants to chase/eat your cats I would tell her she needs to train the dog, or find some place else to go. The cats lived there first, and training a dog shouldn't be that hard if this person really wants a place to live.

 

[sharky]

I havew to agree with the above...

I would recomend reading all the info of introductions...

 

[yayi]

What type of dog is it? My Jello was never exposed to cats until he came to live with me (he was already 7 years old) and my cats have never been around dogs. Yet, I had no problem. The cats were wary when they first saw him but he was friendly and knew by instinct where he was in the pecking (sp?) order. He never been to obedience school. I believe it really depends on the dog's temperament.

 

[juliekit]

I think if the dog isnt going to interact with the cats it should be fine. If he is in the basement the cats can easily stay upstairs, and if he'll be in daycare during the day, well so much better!

But I do think some slow introductions should be done. You wouldnt want him to get out and go Cujo on your babies!

There are some dogs who have too much of a prey drive, and simply wont work out, but im thinking if the dog will be so isolated from the cats that it shouldnt be a problem.

My moms Golden Retriever is one that will outright kill Ceci if she were to ever catch her, which is why she will never be allowed in my house!

 

[berylayn]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think we may put baby gates up to define boundaries in the beginning. The dog will mostly be at daycare or in the basement. But I do want her to be able to come to the main level at times too. I think if our cats say upstairs in our bedroom when this happens we'll be fine.

The dog looks to be a Collie/Husky mix. The owner isn't entirely sure though. I hate to do this to a friend but I may write up a 'contract' with my friend outlining the boundaries we want to set with the dog and consequences if things really just look like they won't work out.

 

[chausiefan]

dogs vary way to much in personality, before allowing the dog in your house or setting rules with your timid cats, have the dog meet a more confidant cat and see his reaction towards it? It all depends on the dogs dispostion towards cats, test out the dogs prey drive does he like to chase things??


cats are smart also they know usually what dogs are dangerous and what ones arent


usually set ups like this do work out

 

[goldenkitty45]

Will the cats have access to the basement where your friend and the dog will stay? Will the dog have access to the rest of the house? If the answer is no, then you shouldn't have too many problems.

How is the dog "well-behaved" yet not obedience trained? How big of a dog is he? I think I'd work on getting your friend to obedience train in more then a "sit" command!

Discuss a trial period and see how things work out (like 2 weeks) and then go from there. If its not gonna work out with everyone, then your friend needs to find another place to stay.

Don't feel back writing up a contract with your friend - good friends do that so you avoid hurt feelings, misunderstandings and are clean cut in what you agree with. We even do that with relatives!