Cat scared of dog, going on 4 years

[runekeeper]

I live with my mother, and a few years ago, she decided to bring home a yappy little poma-poo, and while my sibling kitties (who are no longer here) learned to deal with him relatively fast, my younger male Kip has yet to do so. I'm so thankful the dog is scared to go into the basement because that's where Kip hides all day long. Mom takes the dogs in her room when she sleeps, and the second Kip hears her door shut, he comes upstairs.

I hate so much that my poor kitty has to live in fear in the basement. I mean he has everything he needs down there - food, water, warmth (about 70 degrees down there all the time), cozy sleeping spots, toys, and my desk is down there, so I'll keep him company when I do work. I've tried many times to introduce the two of them, and the dog will just run Kip back down the stairs all the while barking like crazy. Kip is not afraid of the older dog, who is much bigger than the poma-poo, but when I hold him near the pom, he shakes in my arms, and the dog will bark and lunge at him. When I pick Kip up to carry him safely to the stairs, the dog will follow on my heels and try to bite Kip's feet.

I honestly do not know if the dog wants to play or wants to hurt Kip. I'm going more for the latter - last time Kip snuck upstairs and got himself cornered, the dog leapt at him and bit Kip right on the neck. I wish Kip could come upstairs during the day and snuggle on the couch like he used to, and I feel so bad when he'll sit at the top of the stairs and look longingly at me because he wants to come up further, but knows the dog is out. He'll sit in the basement and howl when he's all alone.

Basically, I'd like to ask if there is anything I can do to try and help my kitty come back upstairs with the rest of us. I really miss him and I don't want him to have to live in fear in the cellar the rest of his life. But I also worry that it's been so long with the dog being here with absolutely no change in his behavior. I have no idea why he goes after Kip. He never did that with my other cats. Once or twice, he attacked my other cats, but never regularly chased them the way he does with Kip. I understand the dog is a s**t and probably needs obedience classes, but my mother and I are poor and there's no way she'd shell out money when she feels cracking the dog with the fly swatter or the yard stick is an effective means of discipline. (Also, I know a lot of people may disagree with the smacking, but it's not the issue at hand and I would just like to kindly ask anyone who responds to stick with the topic at hand and not the way my mother chooses to discipline her dog. If you've any concerns about it, please feel free to PM me. I'm sorry to cherry-pick the answers I may receive, but I don't want to de-rail the topic)

Should I just resign myself to the fact that my cat will likely never be able to intermingle with this dog?

 

[yayi]

The dog needs to be trained to keep away from Kip. And the rest of the cats for that matter. You can do it yourself without asking your mom. Search the internet or go borrow a book in the library about positive training a dog. It doesn't matter that it has been 4 years already. I believe dogs learn at any age as long as they accept you as their leader. 

In the meantime, why not put the dog in your mom's room whenever you want Kip to come up?

 

[manizheh]

a squirt bottle with water. every time he starts to go for the cat a quick squirt in the face. I don't think he want to play. After four years the only reason he has not harmed the cat is cause he is small. But if they ever do get in a fight the cat would win. Dogs only bite, cats use all four paws and their teeth. If you find he does not care about the squirt of water put a few drops of lemon juice in the water. 

So first prepare the squirt bottle and practice your aim. You don't want water all over the TV for example. Then with bottle in hand go and get your kitty. The second the dog shows up and goes for the cat get him with one squirt in the face. While he is wandering what happened go sit on the couch. as soon as the dog tried to jump on the cat a quick squirt in the face. You don't have to say anything and its even better if you can be sneaky so the dog has no idea where the water came from. The stupidest dogs take 75 repetitions before they learn anything new. the smartest 1-3 times. If you can do it without him knowing its you he will straight away think the cat has a secret weapon. In the dogs mind, go for the cat, equals face full of water, not going for the cat equals nice cuddles by mummy or a treat magically appearing on the ground (this would be dropped by you again so he does not know where its from).  

 

[catspaw66]

It is the official stance of this site to discourage the use of squirt bottles.  Even in the case of dogs.

You need to modify the behavior of the dog by introducing them properly.  Here is an article that is a good method.  It has been used by many cat and dog owners on here for years. 

www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-dogs

 

[runekeeper]

Part of me thinks a squirt bottle might be kinder than my mother whacking him with a stick, especially since the dog often will not just slink away with his tail between his legs.  There are times when he gets smacked that he'll turn around and bite, meaning he'll get smacked again even harder because I guess the retaliatory bite is the dog equivalent of back-talk. Lather, rinse, repeat until the dog coincidentally does not bite after being struck and my mom wins the battle.

Thank you for the link catspaw66, but unfortunately, the instructions you linked to say that obedience classes are a must for cat-dog introductions. As said before, I seriously doubt my mother will pay for such things.  These dogs don't even get annual vet exams because they cost too much. On top of that, I know that dog obedience training must continue at home and it's not something that you can slack on. Once my mom would find out that this requires long-term effort, she wouldn't bother with it. I also do not have money to spare for obedience classes that likely wouldn't work anyway. It'd basically be the human equivalent of going to the doctor for a prescription, but the meds are too expensive, so you just deal with things as best you can without them. I am familiar with the technique of switching the cat's and dog's blankets and doing a slow introduction and I've tried it, but this dog loves to chase smaller animals. He's about 40 pounds (obese for a poma-poo), and he just about dislocates my arm when he sees a bird or cat or bunny outside and lunges for it.

I'm not saying he doesn't need obedience classes, because he does. He desperately does. But if Mom doesn't want to cough up $35 a year for wellness vet visits, I seriously doubt she'll want to pay for classes for the dogs.

It's just so strange because my Kip was a stray for a while. I found him in the backyard and he was just friendly as can be. This was before the pom got here, and he'd stroll along side my mom when she'd walk her larger dog. He has never been afraid of the older dog and despite being a stray and never having obedience classes once in her life, the older dog warms up to cats fast. Not like cuddling with them, but she won't chase them or hurt them. I don't know why Kip is scared of this dog that's smaller if he's okay with the older dog.

 

[catspaw66]

I'm sorry I can't come up with anything else.  Yes, a squirt bottle would be better than hitting him with a stick.  I hate to hear of anything being abused like that.  It sounds like the dog is suffering from re-directed aggression.

 

[feralvr]

I honestly do not know if the dog wants to play or wants to hurt Kip. I'm going more for the latter - last time Kip snuck upstairs and got himself cornered, the dog leapt at him and bit Kip right on the neck. I wish Kip could come upstairs during the day and snuggle on the couch like he used to, and I feel so bad when he'll sit at the top of the stairs and look longingly at me because he wants to come up further, but knows the dog is out. He'll sit in the basement and howl when he's all alone.

This is always such a sad situation and I can tell you really love Kip and miss him. I believe the dog does not want to play with Kip. And the cat is living in a state of stress and fear which could really cause health issues. I encourage you to train the dogs. There are books, many books, on how to do this in the comfort of your own home without having to pay for a class. Actually, training them in their own territory might be for the best anyway.

The dogs can be trained. It takes work on the owner's part. Sounds like your mother's dogs are ruling the roost and that needs to be changed, not just for the cat's safety but for other reasons too. The dogs need to know that your mother or you are the alpha, not them. This is a dangerous situation for your Kip. If they were my dogs I would start some obedience training right away. You don't have to go to a class. You can do this in your own home or backyard. Also, if they were my dogs, they would be wearing a long line attached to a training collar at all times. Any time they even think of looking at the cat, they receive a swift, firm correction. They are also praised when they ignore the cat with treats. I am really sorry to say, but if these dogs can't be trained to not harm and try to go after the cat, you may want to find another peaceful home for Kip so he doesn't have to live in fear of the dogs and live in the basement. It is always sad for me to mention that because training the dogs could be so easy. But if the effort is not made, then you have to think about what is best for the cat.

The dogs need to realize that Kip is part of the pack and one to be respected. That starts with the owner of the dog, in all honesty. That is where the issue lies, IMO. If your mother is not willing to make the effort on Kip's behalf, I am not sure there is anything that will solve this serious problem. Best to you all. for Kip.