Cats and Dogs

[Anne]

I'm thinking about getting a dog. I really love dogs too (I love all animalls except roaches).

I've never erally had a dog (we had one when I was little, but I don't remember much of it). Hubby is against it because he's afraid the cats will be too stressed by the new addition.

I know some of you have dogs as well as cats. I'd love to hear your stories about how they get along, how they were introduced etc. I don't want to rush into this before I am convinced the cats will be okay with it.

Also any tips (young dog or old, large or small) will be most welcome!

 

[frogsy]

My mother has a year and a half old cocker spaniel, Addie, and a month older than Addie is Bailey, her domestic shorthair kitty.

They get along swimmingly. They are comical! They wrestle playfully, which is always hilarious to watch, since Addie is so much bigger, but usually gets her butt handed to her. They work together...since the cat is obviously much more agile and adept at sneaking around, he gets things that he knows are a no-no, and takes them to Addie. He will get food wrappers out of the garbage for them to share. He will bring her his toys to play with when she is not allowed to roam the house free (they usually keep her in the hallway, but Bailey can jump over the gate). They are truly the best of friends. When I was talking to my mom on the phone this morning, Bailey was grooming Addie's face and chin.

 

[sandie]

Well, here goes with my story. Out of the 11 cats, they all like the dog except for 1. I have the one who will attack if the dog gets too close. Then there are 2 who have accepted the dog, but wont bother to go around him. The rest of them will play with him, lay with him and clean him. I didnt bother with much introduction. I let the dog in and that was final. I kennel the dog at night, so everyone had a chance to look at him and sniff him then. It took a good month before everything settled down. It tends to be harder on the ones over 2 years old. When I went looking for a dog, I contacted Rene and asked her to let me know when she had an older dog(a year or so) that she knew was good with cats. She knew because she uses foster homes for the dogs and cats. I did not want a puppy because they want to play and I knew it would aggrivate ALL the cats. Also I wanted to rescue an unfortunate one. I also wanted to make sure there wasnt any hunting dog in one. I tend to stay away from those because cats resemble small animals!! At any rate..the transition was a little rough on the cats, but overall we fared pretty good. I wish you luck in your decision!!

 

[kaaren sander]

All of our cats get along fine with the dog. She was about half grown when we introduced her to the household and she now weighs about thirty-five pounds. I have never made a big production of introducing new animals to the old ones-just brought them in and said hear they are. The older cats are so used to new housemates they just kind of get a disgusted look on their faces and then accept it. I guess if animals could shrug their shoulders they would and say "oh,well, mom's at it again"! Occasionally we have a "hissy-fit" between the cats and once in awhile the dog gets a pop on the nose if she gets a little to friendly but, basically it is a friendly situation. Several of the cats really love Heather and they sleep together a lot of the time. One of them is the same age as Heather and arrived only a couple months after she did but, the other is one of the older cats and he will actually run and play with the dog.
Go for it Ann. As much as I love my cats (I'll always be a cat person first) the dog is such a joy!

 

[hissy]

As kittens, they crawl all over them, as cats they sleep with them in their cages (with the doors open) How I introduce a new cat/kitten to the dogs is I have a huge cage in the living room- inside, I put the newest arrival and about 3 days of confinement, I put the towels and rags and blankets the cat has slept on out in the middle of the room for the other animals to sniff and get used to. Then I take the dog's bedding and put it inside the cage for the cat to get used to. The confinement is usually a week, then I let the new kitty out and she/he just integrates into the group. Kenai, my 4 year old german shepherd is surrogate mom for many of the homeless kitties that arrive here.

If you introduce them together gradually, there is usually no problem, even the oldest cat will get understand that the dog is a friend if you don't make much of a deal about it.

I would get a cage and put the new dog in it, let the other cats investigate it, and just switch the bedding around until the smells are no big deal. You will have spitting and hissing and swatting, but that is normal- and usually the dog will recognize that the cat really does have the upper hand, or is that claw???

 

[rene]

I have a Lab cross and a Dogo Argentino. I just placed my little Pug with a retired man who can give him attention all day long, but all three always got along with the cats. And they were all different ages - we rescued the pug when he was 5 years old - he probably cared the least for the cats. My Dogo was three months old and she LOVES the cats - in fact she mothers all the rescue kittens and lets them hang from her face and tail and they sleep in her fur. My lab cross was 5 when we started to rescue and she just rolls her eyes and says, "another cat." We have, however, rescued dogs that were cat aggressive and you do have to be really careful. The cats come first in our house, so now we take a trainer to the pounds with us and assess the dog before we bring it into a foster home. All our dogs are kept with cats, other dogs and kids - too bad you are so far away Anne, I would find you the perfect dog! A friend of mine who breeds turkish angoras does have an Israeli Cannon dog (spelled right?) and got it as a puppy - she has had no problems with her cats and the dog. There are breeds I would stay away from who are naturally aggressive to small animals (Akitas, Pitts, Jack Russells, Weineramers, Siberian Huskies, Malamutes), but remember that is a general statement and there are some of those breeds brought up with cats from puppyhood who do just fine.

 

[debby]

My cats get along fine with my mutt, Scruffy....but they keep their distance from Sheena the german shepherd, not because she is mean to them, but she is big, and she shoves them out of the way when they are in front of her, she isn't much of a cat person...lol

 

[Anne]

Thanks for your replies.

Now all I have to do is talk hubby into it. I'm a good talker

...

Seriously, I don't want him to feel pressed into something he doesn't want. I know for a fact that should a stray dog wander into our yard, he will probably find a loving home here. But I don't want to get one from a shelter without hubby's consent.