I am a cat lover first and foremost. I adore my cats and obsess over them. Mamie is the troublemaker; Bodie is the lover. They were both feral kittens who I got from a shelter and both will be two years old this fall, and I have had them since they were babies.
This past Saturday I brought home Matilda, a golden retriever/basset hound mix. She is a year old and was rescued from a high-kill shelter in Virginia. She has had no obedience training but seems to be smart and submissive. She is well-socialized and shows no real interest in the cats.
The cats, on the other hand, are VERY interested in Matilda. They don't seem scared---just wary and very watchful. Bodie, the lovebug, still asks me for a bit of attention, but Mamie has mostly ignored me since Matilda came home. Neither of them have slept in bed with me since Saturday. Neither has played or asked me to play with them.
I am worried about Mamie especially. She seems unhappy. I am worried that her personality is going to change, and that the cat I love will not be back. I have tried to give her affection, but either she dismisses me or Matilda barges in and Mamie runs away.
For those of you who have introduced dogs to cats--is this a phase that goes away? I know that this is very new to the cats, but I want to know if there is something I should be doing to make this easier on them. I don't want them to come second to the dog, but they don't need as much for me, so it's easy for them to get ignored.
Help! I miss my cats.
This past Saturday I brought home Matilda, a golden retriever/basset hound mix. She is a year old and was rescued from a high-kill shelter in Virginia. She has had no obedience training but seems to be smart and submissive. She is well-socialized and shows no real interest in the cats.
The cats, on the other hand, are VERY interested in Matilda. They don't seem scared---just wary and very watchful. Bodie, the lovebug, still asks me for a bit of attention, but Mamie has mostly ignored me since Matilda came home. Neither of them have slept in bed with me since Saturday. Neither has played or asked me to play with them.
I am worried about Mamie especially. She seems unhappy. I am worried that her personality is going to change, and that the cat I love will not be back. I have tried to give her affection, but either she dismisses me or Matilda barges in and Mamie runs away.
For those of you who have introduced dogs to cats--is this a phase that goes away? I know that this is very new to the cats, but I want to know if there is something I should be doing to make this easier on them. I don't want them to come second to the dog, but they don't need as much for me, so it's easy for them to get ignored.
Help! I miss my cats.
