Introducing cat to greyhound

[blob99]

Hi All,

Was hoping to get some advice from those with experience introducing adult dogs to adult cats, particularly greyhounds or other sighthounds.

My fiance and I will be moving in together soon. He has a greyhound, I have cat. He'll be moving to my place and I would really like to make sure we introduce the two correctly and set them up for success. I'd love to hear any tips you have for helping make it a good/safe situation for my cat.

Some context/background info:

The grey is a former racer from a rescue. She passed the small dog/cat testing through the rescue, though she has not had to put her cat reactions to the test. She has been around small dogs plenty and is fine (she is shy around other dogs and usually prefers to stay behind her human).

My cat is young (3 years old) and VERY playful. She often has zoomies around the house and plays constantly (her activity level and love for running around is what worries me most). She will have access to a 'safe room' that will be off limits to the dog. She is an indoor only cat. ETA: her food and litter will be in the safe room.

The dog is crate trained and is always crated when people are not home, this will continue. Dog owns a muzzle that we can utilize in the beginning to be extra safe, but obviously looking for tips to get them to a point where the dog doesn't have to be muzzled.

so far we've had a few small introductory interactions. Dog on leash has come into my house and my fiance has sat with the dog made her lie down, kept her focused on him, and fed her treats. I've stayed with the cat and offered her treats. The dog has not seemed to notice the cat much and is more interested in exploring the new space. My cat has been VERY aware of the dog. She has stayed focused on the dog, but has responded to me when I called her. She wasn't relaxed enough to eat treats, but also did not hiss or run away or freeze. Right now the plan is to continue these short interactions until both animals are calm about it. But then I'm not really sure what to do beyond that. I also want to make sure I take any necessary precautions and steps to make sure my cat stays safe.

 

[tabbytom]

Here are some articles for you to read :-

introduce-cat-and-dog

how-to-keep-the-dog-out-of-the-cats-food-and-vice-versa

best-and-worst-dog-breeds-to-live-with-cats

 

[JulieHarr]

How they get along will depend on the Greyhound. At one time I had 2 greyhounds and 7 cats. Both hounds did not have a high prey drive. Inside the house, it was fine, np. Outside was different. I made sure there were cat holes in the fence just in case one of the hounds would decide to give chase. I was outside a lot so I was able to keep an eye one everyone. Only once did they decide to hunt one of the cats. She was cornered next to fence in yard and screaming so I was able to get her. If the greyhounds would have wanted to hurt her, they could have. After a while I realized the greyhounds thought of us all as their pack. They would go after other animals in the yard, but not "their" cats. Again, like I said, it depends on the Greyhound and their prey drive. I found a lost Greyhound once and had her in my backyard while trying to find the owner. She was friendly until she saw one of my cats in the window of the house. She charged the window and hit it. Thankfully she was not hurt. Had to board her until I found her owner.

 

[blob99]

Thanks, JulieHarr that's very helpful. Any tips on early introductions?

Luckily this grey doesn't seem to have a particularly strong prey drive. She doesn't try to chase cats or squirrels she encounters when going for walks. Usually doesn't notice them much And we've never seen her attempt to chase anything when she's off leash--though probably the only real off leash temptations have been small dogs and balls being thrown at dog parks. So, of course a cat is not the same thing.

 

[JulieHarr]

Thanks, JulieHarr that's very helpful. Any tips on early introductions?

Luckily this grey doesn't seem to have a particularly strong prey drive. She doesn't try to chase cats or squirrels she encounters when going for walks. Usually doesn't notice them much And we've never seen her attempt to chase anything when she's off leash--though probably the only real off leash temptations have been small dogs and balls being thrown at dog parks. So, of course a cat is not the same thing.

What about crating the cat in a large wire crate in the house so they can sniff each other. Or put a screen door on a room door. They can see and smell each other but no touching. I've done this for two weeks, all the time watching how they interact with each other.

 

[fionasmom]

I had dogs as a child and continually throughout my life; cats did not come until much later. My usual dogs have been terriers and German shepherds, or whom I have one right now. It sounds as if you and your fiance have been very responsible and careful about thinking of all the angles of the dog/cat introduction and life moving forward.

The terriers, of course, saw the cats as prey, not to hurt, but certainly to chase. One was a little bit of a hard nut to retrain, but we got there. When he chased the cats, or bothered them, I put him in a bedroom by himself which he understood and connected to the behavior. The German shepherds with their strong drive to please their owner were no problem. Their command was "kitty no no" and over time we did not even need to use it.

All I would add would be to not allow the dog and cat to be alone together for quite some time, if ever. To many dogs, not just a sight hound, the zoomies could signal that the chase is on. Would your cat do anything like walk up to the dog and smack him? I have had cats who were bold enough to do that and it could be a behavior which might trigger a response.

The worst situation of animal aggression I ever had was between two Jack Russells....both mine....who had lived peacefully together for about 6 months when one snapped and decided that two were too many.

 

[danteshuman]

Animal Planet did a series on owners who had cat & dog problems, called: cat versus dog. I would strongly suggest you watch them all. It even stars Jackson Galaxy.

Since the advice seems to focus on training the dog and catifying your home; I would suggest you do those things. I would also recomend you work on training/bonding with the dog & he works on bonding with your cat (before the move.)

Cats mark home based on what they have scent marked: cat tress, your bedding, their litter & litter box. So I would suggest you move the used but scooped litter in a tied off garage bag. I packed all the litter/food/toys/bed/scratchers/cat tree/my unwashed Comforter in giant new black garabahe bags (but storage tubs would work) last & unpacked it first. I would put all those things in the bedroom and put your cat in that room for the first week(s.) That way your cat will know it is home. Then after your cat is comfortable in it’s (your) room; then I would work on introductions.

congratulations on your new home

 

[blob99]

danteshuman thanks for the recommendation for the series--I will check it out!
Luckily, the cat won't have to move, so that will make things easier. The fiance and dog are moving into my place. So while I'm sure she will see this as a home invasion, she won't have to adjust to a new space. And her 'safe space' can stay the same.

fionasmom I'm not sure, honestly how my cat will be once she gets more comfortable or if she'd be bold enough to slap the dog. So far the only interacts she's had with dogs have involved her wanting to keep the dog within her eyesight, but from a safe distance (up on a counter or several feet away). She has stayed fairly tense and alert. She has hissed a warning at a dog before, but that was done while retreating to higher/safer ground. I don't consider her particularly bold, but she also is not one to run and hide--she likes to know what's going on!

Right now I am hoping she can start getting comfortable enough to groom herself, eat her treats in the dogs presence and then we can go from there.

she's a bit of a tricky cat in general because she is incredibly affectionate with me--follows me around, comes when called, constantly sitting in my lap or on my feet if I'm standing. She sleeps tucked up in my arms at night. She will let me do pretty much anything to her. But she's very wary of anyone that isn't me. She used to be very social with everyone. But when she was two I went on a longer trip (not my first longer trip--I travel a lot) and when I came back she was very skittish and has since been standoffish with anyone that isn't me. I'm not sure what happened, but I suspect she had a bad experience with that pet sitter that rattled her. If my fiance was moving in alone, I would be confident that over time she would bond with him again. But since he's moving in with the dog, that might not happen as easily. But this also means I feel an even greater than normal responsibility to making sure she feels comfortable since she is so strongly bonded to me and craves very frequent interaction.

 

[fionasmom]

I completely understand what you are saying and hopefully she will understand that the dog is not a threat. I would make her feel as if she was the highest priority once the dog moves in so that she understands her relationship with you is not threatened.

 

[danteshuman]

I had a cat that was super attached to me & was my shadow. He was scared of my mom (who gave him the stink eye for years for bullying her cat.) It took months and lots of treats given by my mom .... and then one day he just accepted her. He sat right by her or on her lap and let him pet her. When the baby kittens arrived, he got close to them to be by me. He wound up being an uncle to the kittens.

If your fiancé feeds her and she gets treats from/by him, eventually she will accept him. She may hang out in the room with the greyhound, just to be near you. I would give her 1-2 high places to be and 6-8 foot tall cat tree in your living room. That way she can feel secure to observe the dog and still be near you while she adjusts to the “intruders.” You can walk the dog, train her a bit and play with her to bond with the dog. (Though dogs tend to accept new people more quickly then cats ..... poor naive trusting souls that they are )

 

[blob99]

A tree is a great idea, danteshuman ! I think she will like that a lot, especially if it has a cubby hole where she can feel hidden but can still observe.

The poor fiance has been trying with my cat. She loved him as a kitten and for the first couple years of her life and then after whatever trauma happened, she's been weary of him too (though less of him than others). But I do believe she will come around with him eventually. Luckily the dog already likes me (she likes everyone ), but I do need to make sure she also listens to me.