Sudden Change In Dog/cat Friendship

CAW

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Our dog, Pepsi, is fourteen going on fifteen, and Buster, our cat who’s about 12, is not okay with that. At some point during the past year, Buster has started batting, swatting, and even grabbing at her hind legs, pulling her off balance.

The crux is this, he only attacks her when she walks by him, and only at slippery parts (we have carpets all over the house to give her grip, but we can’t put it in doorways), but if she’s lying down he’ll go say hello, sometimes he’ll even try to cuddle her or groom her ears – this has lead me to believe she’s stepped on him by accident and he feels the need for a preemptive strike when she comes close.
Of course, she doesn’t exactly know – hell! she doesn’t even know who he is anymore! – see, she’s developed dementia, she’s completely deaf, she’s nearly blind, and she’s on more medicine than the average pensioner (believe me, we checked the stats), she’s on so many pain killers for her painful arthritis, I’m pretty sure she can’t tell that there’s an oversized furry bully clamped to her leg...
They’ve lived together for over a decade, and we’ve never had a problem with them before.

To cut a long story short, our cat stopped liking our dog, but only sometimes, and we’re worried about him tripping her and breaking her legs.
If anyone has had a similar experience please do share, it’d be nice to have confirmation we aren’t alone with this issue, and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 

Kflowers

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I wish I could help with the cat but I can't. Maybe he is afraid of illness, some animals are. Some people are. I can help a little with Pepsi.

This may help, it's what we got our dog when she started having trouble with her legs. It's a flat black mat taht you can put in front of your doors on the inside or outside, whichever you need. It has rubber backing and decent weight to hold it in place. It's $40 at Amazon maybe less at Home Depot or Lowes. The one with squares cut as the design is a B to vacuum, the ones with stripes are okay to vacuum. They are good traction. You can cut out a rectangle to put over your heat vent and use rug tape if you need to.

Put this description in at Amazon to see what it looks like.

WaterHog Eco Commercial-Grade Entrance Mat, Indoor/Outdoor Black Smoke Floor Mat 3' Length x 2' Width, Black Smoke by M+A Matting - 2295700023

Here is a picture of it, there are more detailed pictures on Amazon
upload_2019-1-8_15-0-41.png



I have loved all our cats, but some times you need to just separate two for the sake of their health. Your dog doesn't need this. If you can't separate, at least these rugs will cover those bare slipper spots.


If you have a tiny slippery spot buy a heavy rubber backed pricey bathmat. I got mine at Kroger. Here is what to put in to start an Amazon search. You want heavy and rubber backing to keep it from slipping. You can also use double sided tape.

AmazonBasics Non-Slip Microfiber Shag Bath Rug, 21" x 34", Lavender


XFasten Double Sided Carpet Tape, 2-Inch x 30 Yards

or

Wingogh Double Sided Tape - Multi-Purpose Double Sided Duct Tape Perfect for Carpet Rug Indoor and Outdoor Removable Heavy Duty
 
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sabrinah

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Kflowers

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If you use the adhesives I'd try one toe first since your dog is a little out of it now. Same for shoes. Pick somewhere soft to try them. I tried them on my dog and she tried to shake the first one off which made her fall. Your dog maybe more agreeable about them.

The second mistake I made was to buy leather shoes, they were what were in the catalog. I was going to put padding in them to help her knees. We never got to try them. By the time I got the fourth one on, she'd eaten the first two. Again, your dog may like them.
 

sabrinah

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Yea shoes can be hard. I like the idea of Toe Grips the best personally because it doesn't cover the entire nail. I tried putting shoes on my dog when I lived somewhere really hot so I could take him outside without burning his feet. Not only did he refuse to keep them on, but he actually sought them out the next day and destroyed them so I couldn't exchange them and try again. Fun times.

One thing you certainly should not try is paw wax. Some brands advertise as aiding in traction but that's pure lies.
 

neely

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she’s developed dementia, she’s completely deaf, she’s nearly blind, and she’s on more medicine than the average pensioner (believe me, we checked the stats), she’s on so many pain killers for her painful arthritis
Our last dog went through something similar, the dementia part is heartbreaking.:frown: I remember when our dog lost a lot of muscle mass in his back legs and could no longer come upstairs to our bedroom. I felt so bad that for awhile I slept downstairs on the family room sofa to be near him. However, our cat who also had been with him for a long time gave him a wide berth. I think she sensed his difficulty in maneuvering.

Could you possibly give your cat some new places to investigate or play? Whether it's a new cat tree, shelves, cat tunnel, etc., it might help distract her from the dog.
 
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