[widow]

I have an issue that I don't quite know what the best approach would be. We have an outdoor kitty (she was dumped here about 3 years ago, we can't have cats inside because we have parrots, so we made her a comfy place in the garage with a bed and heater, etc.) Anyway - from the day we brought Widdy home, we wanted them to be friends. Twinkie (kitty) wanted NO PART of that wild, gangly puppy. No matter what we did, she was/is terrified of Widdy. Therefore, making Widdy W-A-N-T THE KITTYYYYYY!!!!!!!!! My question is - have any of you successfully made piece between a cat and dog before?

Their interaction is limited but I'd still like for them to get along. I'm sure part of the issue is Widdy's prey drive is IMMENSE, kitty runs - GOTTA chase it! Dog chases, kitty's GONNA RUN! I've tried holding Twinkie and letting Widdy sniff but I risk being shredded by cat nails and Widdy's obedience is NON-EXISTANT when it comes to that cat! :sadcry: She is INSANE! We've tried everything. And suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mariposa692001]

hmmmm...well Sabot has a cat and she is inside with him....He still sometimes chases her....he just can't help himself and she she spits and hisses and growls and all that good stuff..I always make him stop and it about kills him...I just redirect his attention. It's like a civil war...of who's house it really is...but then I catch them sleeping together. and Mari (the cat) trying to groom Sabot's ears....so go figure....with your cat being outside...it is probably going to be the cat's decision on whether or not the cat wants to be friends with Widdy.....

 

[Lexus]

I've integrated several cats into my house with my three dogs. I constantly have new cats coming and going through the house, many of which flip out with the dogs at first. The first key is to make sure kitty has a safe place to go, accessable to only her, where she can get a break from Widders. Perhaps an office or bedroom with a babygate raised just high enough she can fit under it.

Another important key, is to make sure Widder is behaving around kitty. Yeah they all break into chase now and then, lol keeps kitties on their toes , but the dog needs to stop when you say so. So key up on some obedience with the pooch. NO rough play with kitty and stopping the chase immediately!

Another great option is to get kitty a cat tree, for cats vertical space is more important then actual space, so if kitty can fly up a cat tree for safety, it will help her mentality as well.

Make sure the litterbox is in a safe stress free place also. Another great thing to do is to get a Feliway plug in for the room designated to kitty, generally it is a destresser for most cats.

Everyday make some time that Widder is in his crate or a different room, where kitty can't hear him or see him, and let Kitty come out and enjoy the house and your affection too. It will make a world of difference to kitty.

 

[mariposa692001]

what is a Feliway plug in?

 

[Lexus]

A Feliway plug in puts out a naturally occuring pheremone that the cat puts out itself. It is a calming essence to them.
http://www.feliway.uk.com/feliway_uk.nsf/Page?OpenForm

While it doesn't nessecarily make every stressed cat calm, it has helped many.

 

[Riagogogo]

I had 4 cats before even adopting Rudi. My black cat seemed to be pretty dog savvy right off the bat. Rudi doesn't have a big prey drive at all......until I tell him "go get the squirrel" or "go get the kitty." Then all he does with the kitties is jump forward with his front legs and jab at them. My other 3 cats tolerate Rudi but pretty much do their own thing. If Rudi gets too close they just run to a safer place or hide. Rudi knows his place.......at the bottom of the totem pole!

 

[brumwolf]

We always had a cat with our Dobes up till about 18 months ago when the cat passed at 19 yrs old,she was at the house first and was always an outside cat,the fact that the cat would not accept Widdy as a puppy is probably where the problem lies,so i would try what Lexus has advised and see how it goes.

 

[Okie-dobie]

Although I have had cats and dogs living together peacefully I do believe some cats will never get along with dogs. I think this is especially true when the cat is always outdoors and always runs when the dog approaches. It's not that they hate each other it's just that the prey drive kicks in and the chase is on. If the cat was the type to stand their ground and not back down chances are they would co-exist alot better. Is it possible for you to find a indoor/outoor home for the kitty?? Or bringing the cat in? I have a girlfriend that has an Africian Grey and a cat that live very happily together, in fact they play with each other.

 

[Molari]

Under the current living conditions there is not a lot of things you can do to make them play nice with each other. Unless you have real small birds I would try letting the cat in. I have a green-wing macaw and a Main ****. Beevis, the bird spends most of its time on a pair of tree stands arround the house and spends alot of his time about a foot and a half off the ground. Mary, the cat has never made any effort to hurt the bird. Just a thought. Good luck.

 

[BackInBlack]

Oh my gosh, a loose bird, a cat and a doberman! My house would look like one of those cartoons where the wolf is chasing the roadrunner. I dont think my dogs would do well with a bird, that is so cool that you can do that though.

 

[bleh60]

just imagine my house then... 2 birds 3 CATS and a dog.

 

[Patches Mom]

If the dog has obedience skills it will help stray cat was dumped all the other in the neighborhood cats were beating her up she was spayed I later found out. This is when I had my Bouvier Jake I would pet the cat come in the house let the dogs smell my hand.I did that for several weeks,Put Jake on a sit stay open the door and tell him nice kitty so eventually the cat came in the house once in awhile Jake would go after the cat but would quit when I told him too. Sadly the cat was extremely FAT I put her on a diet never lost any weight kept getting Fatter??? had bloody stools so had her put to sleep she was being incontinent in the house as well.Most likely why she was dumped in the first place.
Papbouv

 

[widow]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions!!! There is no chance of letting the cat in - hubby is a "cat" person but is totally terrified of something happening to his Hershey (mini hahns macaw). We also have a sulfur crested cockatoo and an umbrella cockatoo -- so those 2 would probably hold their own with the kitty. Even with the "possibility" of kitty getting along with the bigger birds - cat saliva is FATAL to birds. So even a playful bite (if the skin is broken) would be deadly to a bird. Therefore she has to stay outside.

As for Widdy - she does well with her commands (most of the time). And is HIGHLY food motivated. So I tried various things with getting her to totally ignore or gently approach kitty - HA! What a disaster! Kitty is terrified of everything, even my daughter's chihuahua, that happens to be the MOST calm, loving dog I've ever seen. I have a feeling they won't ever tolerate each other.:sadcry:

As for the birds - we can trust Widdy around them, which is great!!! It's neat to see a big white bird giving kisses to a big black doberman.:dancing_b But we are ever diligent with them interacting - it only takes a second for a dog to injure a bird.

Thanks again, I'll try those things recommended and keep you posted. Wish me luck, I think I'm gonna NEED it! :frown1:

 

[Lexus]

Maybe worse case senerio, you could rehome the cat. It may be better for all involved, especially the cat so it can enjoy a family and a truly good quality of life indoors. Hopefully kitty can't get outside out all in the mean time where she can get hit by a car, attacked, or sick.

My friend had an african grey, sun conour (sp??), and a cockatoo with her cat with no problems. She just put the cat in a different room if she brought any of the birds out. *shrug* I'm just not a bird person They freak me out, especially her conour, that little sh!t would attack everyone but her. It was like getting dive bombed by a pitbull with wings

Good luck with all, keep us posted

 

[Lexus]

If the dog has obedience skills it will help stray cat was dumped all the other in the neighborhood cats were beating her up she was spayed I later found out. This is when I had my Bouvier Jake I would pet the cat come in the house let the dogs smell my hand.I did that for several weeks,Put Jake on a sit stay open the door and tell him nice kitty so eventually the cat came in the house once in awhile Jake would go after the cat but would quit when I told him too. Sadly the cat was extremely FAT I put her on a diet never lost any weight kept getting Fatter??? had bloody stools so had her put to sleep she was being incontinent in the house as well.Most likely why she was dumped in the first place.
Papbouv

Poor thing :-( Sounds like maybe she had a thyroid problem, or possibly diabetes, along with other issues. JFYI, you've got be very careful when putting an obese cat on a diet, they can get what is called Fatty Liver Syndrome (liver disease), which is fatal if not treated, they need their calorie intake monitored very very closely.

I just had owner surrender her cat b/c she was urinating in the house, and she had a severe urinary tract infection, we are just finishing up our meds finally, and she has been a total angel as far as litterbox behavior goes.

 

[tjmom]

How old is your dog?

We have a cat, Pepper that is about to turn 10. She does not like to be around our dogs right now. We have a baby gate up in the door of our spare bedroom so that she can get away from the dogs. She does not even give them a chance. Titus can walk in the room, not even acknowledge her and she is hissing at him. With that said she did come around with our last dog after he was over his puppy stage. I even have a picture of Pepper, our previous dog, Magnus and our other cat Pharoh all laying in the living room, not snuggling or anything but they are all in the same room. Magnus (doberman 4 years old)and Pharoh (cat, 12 years old)have since passed away. Maybe with time they can co-exist.

 

[Lexus]

Under the current living conditions there is not a lot of things you can do to make them play nice with each other. Unless you have real small birds I would try letting the cat in. I have a green-wing macaw and a Main ****. Beevis, the bird spends most of its time on a pair of tree stands arround the house and spends alot of his time about a foot and a half off the ground. Mary, the cat has never made any effort to hurt the bird. Just a thought. Good luck.

I'd love to see some pics of your Maine ****, I'm a huge fan of the breed.

 

[Lexus]

just imagine my house then... 2 birds 3 CATS and a dog.

Hehe, the circus theme is playing in my head imagining it all!:dan2:

 

[Molari]

I'd love to see some pics of your Maine ****, I'm a huge fan of the breed.

I need to post some picture of GKar and will include a few of Mary. She is a cool cat.

 

[BackInBlack]

I need to post some picture of GKar and will include a few of Mary. She is a cool cat.

YES YOU DO! I dont think I have ever seen pictures of Gkar. We will be waiting