Help please!! Cats not liking new puppy.

[Manyana13]

Hi there

I hope that I am posting this in the right place! I am hoping that somebody could give me some advice.

We have 3 cats, aged from 2-1yrs. 2 weeks ago we got a puppy and we thought we had softened the blow to the cats by getting them familier with the puppy's scent over the 6 weeks before we got her and we also got a feliway defuser a few weeks before we got the puppy. We noticed a difference in the cats a few weeks after we introduced feliway, our cats are very affectionate anyway, but this increased remarkably and they were spending more time in the house than outside.

Then came the puppy.... and we introduced them all in the garden when we got the puppy and then in the house later on in the day. Not surprisingly, the cats were not impressed by this new arrival. Puppy has a pen in the house and the cats have their own room where they are safe from the puppy.

Two weeks on and the cats are still not impressed at all and they run away from her (even if she is in her pen). Whether it is in the house or in the garden. When we have her in the garden and the cats are around, we have her on a lead so that she cannot chase them but they are still scared. None of the cats have even got close enough to show her who is boss. They just keep running away.

They still come home but home is more like a B&B now. They come in late at night, eat, sleep, eat and clear out early. They are ok with us and are still affectionate, but clearly are unhappy.

So, really what I am asking for is any advice anybody could offer to me about how I can help them realise that they are superior and not be frightended of the puppy. I am devastated that they don't spend as much time at home and are unhappy, and I just want them to feel at home (as it is all theirs more than mine afterall!). Also, I am missing their company greatly :( . Am I being impatient in thinking that after 2 weeks there should have been some progress?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :) .
Thanks
Maryann

[angieh]

Hi Maryann. Sorry to hear about your problems. I have no experience of cats and dogs, but there are several members here who do, so I hope someone will be along soon to give you some advise. I do hope you can reconcile them all in time.

[Shelley123]

Hi Maryann,
sorry to hear about your problems, i think it's still very early days yet so don't lose hope.
What breed is your Pup and how old.
We have recently introduced a pup to our two old boys and things have settled down quite well now although we do occassionaly have to remind the dog to behave.
It's a shame the cats run away because if they stood their ground i think they could establish the pecking order.
One of our cats is very nervous and the other bold, strangely the dog has more respect for the nervous cat. This is because he took no messing from her and struck out at her straight away. She tried chasing the other cat, Tom and we found a water pistol to be very useful as a deterant.
It was very difficult at first but as i have said things are better now.

[Manyana13]

She is a cocker pup, only 9 weeks... so a bundle of energy! Good thing is that she doesn't bark at them, but given the opportunity, will chase adn whine for them to play with her. I will give the water pistol idea a go. I am quite surprised that the cats haven't had a go at her yet. I will keep hanging in there! Thanks for your reply.

[MrsH]

When we brought Morgan home our cats behaved just like yours, they stayed out more, were very suspicious and uptight. To be honest 2 weeks isn't very long, it's a big adjustment for them to make, but ours came round enough to spend the bulk of their time indoors again after a month or so.

My daughter reckons that it's hard for cats and dogs to trust each other as they speak different languages, their body language is different and so on. What sort of nature do your cats have normally? Our problem was that ours weren't confident cats but we thought that as they were still young (only 3 years) it would work out ok. We'd had cats with a dog before and the dog was either put firmly in her place or was pestered for a game by a particularly confident big-boned puss.

But (brace yourself :?) 2 years further on and it hasn't got much better. If we see him, Morgan can be stopped with verbal commands but his intent is always to hassle them. He probably wants to play but his games are rather rough and not fair on the cats. They don't come into the sitting room unless the dog's asleep and they fancy taking the risk. Our boy cat will squeak to wake the dog up and then run off before he can get caught, a bit of a cheeky game I think! :D

There's a gate on the stairs so Morgan can't get up there and the cats, when they're indoors, spend practically all their time up there playing together or with their scratching posts and toys. It's not what we wanted but I'm not sure it'll ever change now, the cats just aren't confident enough, they've never hissed or struck out at the dog at all in the 2 years we've had him, and I'm not sure that they ever will. Fortunately my husband does all his art work upstairs so he spends hours up there every day and the cats enjoy his company.

I think we've been particularly unlucky with their relationship so far, I know loads of people whose cats and dogs have come to arrangements and get along reasonably well. All you can do is keep pupster under control so the cats don't feel too threatened, always restrain the dog rather than lifting the cat out of the way to "safety" so that she gets used to not being allowed to chase. Some dog breeds are of course more wired-up to chase but hopefully it'll all get better as time goes on.

(mine's a cocker spaniel too!)

[random]

Lots of time and patience, it can take a while and is likely to be a slow development. On the plus side the cats are quite young so are likely to be more adaptable.

The more they are around the pup the quicker they will get used to her, so if they are never in, it will take longer. Try keeping them in the same room for a while each day and the pup out of her crate. Let her get hit on the nose if needs be, just supervise carefully and make sure the cats have somewhere (high) to get out of the way if they want to.

[dandysmom]

I've never had a dog, but from what I've heard from my friends who do I'm quite surprised that the cats haven't established the pecking order yet! Usually a few hisses and a smart slap across the nose gets the message across. One of our members introduced a cocker pup to two resident cats; perhaps she'll have some helpful info, as will the others who have done this .... good luck! :D

Edited: coincidence, as I was typing this MrsH replied!

[Manyana13]

I've never had a dog, but from what I've heard from my friends who do I'm quite surprised that the cats haven't established the pecking order yet! Usually a few hisses and a smart slap across the nose gets the message across. One of our members introduced a cocker pup to two resident cats; perhaps she'll have some helpful info, as will the others who have done this .... good luck! :D

Edited: coincidence, as I was typing this MrsH replied!
I must admit that I am also surprised that none of them have even gone near her to show them who's boss. They have met my parents' collies who are much bigger and they were quite capable of establishing the pecking order with them. Of the 3 cats I was only expecting one (Harry) to be behaving like this. Thanks to MrsH for the contribution too! :-)

[random]

When we brought Morgan home our cats behaved just like yours, they stayed out more, were very suspicious and uptight. To be honest 2 weeks isn't very long, it's a big adjustment for them to make, but ours came round enough to spend the bulk of their time indoors again after a month or so.

My daughter reckons that it's hard for cats and dogs to trust each other as they speak different languages, their body language is different and so on. What sort of nature do your cats have normally? Our problem was that ours weren't confident cats but we thought that as they were still young (only 3 years) it would work out ok. We'd had cats with a dog before and the dog was either put firmly in her place or was pestered for a game by a particularly confident big-boned puss.

But (brace yourself :?) 2 years further on and it hasn't got much better. If we see him, Morgan can be stopped with verbal commands but his intent is always to hassle them. He probably wants to play but his games are rather rough and not fair on the cats. They don't come into the sitting room unless the dog's asleep and they fancy taking the risk. Our boy cat will squeak to wake the dog up and then run off before he can get caught, a bit of a cheeky game I think! :D

There's a gate on the stairs so Morgan can't get up there and the cats, when they're indoors, spend practically all their time up there playing together or with their scratching posts and toys. It's not what we wanted but I'm not sure it'll ever change now, the cats just aren't confident enough, they've never hissed or struck out at the dog at all in the 2 years we've had him, and I'm not sure that they ever will. Fortunately my husband does all his art work upstairs so he spends hours up there every day and the cats enjoy his company.

I think we've been particularly unlucky with their relationship so far, I know loads of people whose cats and dogs have come to arrangements and get along reasonably well. All you can do is keep pupster under control so the cats don't feel too threatened, always restrain the dog rather than lifting the cat out of the way to "safety" so that she gets used to not being allowed to chase. Some dog breeds are of course more wired-up to chase but hopefully it'll all get better as time goes on.

(mine's a cocker spaniel too!)

Mrs H, I expect as your dog gets a little older things will improve, if he is just 2 he will still be all bouncy and a bit loony I presume?

This is how Star is with the cats although with her being the 4th dog in the house the cats are a lot more resilient to her than most would be, they are well used to it and tend to just rap her round the nose, (which she has learnt to dodge) then when she realises they aren't going to give chase and I tell her "FOR CRYING OUT LOUD LAY DOWN!" she packs in lol! But IME I have found that when the dog gets to around 3 or 4 (in most breeds) they calm down quite a bit and this does have a knock on effect on the whole cat/pester/chase situation. Star still likes to push her luck but she's only coming up for 18 month now which is still a baby for her mix of breeds x

[borderdawn]

I agree with Random here, keeping them apart will never solve anything, the excitement for the pup and fear for the cats will be reintroduced each time they meet as it will be a new thing each time.

I personally, if it were me, would keep them together while I was there, allow the Cats free reins and the puppy perhaps on a lead, or in a crate. Treat the pup when she is calm, treat the cats when they are calm. Do NOT make a fuss of the cats if they run away, calmly place them back in the room on the floor with the puppy away from them untill they learn the puppy wont harm them.

It will just take time.

[Manyana13]

Lots of time and patience, it can take a while and is likely to be a slow development. On the plus side the cats are quite young so are likely to be more adaptable.

The more they are around the pup the quicker they will get used to her, so if they are never in, it will take longer. Try keeping them in the same room for a while each day and the pup out of her crate. Let her get hit on the nose if needs be, just supervise carefully and make sure the cats have somewhere (high) to get out of the way if they want to.
Thanks for your reply. I think you are right, I should let them spend bursts of supervised time closer together. When I read your reply I realised that I have been keeping them apart when possible (eg. keeping puppy in her play pen). To be honest I think all she needs is a smack on the nose and I rekon they will at least know where they all stand!!

[borderdawn]

I dont believe that cats and dogs cant get on. I think its down to what an owner will tolerate, if they allow the bahaviour the animals will continue to exhibit it.

[Manyana13]

When we brought Morgan home our cats behaved just like yours, they stayed out more, were very suspicious and uptight. To be honest 2 weeks isn't very long, it's a big adjustment for them to make, but ours came round enough to spend the bulk of their time indoors again after a month or so.

My daughter reckons that it's hard for cats and dogs to trust each other as they speak different languages, their body language is different and so on. What sort of nature do your cats have normally? Our problem was that ours weren't confident cats but we thought that as they were still young (only 3 years) it would work out ok. We'd had cats with a dog before and the dog was either put firmly in her place or was pestered for a game by a particularly confident big-boned puss.

But (brace yourself :?) 2 years further on and it hasn't got much better. If we see him, Morgan can be stopped with verbal commands but his intent is always to hassle them. He probably wants to play but his games are rather rough and not fair on the cats. They don't come into the sitting room unless the dog's asleep and they fancy taking the risk. Our boy cat will squeak to wake the dog up and then run off before he can get caught, a bit of a cheeky game I think! :D

There's a gate on the stairs so Morgan can't get up there and the cats, when they're indoors, spend practically all their time up there playing together or with their scratching posts and toys. It's not what we wanted but I'm not sure it'll ever change now, the cats just aren't confident enough, they've never hissed or struck out at the dog at all in the 2 years we've had him, and I'm not sure that they ever will. Fortunately my husband does all his art work upstairs so he spends hours up there every day and the cats enjoy his company.

I think we've been particularly unlucky with their relationship so far, I know loads of people whose cats and dogs have come to arrangements and get along reasonably well. All you can do is keep pupster under control so the cats don't feel too threatened, always restrain the dog rather than lifting the cat out of the way to "safety" so that she gets used to not being allowed to chase. Some dog breeds are of course more wired-up to chase but hopefully it'll all get better as time goes on.

(mine's a cocker spaniel too!)
Thanks for your reply. It has sort of put me at ease in terms of time and patience. I was expecting them to at least be tolerating each other within 2 weeks! And i think that was an ambitious expectation! The problem I have with Poppy (the puppy) is that she is dam fast too!! 2 of my 3 cats are pretty dominant and confident, so I thought they would be fine from the onset. They have been with bigger dogs of family. Amazing the chaos a small puppy can cause!x

[MrsH]

I dont believe that cats and dogs cant get on. I think its down to what an owner will tolerate, if they allow the bahaviour the animals will continue to exhibit it.

I quite agree. It's just harder with some animal personalities than with others.