Cat problems

pollyanna24

We have a puppy who whenever she sees the cat, tried bouncing on her, sitting on her, you get the picture.

We've had the pup for almost 4 weeks and as we've read from books that cats should have their own space, we leave our broom door open so she can go in there whenever she likes and the dog isn't allowed upstairs.

Now while the cat seems friendly enough to us, she doesn't ever seem to leave the broom unless it's to come down for a bit of grub (which is another sore point, she seems to be eating less and losing a bit of weight - I don't know if this is because of the new dog or because she doesn't like the mixture of kitten/adult Iams she is now on).

Not quite sure what to do with her. We try and give her loads of attention, but of course that is hard when she won't come downstairs, and if she does, the dog bounces around like mad!

lesley_rod

pollyanna24,

I had the same problem a couple of years ago with a daft lab puppy and my then 13 year old cat. We'd also moved house and the cat got gradually worse even though he'd had been fine with other dogs (used to try and cuddle up to my mum's dog!).

I started feeding him upstairs at night, when the dog was locked away, so he could eat in peace....dog sits and watches him drooling otherwise....was kind of a double edged sword though as there then was no reason for him to come down (or go outside).

After a year of living upstairs I took him to the vet and discovered he wasn't well, arthritis (sp?) in front shoulder and opposite back hip. I had thought he was depressed due to the move and the ever playful puppy.

Now the animals get on OK (daft puppy is nearly 3, though you'd never guess from her behaviour!) The cat's been having treatment and although he's not the cat he was before he has a good quality of life.

Might be an idea to get the cat checked over by a vet, there might not be a medical condition but would be nice to rule it out. I still feel guilty that I left it so long...

Kimberley

Just give her time to get used to the new dog, my mums cat took months to accept her new dog, he now sleeps and eats with him.

sleepymy

Maybe go upstairs each day and spend some one to one time with the cat, perhaps brushing her and interactive playing with a bit of ribbon/string. One of mine is prone to depression every now and again (his brother goes through phases of bullying him). I find if I take time to sit and interact with him it helps him become happier.

claireandella

When we first had her, we put our dog in a big cage in the living room for an hour or so at a time (with lots of treats to distract her), and this gave our cats a chance to see her and get used to her presence without her flattening them. I felt awful doing it because she had previously spent her whole life in a tiny carry basket and had real issues (and beginning to get a deformed back) as a result, but my partner didn't feel he could leave her where she was. I cried when my partner brought her home as i was 8 months pregnant and an untrained English Bull Terrier didn't feature in our plans at all. The only stipulations I made were that she mustn't bite us and that he couldn't keep her unless she got on with the cats. We said no firmly when she tried to bite or chase them and put their beds and dinner on top of a bookcase in the living room so that they could see her without being threatened when she was loose. We alsp kept her out of the utility room so that they had somewhere to hide if she got too much.
A year on, the cats still hiss at her when she tries to make them play (goes down on her front legs with her bum in the air and tail wagging) but they'll happily sleep on her chair and eat her food and water. She just lets them get on with it although they retaliate if she tries to eat theirs. I totally trust them to be on their own together and think that the dog would come off worst in a fight.

patchwork_cat

Hi
You just have a playful pup. They can get on we have a dog and lots of cats and apart from the occasional swipe and growl they get on great. The dog even let one of the kittens try and suckle on her -even though she never had pups.

I think a puppy pen would be a good idea. The dog needs tolearn that the cat is in charge.

No doubt a dog trainer will have lots of ideas have you thought about having the pup clicker trained.

pollyanna24

Thanks for everyone's replies. I gave the cat some different food today (wet kitten food I found in the cupboard) and she seems a lot happier. Guess she just didn't like adult Iams. Now I have a 3kg bag to get rid off. But she can't eat kitten food for ever!

The dog does have a pen, but she mainly only gets put in there at night or when we go out. When the dog is tired and lying on her bed in the living room, I bring the cat in as there is less likelihood of the dog pouncing and this seems to be giving the cat a chance to go up and smell without fear of being jumped on. I think things will settle down in time. I just miss my kitty sitting on the sofa with me as she always has a eye on the dog and so prefers being upstairs. The dog is almost at the stage of being bigger than the cat, and up to now hasn't been much of a threat to the cat, more of an annoyance. However, as she soon will be bigger than the cat, maybe the cat's claws will start coming and this may teach the dog a lesson or two! (And yes, I will be careful with the puppy's eyes).