Introducing 5 cats to a dog. Help!

dearlouise

I have 5 cats, the bi-product of a broken marriage. They were not my choice, but I love them all dearly. It could be worse, they could be children! Anyhow, I have been with my current partner for nearly a year and we are considering co-habiting. There is one minor problem, he has a dog, Charlie the!weimaraner (the joys of 'second relationships!). Charlie is absolutely gorgeous, calm, happy, loving, and obedient. He doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body. He is happiest when he is curled up on the sofa, watching a movie with us, much like a cat. With this in mind, I'd like to think we have a good possibility of the 2 species living in harmony, or as close to this point as possible!

My cats are less than perfect. They are house cats, and have a few issues. One suffers from stress related cystitis, and takes daily mediation to keep it at bay. I have to have a Feliway diffuser plugged in to keep her happy. Two of the 5 don't get on too well; my only boy cat likes to dominate my most timid girl cat. He has no pattern in his behaviour, they can walk past each other one moment, and another he will decide to attack her. Sometimes they have a tendency to pee & poo inside the house.!

We are looking at finding a bigger home, with more rooms & space. Also with more room outside that is cat-proof, so potentially the cats can go outside 2/3 times a day for toilet runs - to reduce the amount of peeing & pooing indoors. Charlie goes to parents in the day as my partner works, so leaving them all together unattended wouldn't be an issue.

What I'm looking for is advice, on how to make the transition as streamlined as possible. I want this to work so badly. It upsets me so much that I have to effectively live 2 lives at the moment, 1 when I live at home in the week with the cats, then at the weekend my Mom looks after my cats & I spend the weekend with my partner & the dog. I'd give up everything I own for them to be a happy family so we can live together under one roof!!

We haven't tried anything yet, as I don't want to cause irreversible damage that means we can't move forward.!

I'm happy to be sign-posted to a more appropriate forum, or a service that exists. Any help, however small is greatly appreciated.!

Thank you!!

Fire_Fox

Are you hoping to have the cats and dog living together now or when you move to a larger place? Is it not possible for your cats to go outside sometimes now or be fully outdoors when you relocate? Do you mean pooping and peeing not in their litter trays, if so how many trays do you have? Do you have cover for a behaviourist on your pet insurance?

dearlouise

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Are you hoping to have the cats and dog living together now or when you move to a larger place? Is it not possible for your cats to go outside sometimes now or be fully outdoors when you relocate? Do you mean pooping and peeing not in their litter trays, if so how many trays do you have? Do you have cover for a behaviourist on your pet insurance?

Hopefully in a bigger place but if the sale of houses/finding new houses takes time then possible now. They do go out infrequently now as its only when I'm in the garden. I would never leave my cats outdoors for long periods of time. Yes, outside of the trays. I have 3 large trays in 3 different rooms. I don't have cover for behaviourists on insurance.

meritaten

Youve got it the wrong way round - you introduce the dog to the cats.
try rubbing the dog down with a towel (to get his scent on it) then leave it where the cats will come across it. keep refresshing the scent for a few days.
when they accept the scent as part of the home (ie ignore it) then introduce some dog food - leave it by their food bowls. dont let them eat it - throw it away after they have eaten.
dont make too much fuss about bringing the dog in - if he is as calm and happy as you say then bringing him into the house shouldnt be too much of a problem. and try not be stressed yourself - ALL the animals will pick up on that! just get your bf to bring him for a visit and if he is good at sit and stay get him to do that by the front door (the dog not your bf). see how the cats react. do this a few times so that the cats get used to the dog coming in - and the dog get used to the cat environment. you should be able to tell by their reaction how far into the house to take the dog on the next 'visit'. hopefully they will accept him - otherwise, its just let them work out their own pecking order.

Fire_Fox

dearlouise wrote: »

Hopefully in a bigger place but if the sale of houses/finding new houses takes time then possible now. They do go out infrequently now as its only when I'm in the garden. I would never leave my cats outdoors for long periods of time. Yes, outside of the trays. I have 3 large trays in 3 different rooms. I don't have cover for behaviourists on insurance.

Why won't you allow them outside more frequently or for longer? You could have a microchip catflap that you set times on so that it won't let them out after a certain time, catproof the garden fencing or build a large secure run like most breeders have. Your cats seem to be displaying signs of stress being cooped up five in one house/ flat, it's not normal for them to toilet outside the tray and you have stress cystitis. Adding in another animal will likely only increase their stress levels.

Many cats don't like to share litter trays or don't like to poop and pee in the same tray and sometimes there can be 'guarding' behaviour, so it's recommended to have one tray per cat plus one extra. I appreciate six trays might take over your house/ flat but maybe try an extra one? Are you clearing up the accidents with an enzyme based product?

Gloomendoom

meritaten wrote: »

its just let them work out their own pecking order.

And there will be no prizes for guessing where the dog is likely to be on that!

meritaten

Gloomendoom wrote: »

And there will be no prizes for guessing where the dog is likely to be on that!

True - right at the bottom! but, if the dog has any sense he will be grateful to be accepted! I havent known any of my dogs best a cat - they have treated the cat as king and got on fine! even the staffie!

pawsies

I would also get cat scent into the dog's home so you can gauge his reaction/get used to it.

Also I must stress this, bring the dog in on a lead with treats. Let the CATS decide when they want to say hello, do not let dog barge up to cats and do what he wants! If it means dog stays in one room whilst cats have free range then so be it. I am a dog lover at heart but seeing people put the cat in a cage and letting said dog run over and bat the cat is horrific! I've seen a staffie tip the cage over before!

At least if you move onto neutral territory there will be no guarding, however be prepared for the cats to pack their bags for a few nights initially when there is a dog! in the house.

Good luck

dearlouise

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Why won't you allow them outside more frequently or for longer? You could have a microchip catflap that you set times on so that it won't let them out after a certain time, catproof the garden fencing or build a large secure run like most breeders have. Your cats seem to be displaying signs of stress being cooped up five in one house/ flat, it's not normal for them to toilet outside the tray and you have stress cystitis. Adding in another animal will likely only increase their stress levels.

Many cats don't like to share litter trays or don't like to poop and pee in the same tray and sometimes there can be 'guarding' behaviour, so it's recommended to have one tray per cat plus one extra. I appreciate six trays might take over your house/ flat but maybe try an extra one? Are you clearing up the accidents with an enzyme based product?

I don't let them out purely because I've had 2 cats since living in the property & both were run over within a year of having them. I do live in a 3 bed semi with a large garden. I would consider cat-proofing the garden but would worry if 'street cats' got in they wouldn't be able to get out. Meaning a different cat would be trapped in a garden with 5 of mine! I do have 3 of the largest trays available to buy. The only places left to put them would be my bedroom and the bathroom - my bedroom is a definite no, and the bathroom isn't big enough for a large tray. I clean up accidents with enzyme cleaner & use get off afterwards.

dearlouise

Thank you for the kind advice, I think we'll be exchanging blankets this weekend to introduce the smells. Then maybe next weekend we will have our first mini-visit!

Fire_Fox

dearlouise wrote: »

I don't let them out purely because I've had 2 cats since living in the property & both were run over within a year of having them. I do live in a 3 bed semi with a large garden. I would consider cat-proofing the garden but would worry if 'street cats' got in they wouldn't be able to get out. Meaning a different cat would be trapped in a garden with 5 of mine! I do have 3 of the largest trays available to buy. The only places left to put them would be my bedroom and the bathroom - my bedroom is a definite no, and the bathroom isn't big enough for a large tray. I clean up accidents with enzyme cleaner & use get off afterwards.

A completely enclosed run would prevent other cats getting it, and systems which cat proofing of the fences considers that also. I believe the risks are if there is a tree or roof very close to the fencing.

I'm a bit confused that you say you have a three bedroom house but three trays means there is a tray in all rooms except one bedroom and the bathroom? Is downstairs completely open plan? I have a litter tray in a bedroom because my last cat would rather go outside the tray than pee on top of a poop, it's not ideal but it really is not as gross as you imagine it will be. A large covered tray, good litter, grain free/ raw food and regular scooping minimises smells - you are asleep much of the time you are in the bedroom anyway and could shut the cats out if you are having 'couples time'. Or could you put a second tray in one of the rooms that already has a tray, but at the opposite end of the room? IMO it's worth if it can reduce your cats stress levels, especially given the overcrowding is causing physical health problems and behavioural problems. Cats are vulnerable when they are toileting, so you may find they won't 'go' in the same room or the next room as the dog.