New puppy with old cat
Discussion
Evening all.
We get our new puppy (I've posted a pic on here previously) this week and we are getting anxious about the cats reaction.
Our cat is 15, very lazy, and likes to be left alone unless it suits her.
What will she make of a playful 8 week old Shihpoo?
I've read about keeping them separate for a couple of days, is this a good plan?
We get our new puppy (I've posted a pic on here previously) this week and we are getting anxious about the cats reaction.
Our cat is 15, very lazy, and likes to be left alone unless it suits her.
What will she make of a playful 8 week old Shihpoo?
I've read about keeping them separate for a couple of days, is this a good plan?
I think these comments have been rather unfair. I’ve just introduced a new puppy to my two (admittedly younger) cats and it’s gone like a dream. Your cat will find it hard and unsettling at first but give her time and things should be fine. Make sure you have lots of treats on hand for your cat, make a big fuss of her when she’s around but don’t force any meetings.
Practical things we did:
We started feeding the cats in a different rooms, separated by a pet gate. The gate has a cat flap in it so our cats could still come and go if they were curious - the puppy is still too daft to use the flap and by the time she cottons on she’ll be too big!
After a few days we allowed both parties to be more curious. This resulted in pup trying to go and say hello to one of the cats. Cat hissed a little and took a half-hearted swipe towards the puppy. This was a good thing. The puppy is now learning that cats aren’t up for playing and the cat has learned that he has the upper hand (or paw).
Cats and puppy now keep a respectful distance from each other and are increasingly taking less and less notice of each other. This has taken approximately two weeks.
Good luck and enjoy the puppy. This is our first and it’s been an amazing experience, although I won’t miss the few sleepless nights I had at the beginning settling in the puppy.
Practical things we did:
We started feeding the cats in a different rooms, separated by a pet gate. The gate has a cat flap in it so our cats could still come and go if they were curious - the puppy is still too daft to use the flap and by the time she cottons on she’ll be too big!
After a few days we allowed both parties to be more curious. This resulted in pup trying to go and say hello to one of the cats. Cat hissed a little and took a half-hearted swipe towards the puppy. This was a good thing. The puppy is now learning that cats aren’t up for playing and the cat has learned that he has the upper hand (or paw).
Cats and puppy now keep a respectful distance from each other and are increasingly taking less and less notice of each other. This has taken approximately two weeks.
Good luck and enjoy the puppy. This is our first and it’s been an amazing experience, although I won’t miss the few sleepless nights I had at the beginning settling in the puppy.
The cat needs as a minimum to have a safe puppy-free zone, that shouldn't be too difficult with your choice of puppy.
And then you just need to be very strict with any negative behaviour from the puppy.
My in laws were in a similar position, but not by design. Grandfather died and so they inherited his cat. The cat was never very tame with anyone but him, but the cat and the Jack Russell X Basset puppy kept a healthy, respectful distance.
The younger cat already in place when the puppy arrived had immense fun playing with the dog.
And then you just need to be very strict with any negative behaviour from the puppy.
My in laws were in a similar position, but not by design. Grandfather died and so they inherited his cat. The cat was never very tame with anyone but him, but the cat and the Jack Russell X Basset puppy kept a healthy, respectful distance.
The younger cat already in place when the puppy arrived had immense fun playing with the dog.
Evanivitch said:
The cat needs as a minimum to have a safe puppy-free zone, that shouldn't be too difficult with your choice of puppy.
This is really important. The cat must know that it has somewhere she can retreat to. In younger cats this usually means higher places but your old girl may be a bit too creaky to jump very high - apologies to her if she’s still out and about leaping around and mouse catching. As I said in my earlier post a pet gate is perfect for sectioning off rooms and allowing a cat to feel safe. I have been through this several times over the years and as long as you follow the advice suggested re how to do it carefully, there is no reason why this shouldn't be ok.
Tbh your cat will prob accept the puppy in time better than if you were introducing a kitten.
I would highly recommend a product called Pet Remedy as a plug in as it will be useful in reducing stress both to your cat and pup
I also suspect your cat will tell pup in no uncertain terms to get lost if proving too much so just be careful that your cat doesn't injure pup especially around the eyes
This may be useful
https://icatcare.org/advice/introducing-a-cat-or-k...
Tbh your cat will prob accept the puppy in time better than if you were introducing a kitten.
I would highly recommend a product called Pet Remedy as a plug in as it will be useful in reducing stress both to your cat and pup
I also suspect your cat will tell pup in no uncertain terms to get lost if proving too much so just be careful that your cat doesn't injure pup especially around the eyes
This may be useful
https://icatcare.org/advice/introducing-a-cat-or-k...
bexVN said:
I have been through this several times over the years and as long as you follow the advice suggested re how to do it carefully, there is no reason why this shouldn't be ok.
Tbh your cat will prob accept the puppy in time better than if you were introducing a kitten.
I would highly recommend a product called Pet Remedy as a plug in as it will be useful in reducing stress both to your cat and pup
I also suspect your cat will tell pup in no uncertain terms to get lost if proving too much so just be careful that your cat doesn't injure pup especially around the eyes
This may be useful
https://icatcare.org/advice/introducing-a-cat-or-k...
Thanks mate.Tbh your cat will prob accept the puppy in time better than if you were introducing a kitten.
I would highly recommend a product called Pet Remedy as a plug in as it will be useful in reducing stress both to your cat and pup
I also suspect your cat will tell pup in no uncertain terms to get lost if proving too much so just be careful that your cat doesn't injure pup especially around the eyes
This may be useful
https://icatcare.org/advice/introducing-a-cat-or-k...
bexVN said:
tbh your cat will prob accept the puppy in time better than if you were introducing a kitten.
They stay as far away from each other as possible for the last 5 years. And now one of them is getting even older and grumpier, it's been taken to a whole new level of hissing and growls.
Evanivitch said:
bexVN said:
tbh your cat will prob accept the puppy in time better than if you were introducing a kitten.
They stay as far away from each other as possible for the last 5 years. And now one of them is getting even older and grumpier, it's been taken to a whole new level of hissing and growls.
And, well, any excuse to share some pics of these guys.
Bryn & Lucy. Lucy was 9 when we got Bryn as a puppy.
And Mabel & Lucy. Lucy was 11 this time and Mabel was a very hyper 8 month old. As you can see she is generally very respectful of Lucy
I could go on re the various cats and dogs of different ages that I have introduced to each other over the years but I will leave it there
Bryn & Lucy. Lucy was 9 when we got Bryn as a puppy.
And Mabel & Lucy. Lucy was 11 this time and Mabel was a very hyper 8 month old. As you can see she is generally very respectful of Lucy
I could go on re the various cats and dogs of different ages that I have introduced to each other over the years but I will leave it there
WAVman said:
Just to end this one on a happy note, the puppy has settled into our home seamlessly, and I can honestly say the cat is less than bothered.
She glances at the puppy in passing but just gets on with her life as in the days before puppy.
Doom and gloom merchants on here!
Great news! Thanks for letting us know. I found one of our cats sharing the sofa with our new pup earlier today. Cats can be surprisingly adaptable. She glances at the puppy in passing but just gets on with her life as in the days before puppy.
Doom and gloom merchants on here!
WAVman said:
Just to end this one on a happy note, the puppy has settled into our home seamlessly, and I can honestly say the cat is less than bothered.
She glances at the puppy in passing but just gets on with her life as in the days before puppy.
Doom and gloom merchants on here!
Good news. She glances at the puppy in passing but just gets on with her life as in the days before puppy.
Doom and gloom merchants on here!
I was about to post... In my experience the pup will either get a tap on the nose or the cat will get out of the way, or they will ignore each other as the pup will find an oap a bit dull!
WAVman said:
Just to end this one on a happy note, the puppy has settled into our home seamlessly, and I can honestly say the cat is less than bothered.
She glances at the puppy in passing but just gets on with her life as in the days before puppy.
Doom and gloom merchants on here!
Not all of us were! She glances at the puppy in passing but just gets on with her life as in the days before puppy.
Doom and gloom merchants on here!
Glad it has gone well so far, all sounds promising for the long term, which is great and as I had hoped/ expected.
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