making friends?

blondrebel76

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 9, 2007
Messages
667
Purraise
1
Location
osage reservation oklahoma
Does anyone have any hints on socializing very antisocial cats to a new puppy? I brought home the new puppy today and my cats have litterally went into hiding. It took me 30 minutes to remove callie from the top of the bathroom door(roman and i both ended up bleeding), then anouther hour to get her from behind the couch then about 10 minutes to extract her from the laundry room shelf, and now she is laying on my monitor. Cupid and Boo are watching her with great interest from my bed. So far Boo has been the only one to even go near her, and that was just for about a minute, then she ran to the safty of the bed. The poor puppy is so nervous she has gas. But i need any hints that might help. I want them to be friends or at least tollerate each other???????
 

mom of 4

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 22, 2006
Messages
1,282
Purraise
12
Location
BajaOklahoma, should be 200 miles north
We put up a baby gate - pups on one side and cats on the other. Let the cats come and go as they please. Don't rush it. It can take several months for everything to settle down.

Put a leash on the pup and keep her beside you as much as possible when she isn't crated. This will help with potty training and keep her calmer.

Always greet the cats first, feed them first and give them the most attention - pack rules that the pup would normally experience and not cruel. It validates that the cats are more important.
My vet has the 2 month rule. For the first two months, the new arrival can do no right - everything is his/her fault, even when it isn't. This sets up the hierarchy in the house, with the newby on the low rung. It really works for us.
 
Top