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New puppy, 6 year old cat

post #1 of 4
1/7/10 at 7:10pm
Thread Starter 
We have a 6 year old cat we adopted from a shelter 3 years ago. She has been a wonderful addition to the family. She gets along fabulous with our other dog(s). We had 2 dogs when we got her, one had to be put to sleep in '08. Two weeks ago we got a chihauhua puppy. The puppy is now about 12 weeks old. Aumi (cat) acts like she wants to play, laying in the floor and swatting at Chloe (puppy). Aumi is NOT declawed. Most of the time when swatting at her she does NOT have her claws out. Other times she acts like she is on the hunt, and she will pounce and chase Chloe, and swat WITH claws OUT. The cat is at least 3 times the size of the puppy. She has not hurt her yet, but it worries me she might. Is she hunting her, like she might a mouse or squirrel? Or is she playing? How can I tell?
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post #2 of 4
1/7/10 at 8:46pm
How big are your other dogs and have you seen this type of behavior towards them? What you've described sounds like play, but you might tell us more about her exact behavior - what is the rest of her body language? Position of ears and tail? General posture?

I'm not sure I will have advice - I've had puppies with adult cats but my puppies, even at 8 weeks old, were already bigger than the cats.
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post #3 of 4
1/7/10 at 10:17pm
I had a 13 week old 4.5 lb Bichon puppy I "inherited" about 2 years ago. She was half the size of my cats.

I had to watch them very closely, as she did obtain several cat-related injuries because of the size difference, and the fact that my cats have claws. I would deter the cats when they started to get too rough with her by shaking a treat bag, which got them to come running, and giving them treats. After that, a cat must bathe!

I did keep the dog away from the cats when I wasn't able to supervise, which for most puppies is a must for safety. I couldn't crate this dog, because she came from a "bad place" which kept her in a rabbit hutch until she was 12 weeks old, but did keep her in a room separate form the cats.
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post #4 of 4
1/11/10 at 8:14pm
Thread Starter 
Sometimes the cat seems to be "hunting"....crouched low, intense, ears back with some hair on back up, and pouncing out at the pup. Most times she lays in front of or on a toy the pup was playing with, and swats towards the pup as she rolls around on the floor. Usually when she swats at her she does not have out claws, but sometimes she does.

We have had the pup since 12/23 at 8 weeks old. The puppy is now about 10-11 weeks old and probably not 2 pounds (chihuahua). The cat is probably about 17 pounds (yes, I know she has a weight problem, that's another forum...lol). Our other dog is a Shih Tzu (also with a weight problem....about 30 pounds...she was already a big Shih Tzu...she probably should weigh about 17-19 pounds).

Recently when the cat does swat the puppy directly, the Shih Tzu has raced up to it as if to say "Do it again and see what happens." Then the cat slinks away. The cat won't mess with the Shih Tzu, even playing. So this behavior with the puppy is something I am not sure about. I think she is playing, but we are careful to watch and seperate them when we are not home.
Thanks for any advice.
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