Sorry for the long post, but I thought I should give some background info...
We got Isis (black lab puppy, now 4 months old) about 2 months ago. My cats, Tulip and Pansy are 6 years old. We have a 4 level split house and the cats have the entire bottom basement to themselves. Their litter boxes, toys, food and water is all down there (the basement is quite large so their boxes are nowhere near their food). We cut a small hole in the door to the basement so that even if Isis goes down to the family room, she can't get into the basement, but the cats can come and go as they please.
We put a baby gate up most of the time so the cats can go in the family room as well as the basement and Isis is confined to the main floor and upstairs.
Tulip likes to come to the top of the stairs and sit on one side of the baby gate. Isis will sit on the other side and they'll stare at eachother. Pansy occassionally comes up to the gate but hisses and runs away as soon as she sees Isis.
Once in a while, we take the gate down and Tulip will come upstairs. As soon as Isis sees her, she will run towards her and Tulip will hiss, swat and run away.
So my question is, are they ever going to tolerate eachother? Should I break them up when Isis chases Tulip or just let it happen? I'm mostly afraid that Tulip will get Isis in the face with a claw, I've heard stories about this happening and then the cut getting infected.
I miss my cats
(though I try to go down and play with them and cuddle, it's hard to do with a 4 month old puppy upstairs). Will they ever all live in harmony??? 
We got Isis (black lab puppy, now 4 months old) about 2 months ago. My cats, Tulip and Pansy are 6 years old. We have a 4 level split house and the cats have the entire bottom basement to themselves. Their litter boxes, toys, food and water is all down there (the basement is quite large so their boxes are nowhere near their food). We cut a small hole in the door to the basement so that even if Isis goes down to the family room, she can't get into the basement, but the cats can come and go as they please.
We put a baby gate up most of the time so the cats can go in the family room as well as the basement and Isis is confined to the main floor and upstairs.
Tulip likes to come to the top of the stairs and sit on one side of the baby gate. Isis will sit on the other side and they'll stare at eachother. Pansy occassionally comes up to the gate but hisses and runs away as soon as she sees Isis.
Once in a while, we take the gate down and Tulip will come upstairs. As soon as Isis sees her, she will run towards her and Tulip will hiss, swat and run away.
So my question is, are they ever going to tolerate eachother? Should I break them up when Isis chases Tulip or just let it happen? I'm mostly afraid that Tulip will get Isis in the face with a claw, I've heard stories about this happening and then the cut getting infected.
I miss my cats
(though I try to go down and play with them and cuddle, it's hard to do with a 4 month old puppy upstairs). Will they ever all live in harmony??? 
