Help!!

Hi everyone... I just signed up to the forum and really need some help, which is why I'm posting!

I have two wonderful 6-year-old cats. They are both rescues (we got them as kittens, abandoned) and they came together, so they've lived happily and peacefully with each other for as long as they've been with us.

The problem is, we just got a new dog that we rescued. The cats have made it clear that they HATE dogs. Hate, hate, hate. We took this dog in because otherwise she would have gone to a kill shelter and she's SO cute that I couldn't resist. I'm determined to keep her, but the cats, at this point, are not looking very forgiving. They hiss whenever the dog gets near and try to scratch (NOT declawed)/bite her, so we've kept the dog in her crate when we can't watch her and keep her away from the cats when she's not in the crate. Of course, though... I don't want to keep her in the crate forever. I want her to be able to roam free.

Some more info: The rescue dog is a 3-year-old Chihuahua, very laid-back, nervous around cats but more curious than anything. Never bites or barks (she whines a bit when in her crate but that's normal crate-training behavior). The cats have NEVER been housed with a dog for an extended period of time.

Can anyone help with some advice, tips or tricks to get my silly cats to at least tolerate my new hopefully-permanent-resident dog?

Hi there! It will take time but eventually the cats may come around. My mom adopted a cat who did not like dogs and after a month of slowly introducing her to the dogs (3 inside the house) the cat is now indifferent to the dogs. It will not be overnight, but eventually it may be possible that the cats ignore the dog.

Clip the cats' claws or put on SoftPaws. Keep the unintended meetings to a minimum.

You'd be surprised how soon the cats may accept that this new playmate is there to stay.

The good side of this is that cats always need to be the dominate party.... They's settle down....

How long has the dog been in the house? If it is still relatively new, just give it some time. We brought a cat in that hated the dogs. The second he got out of the box we brought him home in, he went after the dogs and firmly cemented himself as the alpha in the house. Every time they got near him, he hissed and scratched at them. Finally, he settled downand got used to the dogs. It just takes time.

Above all, don't let the dog chase the cats or bark at them. It will take some time but they will come around.

Thank you guys SO much for the helpful responses. We've only had the dog for a few days but I wanted to get as much advice as possible so I know what to expect going into this. Fortunately one of the cats seems to be relaxing a little bit already. He's willing to be in the same room with her (the dog is usually on my lap though) and even within a couple of feet of her. The other cat is being a bit more aggressive about things but I know that it will come with time.

Also I'm giving the cats plenty of lovings and telling them they're good boys when they approach passively.Hopefully this will all turn out the way I want it to but we all know how cats can be.

Thanks so much again.

A few weeks ago a couple came to the shelter looking to adopt a cat. Their previous cat had been over 20 years old and had gotten along very well with their two dachsunds, one of the them especially. They wanted a cat that had enough personality to stand up to the dogs, but enough of a lover to be their lap cat, too.

They finally chose Petey, a big black/white cat with enough personality for any three cats. He had been adopted twice before, and returned each time, both with no really good excuse. He was such a sweety we considered him for the job of resident shelter cat at one time.

When our cat person did follow up, they said there had been one day of WWIII, and the next day Petey was curled up with one of the dogs and playing with the other one.

So, there's always hope.

Yes, I agree that there is always hope.

How your cats react is only natural.

Don't clip their claws, nor file them.  If your new dog means no harm to them - they will not really hurt her seriously.

I agree that it might take time, because your cats need to assert themselves and make sure that new dog understands who are the bosses around.

I know of others who have cat-dog household (myself included), and cats are ALWAYS the leaders in that relationship.

Even when there is much love between cats and dogs - cats still are 'the boss'.

How is it going now?  Please post an update for us?

Here you go - there is some good information here - good luck!! http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-dogs

best of luck with your new family member! We added a dog to our family in October. Reese was about 8 months old when we adopted her and she is a shepherd mix of some sorts, but we think she has some sighthound in her. And everyone does get along well, sets on the couch together, and hangs out in the same room. What we have done is made a clear boundry for a "Dog free zone" by putting a baby gate up in our hall that gives the cats access to the bedroom where they spend 80% of their time anyways, the bathroom, hall, and office when the door is open all to their selves. We put the baby gate about 8 inches off the ground so that the cats can easily go under but the dog cannot. It also keeps the dog away from the litter box which is nice. When we are home the gate is down and Reese does not cross that doorway if we are paying attention, she has tried to sneak into the bathroom to investigate the box when we are downstairs, but now we just put the gate up if we are out of earshot. 

When we are gone and at night Reese is in her crate. She loves going to her crate at night and will run and jump in as soon as she gets back in from her last potty break. 

We have had a few swats and barks and hisses, but nothing major. The first command Reese learned was leave it and that has helped a lot. The first few months were a little touch and go, and Joey wouldnt leave the bedroom unless the dog was crated up. But after the cats realized that we wouldnt let Reese hurt them and that she was terrified of them when they hissed it got a lot better lol!