Pregnant Stray Help

Hi all! I found this site a few days ago looking for help with our recently rescued stray cat, Penelope.  She's very sweet, I'm certain she was someones cat before because when we found her she just sat there looking at us and our dog, then we fed her some fish and she let us touch her. So fast forward, it's been almost a week since we took her in and she's very happy and comfortable. She loves attention and snuggles and being carried around.  She's due to have kittens any day now, based on all the pregnant cat information I found here. My question is, she doesn't seem to like dogs. A person told us they saw her swipe at a pitbull wehn she was homeless, and she seems interested in our chihuahua, but she'll run up to her hissing and batting/scratching at our poor baby. I can't be sure if it's because she's pregnant or if she really just doesn't like dogs. Currently she lives in our bathroom and I let her out when I let my dog outside, or I'll send my dog under the bed (she lives under there sometimes) and bring her out to cuddle and get some time out of the bathroom, but when her kittens come the bathroom is going to be way too small and I don't know how to help her relax with our dog. They seem to want to look for each other, and last night Penelope got out of the bathroom but she just went to the closet to find a nesting space and it was the first time she didn't attack Miya (our dog).

A bit of advice on what we should do would be helpful. We could put a baby gate up to keep our dog in a different room when the kittens come, but Penelope will probably just jump over it. We also have decided that we will likely keep the whole bunch because we're currently looking to buy a house with acreage and they would have plenty of space, but if that doesn't work out in a decent amount of time we'll have to let them go and I'm torn between keeping a kitten or keeping Penelope because she's really nice and I love her but I don't feel like constantly supervising her with our dog and I don't want our dog to be afraid of cats because she only just learned what they are. Thanks a bunch

weheartpenelope said:

 
Hi all! I found this site a few days ago looking for help with our recently rescued stray cat, Penelope.  She's very sweet, I'm certain she was someones cat before because when we found her she just sat there looking at us and our dog, then we fed her some fish and she let us touch her. So fast forward, it's been almost a week since we took her in and she's very happy and comfortable. She loves attention and snuggles and being carried around.  She's due to have kittens any day now, based on all the pregnant cat information I found here. My question is, she doesn't seem to like dogs. A person told us they saw her swipe at a pitbull wehn she was homeless, and she seems interested in our chihuahua, but she'll run up to her hissing and batting/scratching at our poor baby. I can't be sure if it's because she's pregnant or if she really just doesn't like dogs. Currently she lives in our bathroom and I let her out when I let my dog outside, or I'll send my dog under the bed (she lives under there sometimes) and bring her out to cuddle and get some time out of the bathroom, but when her kittens come the bathroom is going to be way too small and I don't know how to help her relax with our dog. They seem to want to look for each other, and last night Penelope got out of the bathroom but she just went to the closet to find a nesting space and it was the first time she didn't attack Miya (our dog).

A bit of advice on what we should do would be helpful. We could put a baby gate up to keep our dog in a different room when the kittens come, but Penelope will probably just jump over it. We also have decided that we will likely keep the whole bunch because we're currently looking to buy a house with acreage and they would have plenty of space, but if that doesn't work out in a decent amount of time we'll have to let them go and I'm torn between keeping a kitten or keeping Penelope because she's really nice and I love her but I don't feel like constantly supervising her with our dog and I don't want our dog to be afraid of cats because she only just learned what they are. Thanks a bunch

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I agree with you, she is surely dumped, or got astray.  No semiferal, for sure...

Re the problem with dogs.   As you say, being homeless she learned dogs are usually enemies.   And now being high preg, she gets into a protective mode...  Which may be even stronger when the kittens are born.

So the question is, if you shall try to let them be pals already now.   Or wait till the kittens are delivered and weaned.

Both solutions are common.

Her hissing and swatting is probably not so bad as it sounds.   If she were really aggressive against him, she would run as a devil after him. Physically he is no match for her, if she could held a pitbull at bay...   So this may even be some sort of dominance thing, to show him who is the fourlegged master here, and who is a mere humble number two...

THAT solution is in fact common in households with both a cat and a dog...

Let the dog be sure he is loved and protected, but let him be in the bottom of the ladder, that is the trick...

So, I think, work visually.  Let her see you love the dog, and let her know you love her.

And vice versa...  Encourage them and praise with voice every time they are friendly, or at least neutral, to each other...  Not least her...

As she has already bonded to you, and is eager to please herself in, she will surely listen to your voices and praise...

Is it possible you engage both of them in the same play?  That is often an useful  trick...

Anyways, your idea with a baby gate or netted in door, is sound, and worth a try if they dont get pals soon, by "natural development".

Some thoughts.  I hope others will fill in.

Tx for caring!

Good luck!

Thanks StefanZ for your reply! Actually, I forgot to mention, Penelope really doesn't seem to be hurting Miya. She'll watch her intently, and slowly walk towards her for a bit, but then she'll just suddenly run up and swat her, but I don't think she's scratching Miya at all, because I haven't seen blood. Miya is also seemingly not really afraid of her, she just doesn't want to be beat up on lo, she's a really loving and chill dog, and she's the same size as Penelope (she's a chihuahua). They really do sniff around looking for one another, and I have sat down with them and done exactly as you have suggested, and Penelope seems more relaxed if I hold her and she's sees Miya. No struggling to get at her, no hissing or growling, she just lays in my arms and looks at her. She even seems comfortable as long as she is in close proximity to me, and I keep Miya at a bit of a distance, while petting them both and praising them and the like. It's when my back is turned that it goes downhill, and that's why I think she's just doing it because she's pregnant. I'm thinking, as you said, she's just trying to establish herself here in a new environment and maybe letting Miya know she's not really comfortable. I am somewhat confident that when the babies are born and weaned she will relax a lot more. She seems to really want to love us all, she's very gentle with her claws with me I've noticed, she even nips gently, she never hisses or gets defensive (I rub her belly and it's been getting uncomfortable so she's starting to not like it all the time so she'll push me away with her feet but never scratch). She seems genuinely curious and interested in Miya, I think she WANTS to be friends and has maybe forgotten how to interact with dogs since being homeless (I imagine she's familiar with them, as when we found her, she never once tried to attack Miya, and she was running around off leash, literally right where Penelope could've easily gotten to her).

I'm going to wait until the babies come because she's so close to giving birth I don't want to stress her out. She seems happy enough to live in the bathroom and eat and sleep as long as she gets some attention and a bit of time to walk around the apartment. I'm going to try the baby gate when the babies come and move her to a different room and I think she won't be so interested in jumping over it with newborns to look after. I talk to her ALL the time, and she likes it a lot, she cuddles me and purrs and seems very attentive and appreciative so I'm hoping we can make it work.

Also, do cats tend to warm up more if they see that the dog likes their kittens? I know Miya is going to LOVE having kittens to play with, and I'm wondering if this will make Penelope more receptive to being friends.