can cat and dog get along?

I've read so many posts by others on various topics and found much of the information helpful. This is my first post and I hope that I will get good feedback (and I also hope that this is the right forum for this topic).

My cat is 2yrs old now and we got a lab puppy who is now about 5 months old (we've had the puppy since she was 2 months). The problem is I'm not sure if they get along or not. I can't tell if they are playing or not. Isabelle is the puppy and I know she wants only to play with Cosi (the cat). I can see that because of her "bow" position everytime she approaches Cosi. Of course Cosi doesn't understand and will either swat at Isabelle, hiss, or growl. She will often times run away with Isabelle following.

What can I do to make sure that Cosi understands that Isabelle just wants to play and have fun? What can I do to help Cosi learn to get along? How should I teach them to like one another?

Any help would be appreciated!

As long as the puppy is raised with the cat, they should be fine. My parents have a dog and 5 cats. The puppy was raised with the cats and they all get along just fine. .

My dog is 7 years old. We have had him ever since he was 10 weeks old. He stays in the basement. If I got a cat, would it instinctively stay out of the basement, or should I keep the door shut all the time? Or should I try to introduce them?

You should try to introduce them. Do it very slowly and remember, patience is a virtue! Let them see each other first, then if they're both relatively calm, let them smell each other. It will take time for them to get used to each other. In the end, they will either get along or they won't.

If they dont get along, could I just leave the door shut all the time? Or would the cat not go down there on its own?

How long does it take for the two to get along? I guess 3 months isn't enough time? Should I let the two chase each other? When do I stop the two from playing/fighting?

We have two puppies, and 5 resident adult cats..4 8 week old kittens and three one week old kittens. and we had two kittens that have gone to new homes.

They all get along ok. The puppies of course want to play, and are reminded to "LEAVE IT" as we say with the young kittens. They hiss and spit and sometimes play but we have to be carefull as they are so little.

The big kitties. at this point want very little to do with the dogs..part of it is because they simply do not wish to play with the canines. for the most part the dogs stay in the kitchen..they are to rowdy at this point to have run of the house. Its a large kitchen and they do come in the bedroom when supervised. But right now the living room is off limits and that is the cats area.

But we dont have any major issues. Just some leave me alone snarling, and some I wanna play barking, lol and it passes

Originally Posted by Kathryn9

My dog is 7 years old. We have had him ever since he was 10 weeks old. He stays in the basement. If I got a cat, would it instinctively stay out of the basement, or should I keep the door shut all the time? Or should I try to introduce them?

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Aww, Poor doggy. I had a cousin who kept her dog in the basement, and she finally thank GOD got rid of it to go to a good home. That dog hardly ever saw the light of day or humans much less. She wanted so badly to come up and be with her family, but she was always shut down there. It broke my heart and I still cry from time to time thinking of her. Her name is HUGGS of all names. Hugs are something she never got! As a result she was totally innapropriate around humans, completely undisciplined and crazy.

I hope your dog has a better life than Huggs did. It kills me to hear when people keep their dogs in the basement. I would try to integrate them for both their sakes.

mine always have .. so far five gos and five cats at different times... raise them together

My dog was 9 months old when I adopted him, he's 4 now.
He's terrified of cats, but wants badly to play with them, he's also very protective of 'his' cats.
Other cats he sees he generally pays no attention to, unless they run, which of course triggers his prey drive.
The cats of course are all used to being around dogs, so they don't run.
He's a bit hyper and when he gets out of line, a cat smacking him on the nose usually keeps him in line for several months.

Originally Posted by SimmyandNunny

Aww,

Poor doggy. I had a cousin who kept her dog in the basement, and she finally thank GOD got rid of it to go to a good home. That dog hardly ever saw the light of day or humans much less. She wanted so badly to come up and be with her family, but she was always shut down there. It broke my heart and I still cry from time to time thinking of her. Her name is HUGGS of all names. Hugs are something she never got! As a result she was totally innapropriate around humans, completely undisciplined and crazy.

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That's discusting! i'm sorry, but if you have a dog it is at part of the family or at least treated with love, why on earth would anyone get a dog to keep it in the basement?? not only is that cruel but the poor dog must have had a terrible and boring life.

iv'e never heard of anyone keeping their dog in a basement and if i did i'd call the rspca, my pup is part of our family or we are her new pack and she loves being with us sooooo much, she watches telly with me and gives me cuddles in the morning, if you are going to lock your dog away, you shouldn't have one.



ok, i'll get off my soap box now...damn that makes me mad, probaly because iv'e seen heaps of cases of dogs being left in basements on the aspca on fox and none of them were happy, dogs need love



love,

felicia

Thank you for your support! She got rid of "HUGGS" as a result of my threat to call the spca. Consiquently, I don't speak to her anymore. How awkward to have been put in that situation. And how many tears have i shed over that dog. I wasn't around for the majority, but i learned that dog was in her basement for five years.

I have huge resentments toward her. I think one must have a cruel streak or a blind spot in their heart to be able to do that. I've told my fiance many times, i would feel like Jeffery Domer to keep an animal locked in my basement like that. What a dark and evil thing to do.

And this is my cousin who i grew up with! Anyway, justice was served. On the day she was looking for someone to go with her to the shelter, she couldn't find a soul. She had to do it all by herself, and she cried. She had some emotion toward the poor thing. The excuse she kept using for why she couldn't get rid of it, was it was her daughter's dog. ::GAG:: Give me a break.

Dogs in particular NEED companionship of their owners so badly. They need so badly to be integrated into their families lives. They don't do well with isolation.

Anyway, I appreciate your voicing your feelings on the matter. It makes me feel better to know I'm not alone. It just wrentches my soul to hear things like that.

God bless you for your sensitivity toward animals.

Originally Posted by pandybear

That's discusting!

i'm sorry, but if you have a dog it is at part of the family or at least treated with love, why on earth would anyone get a dog to keep it in the basement?? not only is that cruel but the poor dog must have had a terrible and boring life.

iv'e never heard of anyone keeping their dog in a basement and if i did i'd call the rspca, my pup is part of our family or we are her new pack

and she loves being with us sooooo much, she watches telly with me and gives me cuddles in the morning, if you are going to lock your dog away, you shouldn't have one.

ok, i'll get off my soap box now...damn that makes me mad, probaly because iv'e seen heaps of cases of dogs being left in basements on the aspca on fox and none of them were happy, dogs need love

love,

felicia

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I had 3 adult dogs that HATED cats when I got my first kitten. I slowly introduced them and with in a couple months the 10 week old kitten (Princess) controlled the dogs. One of the dogs (Snickers) loved to play with Princess and the other pretty much stayed clear of her. Within 2-3 months I had to protect Snickers from Princess.
Snickers even started to watch out for Princess and Patsy. Princess unlocked the door and let herself out and Snickers came and got me from the garden to let me know Princess escaped. Snickers still hated any other cat he seen but him and Princess were the best of friends.

Originally Posted by SimmyandNunny

Thank you for your support! She got rid of "HUGGS" as a result of my threat to call the spca. Consiquently, I don't speak to her anymore. How awkward to have been put in that situation. And how many tears have i shed over that dog. I wasn't around for the majority, but i learned that dog was in her basement for five years.

I have huge resentments toward her. I think one must have a cruel streak or a blind spot in their heart to be able to do that. I've told my fiance many times, i would feel like Jeffery Domer to keep an animal locked in my basement like that. What a dark and evil thing to do.

And this is my cousin who i grew up with!

Anyway, justice was served. On the day she was looking for someone to go with her to the shelter, she couldn't find a soul. She had to do it all by herself, and she cried. She had some emotion toward the poor thing. The excuse she kept using for why she couldn't get rid of it, was it was her daughter's dog. ::GAG:: Give me a break.

Dogs in particular NEED companionship of their owners so badly. They need so badly to be integrated into their families lives. They don't do well with isolation.

Anyway, I appreciate your voicing your feelings on the matter. It makes me feel better to know I'm not alone. It just wrentches my soul to hear things like that.

God bless you for your sensitivity toward animals.

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It must have been hard to know what was happening to the poor dog but harder still because it was a relative doing it, i think it took courage to report her and stand by your feelings, i just know hugs will be a lot happier for it.

my auntie is always buying new animals, everyone says she's an animal lover yet when she gets sick of one she has it put to sleep some people just shouldn't be allowed to have pets, a close friend of mine had to beautiful husky's, one day they got out one of them ate a neihboors chicken, so she put them both to sleep and these were dogs she 'loved' hate to see how she treats one's she doesn't like

her sister is simular and had a lovely horse put to sleep just because it threw her off once.

a week is a long time for a dog to be locked alone let alone five years and i can not even begin to imagine the torment and sorrow it went through during this period, it must have felt so neglected and lonely .

you are so right about dogs and companionship, dogs are pack animals and in the wild live, sleep, hunt, eat, play and socialise with their pack members, they need this to flourish, to be happy, when you bring a puppy into your home you become it's new pack, it looks up to you, adores you and wants more than anything to be with you that is one of the reasons keeping a dog locked away in a basement of all places is extremely cruel.

my puppy anassa is a very loved member of our mixed pack, two people, two cats and one dog , she plays with one of the cats, pandy and even sleeps next to her, she loves both my Husband and i and is with me all day except when she wants time outside alone or is asleep, her favorite thing to do is curl up on the sofa bed with me and watch telly while cuddling her favorite toy, a stuffed pooh bear with a night cap and gown. She also loves to wrestle and she sleeps on the end of the bed, she does snore and has pretty vivid dreams sometimes which involves her legs moving like she's running and sometimes a whimper or a bark

i guess i just don't get the mindset of someone who can treat a dog or a cat so coldly, i love all my furry babies soooo much!




love,

felicia

my apologies to the original poster for getting off topic.

with cats and dogs getting along, iv'e never had experience with an older cat and dog not raised together so i don't really know how you would teach them to get along.

pandy was still young when i first introduced anassa to her and bonnie and pandy wanted to play with her straight away, they play chasey together, clean each other, sleep together and play fight but bonnie really doesn't like anassa at all, she scratches her and hisses, the only time she will get close is when anassa is asleep, then she will sneak over and sniff her but if she wakes up bonnie will hiss again

pandy will clean nass when they are resting together then shake her head and pull a face like she tasted something bad, she musn't mind though, she keeps doing it




love,

felicia

Originally Posted by SimmyandNunny

Aww,

Poor doggy. I had a cousin who kept her dog in the basement, and she finally thank GOD got rid of it to go to a good home. That dog hardly ever saw the light of day or humans much less. She wanted so badly to come up and be with her family, but she was always shut down there. It broke my heart and I still cry from time to time thinking of her. Her name is HUGGS of all names. Hugs are something she never got! As a result she was totally innapropriate around humans, completely undisciplined and crazy.

I hope your dog has a better life than Huggs did. It kills me to hear when people keep their dogs in the basement. I would try to integrate them for both their sakes.

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Our basement is fully finished. He has lots of toys. He has a huge backyard to play in. We are downstairs often. He is perfectly happy and well trained, and has never shown any desire to leave the basement, he is perfectly happy.

Honestly there is nothing wrong with how we keep our dog. Please dont think that I dont love him.

Originally Posted by Kathryn9

Our basement is fully finished. He has lots of toys. He has a huge backyard to play in. We are downstairs often. He is perfectly happy and well trained, and has never shown any desire to leave the basement, he is perfectly happy.

Honestly there is nothing wrong with how we keep our dog. Please dont think that I dont love him.

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I don't, just hearing a dog living in the basement brought back bad memories, lol and TONS of baggage as you can see! If you go down there with your dog, WONDERFUL! See, my cousin never did. I'm so glad to hear she gets sunlight too! I'm sure your dog lives nothing like my cousin's dog did. Huggs also lived among her poop and pee, it smelled horrible down there.

Thanks for loving your dog and I'm sorry if it sounded like I was making you out to be like my cousin. I wasn't!!!

In my experience, an adult cat has little tolerance for a rambunctious puppy until it is older and has more self control. My Stumpy absolutely LOVES dogs. He grew up with 5 and they all crossed 1 by 1 from old age/disease. We were dogless for 1 year and adopted 2 puppies. At first Stumpy was happy as can be until he realized that they weren't the controlled adults he grew up with. Now that the pups are 18 months old and calmer, you can't keep them apart. Here is Stumpy giving a head butt to Sam:



My advice: make sure the cat has a lot of space in the house where she doesn't need to interact with the puppy, and give the puppy has lots of toys to play with. In time, once the pup settles down, the cat won't be so annoyed with her and they can bond. Take the puppy to obedience training and make sure she understands her limits with the cat. My dogs are at a point that they defer to the cats (don't disturb them while sleeping, leave their toys alone, let them eat without interferance).