good god~! new cat & old cat & old dog to much hate!~

chausiefan

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Hello

As I have mentioned in other posts I have recently got a new 10 month old calico kitten from a barn. I have a current 11 year old male living in the house right now sometimes he will hiss at her and swat her but his swats have no power behind them they are like gentle taps does not seem like hes trying to hurt her at all and she is not scared of him. IM guessing they will be friends really soon specially after what happened today.


I introduced my dog to the new kitten for the first time my dog was SUprisingly calm looked like he just wanted to sniff her no barking or snapping (like he has done with other cats in the past) Anyways she was totally puffed up ready to spit and swat at him.


ANyways my older male cat who has lived with my dog in the same HOUSE SINCE HE WAS A PUPPY tthats 3 years was watching the whole thing and then this is where it gets strange. MY male cat started howling like that howl tom cats give each other before they get into a fight. Well both cats moved closer to each other and then my male cat JUMPED ON MY DOGS BACK and attempted to take him out! IT WAS insane! My dog responded by growling and snapping and NEITHER cats ran off both cats and dog remained in the same spot while OF COURSE I got in the middle of them all. IT seemed like my current cat is teaching my new kitten to attack/hate/torture the dog. IS that whats really going on? I NEVER KNEW CATS DID THIS!


Anyways my situation is really hard to deal with because i dont know who to blame both species should be blamed?

Both should be deciplined? BOTH are at fault so i dont know what to do its so confusing.


MY Dog is who created this mess he never respected my older cat while growing up and in turn my cat has a secrete HATE For my dog. Some days my cat will ignore my dog other days he will swat at my dog you can tell that deep down he just wants the dog to roll over and die.

I can tell my dog hates the cat to and always has. HE HATES ALL CATS and other animal species and will go after attack them if he gets a chance BUT NEVER my own pets he knows much better HEs taught to leave all pets alone and never dare get agressive! so usually he just ignores the cat but once in a while he will provoke my cat into getting mad by going up to the cats face and sniffing him or by being all hyper around the cat jumping around my dog is 85 pounds so when he jumps around like a moose my cat gets pissed because hes not respecting his space.

But the dog is not the ONLY ONE TO blame my older cat has attacked my dog or gone after my dog when my dog has done NOTHING wrong like for example my dog will be walking he wont even know that the cat is behind the door the cat will come out of no where claws extended and will try and get a cheap shot (sucker punch in) and try and nail my dog when hes not on guard. AND NO THis cat is not playing i know what playing is and this cat is REALLY serious in his attempt to hurt the dog. GOd this situation is so confusing because BOTH animals are responsible!

The dog breed is a male german shepherd of almost 3 years old now and he has lived with my male cat his whole life aand been around cats since he was born!
 

beckiboo

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IMHO, you should just be sure the kitties always have an out from the dog. Like when I would have a new foster loose in the house, I would block the dog from the bedrooms, but leave the cats able to go into them. A baby gate works good for this, attached up about 6 inches off the floor, so kitty can go under it. Or my dog is very obedient, and I can lay a chair on its side in doorways to keep her out, but let the kitties in.

My last foster CoCo attacked my dog...this is the second cat I ever saw attack my almost 80 lb akita. She just shakes her head and backs away, to try to get them off. She acts somewhat aggressive in other ways, but just in letting them know she is boss. So if they knock food off the table, she will eat it, etc.

If what you explained happened, I would admonish the dog that he was bad. I never want my dog being aggressive towards my cats, even if she is attacked first. While a cat could hurt my dog a little, my dog could easily kill my cat. She needs to know that aggression towards cats is WRONG. Dogs look to humans as their leaders, so if the dog is not shamed or punished for aggression, he may think it is ok.

Disciplining cats is tricky at best. Maybe shut them in separate rooms for 30 minutes, and say, "No" firmly. But basically, cats do as they wish.

I do not think your kitty was trying to kill the dog, or trying to teach the kitten to attack. I think the cat was simply stressed by adding the new kitty to the home, and lashed out.

You can help the kitty feel more comfortable by making sure he is topcat in the home. Give him lots of high perches to jump up to. Make sure there is no competition over food, either with the kitten or the dog.
 

katl8e

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I've always had an "out" for the cats. Before the dogs come in, I put a baby gate across the hall door. The cats have the bedrooms and bathroom and the dogs have the living room and kitchen.

My male cats do not like dogs and avoid them, while Rowdy engages in wrestling matches.
 

jcribbs

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I can totally relate to this. I have three dogs and 12 cats. The dogs love the cats while in the house or front yard. They sleep together and eat together since I have several cats who LOVE dog food. But the back yard is their territory and the cats have learned to stay out of the fenced area. In my laundry area, my husband built a fence that latches but it is not solid. The cats and come and go as they please through the laundry area. They also have shelves back there in the laundry area for "just in case"...
 
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chausiefan

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hello

i really think my old male cat is the problem today my dog was minding his own business he did not even make EYE contact with the cat. As i was saying my dog was walking by the bathroom minding his own business and i saw my older cat sneak up behind him ready to nail him from the back i had to jump in the middle the dog did not even have any idea that the cat was going to nail him for no aparent reason. The good thing is the new kitten is starting to get more and more use to the dog.
 
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