please help! Cat with feline herpes new pup

[sadie333]

Hi there! I hope you can help. I have two cats, each 3 1/2 years old. I am about to get a goldendoodle pup but am very worried about one of my cats. He has feline herpes and I am afraid of a relapse. He has been great for approx. 2 years. I will by giving him some l-lysine before the pup comes to strengthen his immune system.. My husband and I really want a dog, but not at the expense of my cat's health. Has anyone had this experience? Do you think the cat will be okay? My other cat is fairly shy and I am also concerned about her. I love my babies and want to make the right decision. If they will be very stressed and won't adjust, then I will not purchase the pup.
I am willing to take all of the precautions (crate the dog, leash her to my waist, introduce slowly...)
Any advice is MUCH appreciated

 

[momofmany]

That's good that you understand that stress can bring on physical illnesses in cats. I applaud you for thinking about your cats first here.

Here's the honest truth about adopting a puppy into a household of cats that never lived with dogs. Puppies are rambunctious. They were raised with their littermates and they played very hard with them. When they are taken away from their siblings and meet other animals about their size (like cats), they continue to try to play with them like they did with their siblings. Cats that never lived with dogs before usually don't like that very much.

When I last adopted my current dogs as puppies, some of my cats at the time never lived with dogs before. I brought 1 puppy into the house and those cats HATED the puppy. After a few weeks of torture, I adopted that puppies littermate and the 2 of them played together and left the cats alone. The stress immediately dropped in the house.

If you know that stress will trigger feline herpes in your cat, there is a very good chance that adopting a puppy will trigger a relapse.

 

[sadie333]

Thanks for your input. I decided not to get a dog. My cat's health means much more to me. I am sad to not get a dog, but maybe one day

Thanks again..