Advice Needed Please

[Lise]

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We have just got our first whippet, a blue boy called Floyd, he is 4 months old and adorable, he travelled 3 1/2 hours home with us and was so good, he has settled in well, is playful and just started eating ( we got him on saturday), I have taken him to vet to a make sure loss of appetite wasn't a problem, vet said he's just high still and when he trusts the food was his then he'd eat, and he has.

We have a cat who is a bit moody sometimes, the pup so far is petrified of him, when he did pluck up the courage to go near cat, he went to sniff the cats back end, to which the cat turned and hissed, we have tried introducing them slowly, the dog in his crate (which he just loves, a cozy, safe, den) in the garden, the cat surprised the dog by jumping up onto the top mof the shed, and Floyd started barkinf, puppy stylee of course!!

The pup just look away from the cat now and hides on or behind me.

I have read many posts and seen many pictures of whippets and cats living in harmony in the same home, I would be so upset if I thought either or both of them were suffering, any advice please????

 

[annlouise]

We have just got our first whippet, a blue boy called Floyd, he is 4 months old and adorable, he travelled 3 1/2 hours home with us and was so good, he has settled in well, is playful and just started eating ( we got him on saturday), I have taken him to vet to a make sure loss of appetite wasn't a problem, vet said he's just high still and when he trusts the food was his then he'd eat, and he has.
We have a cat who is a bit moody sometimes, the pup so far is petrified of him, when he did pluck up the courage to go near cat, he went to sniff the cats back end, to which the cat turned and hissed, we have tried introducing them slowly, the dog in his crate (which he just loves, a cozy, safe, den) in the garden, the cat surprised the dog by jumping up onto the top mof the shed, and Floyd started barkinf, puppy stylee of course!!

The pup just look away from the cat now and hides on or behind me.

I have read many posts and seen many pictures of whippets and cats living in harmony in the same home, I would be so upset if I thought either or both of them were suffering, any advice please????

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HI

i have a whippet and 3 cats, the whippet came much later than the 3 cats, so they were well established by the time we got him.

2 of the cats dont mind him at all, the other, a female leads a totally seperate life to the dog. ie, cat in front door whippet out the back door!

my advice would be to leave them to find their own way, it seems to me that they will find their own pecking order, and, in a very short time will know exactly where they stand with each other.

getting a new pet is hard enough without making sure all current pets are happy.

dont thrust them together, but dont keep them appart, and i think you will find that they will, live in harmony together, eventually.

my whippet however, will go buserk if he sees any other cat, as tho the cats he lives with are one of him! if you get my meaning.

its amazing really, we have a whippet, 3 cats and a dragon, they all live quite happily, no falling out, and quite often play together, humans seperate all the time because they cant live in harmony! and fall out of friends!

what does that tell us?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

good luck

 

[~Helen~]

In our house, the cats are definitely "top dog" which is the way I wanted it to be because they are old and I wanted to let them live out their senior years happily. Our whippet is deferential to them, and usually they stand their ground (she won't dare go near them as she's had a few bops on the nose). I just talk gently to her and tell her she's a good girl.

However if the cats move fast, or run, she can go after them like a dose of salts - and in that instance I always tell her "No!" very loudly. I don't want her to think she can chase.

You'll find they do settle down - and might even be friends one day! It does take time, just be patient and support your whippet with gentle words so that he's not scared, and support the cat by perhaps doing the pack-pecking-order thing ie feeding the cat first at mealtimes, so that the dog sees and realises it's slightly below the cat in the pecking order :thumbsup:

I've just read this through and it reads like gobbledegook. Hope it makes some kind of sense to you :wacko:

 

[~elizabeth~]

Yes, as Helen says, whippets are usually fine with cats as they behave submissively on the whole, so just give it time. Don't worry too much if there is a bit of hissing and growling, it's just their way of communicating their status/setting boundaries. That's what I tell myself 5 3/4 years on anyway :- "

 

[Lanakeshena]

Hi Lise,

I have two cats and 5 dogs 4 are whippets, i just let them get on with it, i let them decide when they want to meet, Your cat will get used to the new smells of your pup, its just new to them at the moment, Both of my cats were here before i had a whippet, and they are so used to them now, we recently got a young pup she is only 12 weeks old, neither of my cats had ever met her before, when they saw her they just walked past and rubbed up against her, they didn't seem to be bothered at all anymore, they have seen it all before.

We take some of our dogs to my mums when we visit she too has a cat never been with dogs at all, to be honest he's quite vicious with people, but he has got used to our dogs he'll even lay in front of them, he has got used to their sent, he knows they wont bother him, it just takes them a bit of time to settle.

By the time you get your 2nd, 3rd 4th whippet, :- " your cat wont but an eyelid!!!!

Sunny

 

[dragon]

Don't worry :unsure: your cat will sone get alonge whith your puppy. I had my cat for two years before i got our first whippet. :luck:

 

[Deb]

Our dog gets on well with my two cats and treats them with respect...............

its the cats that don't get on with eath other :- " and I have to keep them apart

 

[~elizabeth~]

Our dog gets on well with my two cats and treats them with respect...............its the cats that don't get on with eath other :- "  and I have to keep them apart

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Yes, I'd be more worried about introducing a new cat into the household than a dog. Last time I did it, the new cat just lived upstairs and refused to come down for about 2 years. :wacko:

I think it's probably a good idea to make it clear that the cat is top dog - don't have the puppy on your knee if the cat would probably be there etc. I think most of the problems are actually about status rather than anything else.

Mine do a sort of knee leapfrog game; cat sits on knee, dog pushes his head onto my chest; cat gets grumpy and spits at him until he moves then she sits right up with her fur in my face so that he can't get in again :blink:

 

[Lise]

Thank you all for the advice, it's pretty much what I thought I would need to do, but I worry for the whippet as I know our cat (Greyee- embarrassing name chosen by a young cousin some years ago) is a mardy one at times and I dread to think of his claws!

I suppose I need to let nature take its cause. At the moment though the cat is virtually stalking the pup, everywhere he goes, the cat appears, places that before arrival of Floyd he wasn't even bothered about, in fact he used to just kip all the time! I am enrolling me n the dog for obedience classes... as I as well as the do need to learn a thing or two about being firm, fair and consitent with rules, commands etc, plus Floyd will experience being around other people and dogs.

I look forward to a multi animal home, where everyone is accepted!

Lise

 

[OEH]

Welcome to K9

Sounds like everything will alright- :luck:

Can we see some pictures of your puppy and cat please? :- "

 

[Zephyr]

I think the cat has got the puppy sorted out straight away - which is just how it should be!!!!

My big ginger tom gave our little eight week old pup ONE sharp slap on first meeting, and he never had to do it again - a healthy respect had been created and to this day, Zephyr would rather cross the road than walk past a cat on the pavement!!! :- "

 

[Lise]

Here are some pics, I hope they work!

Also, Floyd is 4 months, the lady who I got him from said I could probably take him out for 10 mins on walk - on a lead - he is a bit stubborn and sometimes just sits when I practice around the gaden, when can I take him out for his daily exercise 2-3 walks a day, and for how long each walk, I am aware that he is still growing and don't want to damage his developing bones.

I tried to attach pictures nut got this message:-

"The total filespace required to upload all the attached files is greater than your per post or global limit. Please reduce the number of attachments or the size of the attachments."

Any ideas!

I am just going to persevere and remain postive about Greyee and Floyd! The little blue boy is sprawled out on his bed in the garden, enjoying the sunshine, every now and again I can here him playing with his squeaky toy, we put suncream on the in laws borzois nose's (x2 boys huge and lovely) as they have fair hair and skin on their noses, what about whippets?

Lise

 

[Janimal]

Lise Hi, I have 3 cats and 2 whippets . The 3 cats are all different like people, 2 are really outgoing and the dogs can do almost anything with those 2 - but when the cats have had enough they let the dogs know and I tell the dogs off when they get too rough with them. :teehee:

My other cat Mitch will not tolerate any rough or tumble and keeps his distance from the dogs, sleeping under chairs, or high on bunk beds etc. windowledges and really spits when the dogs come near. The dogs are actually quite respectful of him :- " NOW

We have some real fun and games sometimes :rant: - but they will in time learn to live with each other in the way that suits them. :thumbsup:

Dont worry if you supervise at first.. Im sure they will eventually get along fine. :thumbsup:

 

[Janimal]

Heres Meeko and Oscar - would love to see your cats soon. :thumbsup:

 

[whippynit]

Heres Meeko and Oscar - would love to see your cats soon. :thumbsup:

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Ahhh, Meeko looks just like our cat Gough did! :wub: He sadley got knocked over by a car at christmas, he was only 4yrs. Miss him so much we still have his brother though.

 

[Janimal]

Heres Meeko and Oscar - would love to see your cats soon. :thumbsup:

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Ahhh, Meeko looks just like our cat Gough did! :wub: He sadley got knocked over by a car at christmas, he was only 4yrs. Miss him so much we still have his brother though.

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Aww sorry about that - poor Gough RIP -

Yes Meeko is a very special cat - and a peoples cat :thumbsup: