Puppy and Cat

[lynyona]

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When I got Betty I was so pleased how well she got on with my cat. Betty will bark at her waiting for her to play sometimes the cat will run around the garden with her other times she wont she ll just lay there and let Betty do all the barking . This last week when My cat comes in for the night Betty as started literally flattening her to the floor and whacking her with her paw now I don't know if Betty thinks this is playing but my cat doesn't like it at all she is growling and hissing and the only way of escape for her is to jump up on top of my cooker lid. My cat is 10 now so a bit of an old lady compared to Betty but she as gotten then she wont come in on a night time I have to put her food outside for her. The problem isn't helped any by the fact that I was able to segregate the cat and puppy at a night time but I cant now as I had to take my kitchen door off because it dropped and wouldn't close. I would feed the cat and leave her in the kitchen until morning when Betty politely helped her outside lol. They will tolerate each other in the house during the day its just at night I am having this problem. I hope to get my new kitchen door soon any advice for the meantime would be very helpful

 

[JudyN]

You can get freestanding stairgates with cat flaps in - would that work? Try to ensure the cat always has a safe refuge she can get to easily - there's some random ideas here: cat home - Google Search

I'd also keep calmly removing Betty the moment she starts getting over the top with the cat, and praise/reward her for gentle interactions, and also choosing not to interact.

 

[lynyona]

You can get freestanding stairgates with cat flaps in - would that work? Try to ensure the cat always has a safe refuge she can get to easily - there's some random ideas here: cat home - Google Search

I'd also keep calmly removing Betty the moment she starts getting over the top with the cat, and praise/reward her for gentle interactions, and also choosing not to interact.

I read this on another Dog forum that I sometimes look at which made me think

Many dogs live happily alongside cats and other animals. However some breeds of dog (especially terriers) have generations of ancestry telling them to grab and kill small furry things.
A cat’s instincts are to hiss and either fight or run. Either of these behaviours is likely to wind up a dog even more.
Play between puppies and cats may look innocent, but it’s possible that it’s not actually innocent play at all, but practice for hunting and fighting. Some dogs are hard-wired to find hunting, fighting and killing very enjoyable activities. Once a dog is no longer a little puppy, the balance may change, the cats don’t like playing any more so they run, which in turn winds the dog up further so he chases and wants to grab them

Not that I don't believe this could be the case but I sometimes read things on there and think they have some strange ideas. I think it must be American based because they tend to lean a lot toward behavioural specialist and doggy psychiatrists type thing for things that you lovely people have such simple answers to which make more sense

 

[merlina]

I know that many cats and dogs live happily together- even breeds that naturally chase small furries such as a beagle (that I know of). Your puppy of course is at her most active and adventurous time in her life. So long as your cat has a safe haven things could work out. Seems to me though you just need Bob the Builder round tomorrow to put that door on! All the doggy behaviourists in the world won't be able to produce such an instant improvement as this.