cat and dog problem on the horizon

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DSI - 01 Jun 2004 00:00 GMT

it seems that were about to inherit a dog that we promised to take care
f -not that i mind, but the cat we now have does at this point. this will
be our 2nd dog, shes a minature dobie. anyhow, we brought her home the other
day and the cat freaked. she was quite upset and still sort of is -2 days
later. the cat is one we took in and got fixed at about 10 months. bringing
the dog home seemed to be rather traumatic for her, but the dog was just
interested and had no malicious intent. theyre both females but it seems
that its gonna be a task. theyre both females -go figure.
so what im wondering is; are these 2 ever gonna get along? its inevitable
that were going to wind up with the dog and im sure theyd get along fine if
it just werent for that cat/dog thing that the cat seems to be hung up on.
will they ever get along?
if anyone has some input or "been through that" stories, id love to hear
about it, since like i said, its gonna happen. i just want the critters to
live peacefully.
thanks for any help,
danny

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M.C. Mullen - 01 Jun 2004 01:31 GMT

| it seems that were about to inherit a dog that we promised to take care
| f -not that i mind, but the cat we now have does at this point. this will
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
| thanks for any help,
| danny

You say it's your 2nd dog? Is the other one still around? Did the cat ever
get on with that one? Take it from there.
It helps that the new dog is not so big and not hostile, it might work out
eventually. Don't forget to spoil the cat more than usual at the moment. My
cats are in-/outdoor ones and I'm always afraid that they just leave if the
service is not up to their wishes ;-) They get on well with our dog though,
but we had the dog first, so they knew nothing else.
Your cat needs places where she can retreat peacefully and be safe. Can you
put a bed on the bookcase or the like? Can she eat in peace too?

Carola

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B&S - 01 Jun 2004 01:39 GMT

> it seems that were about to inherit a dog that we promised to take care
> f -not that i mind, but the cat we now have does at this point. this will
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> about it, since like i said, its gonna happen. i just want the critters to
> live peacefully.

Hi Danny,

We got our springer spaniel puppy when the cat was about 6 years old. Yes,
at first the cat (Tasha) freaked... but we weren't about to get rid of
either of them. The dog reallyreallyreally wanted to be friends (still
does), and Tasha wanted nothing to do with the dog. She always had a lot of
places to go where the dog couldn't get.... Her food and litter is in the
laundry room and blocked off with a gate, and the dog can't get in the
living room/bedrooms, but the cat can. As time has gone on (it'll be two
years in August), Tasha has progressed from freaking... to just ignoring
the dog... and finally now she tolerates the dog licking her (a little bit,
anyway), but also lets the dog know who is boss.... sometimes she won't let
the dog lie on the rug in front of the patio door if she is there... I guess
the whole 5X7 rug is hers (in her mind anyway). So, yes, it took awhile,
but now they live (somewhat) peacefully. It is cute when they sit together
by the patio door in the morning watching rabbits and birds.

So, just make some spaces available to only the cat, and she'll come around
in her own time. If she doesn't want to be by the dog, she can stay away
from it, until she is ready. Make sure and keep her food, water and litter
box where the dog can't get to though (not only for the cat, but the dog who
might like those crunchy treats in the litter box).

Good luck,

Shelly

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