Cat Introduction

[Greygirl]

Hi - I haven't been around for quite a while but I have a problem and was wondering if any of you good people might be able to help me - well I don't know that it's a problem yet but have a very strong feeling that it will be.

After being on my own for longer than I care to remember I now have a new man in life and everything is as perfect as it could be he loves my greyhound girl and the feeling seems to be mutual - the problem is that the other love in his life is a CAT. Nothing wrong with that I love cats but sadly I can't say the same for Rosie

To date her only contact with cats has been those she has seen when we're out walking and she reacts very, how shall we say, enthusiastically Unless I give her a toy to hold she barks and crys and generally winds herself up. If she has a toy she'll munch happily on it and from time to time shake her head from side to side - I always feel that she's thinking that that is what she wants to do to the cat

So is there I wonder any hope that she might learn to tolerate a cat in a home environment. Because this weekend I'm going to stay and will have to take her with me. It will be possible to keep them apart if we have to but I'd like to at least attempt an introduction. So how do I go about? Keep her on a tight lead and use the VoG if she reacts badly and praise and treats if she behaves is all I can think of.

I was thinking as well that maybe I should muzzle her but she hasn't worn a muzzle in years so would this just help to make the whole thing a negative experience?

Any help or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

[Jen Wren]

I am not an expert on cat introductions so will leave that to someone else. What I will say is get her used to a muzzle again. There is no way I would ever introduce a hound to a cat without one, even a hound who shows promise with cats. There are so many things that could go wrong. The cat could be unpredictable, especially if they're not used to dogs. Some cats could attack and if she goes for your hound it could end up in tears. Good luck

[Deleted]

Is the cat a brave cat or a running away type cat as generally the 1st type are easier, & is the cat used to dogs?

You need to see how she reacts with a muzzle & lead on, that will give you an idea of how to proceed. If she looks at the cat you need to use the VOG when she looks away praise & treat her. But if she is a keen girl I fear you are onto a loser

If she isn't too bad you could try gating her so she can see the cat but not harm it & do some desensitisation by treating & praising when she ignores.

If it is a no goer are you able to keep them separate?

[Greygirl]

Feb 5, 2009 10:43:28 GMT -5 Jen Wren said:

I am not an expert on cat introductions so will leave that to someone else. What I will say is get her used to a muzzle again. There is no way I would ever introduce a hound to a cat without one, even a hound who shows promise with cats. There are so many things that could go wrong. The cat could be unpredictable, especially if they're not used to dogs. Some cats could attack and if she goes for your hound it could end up in tears. Good luck

Yes - your absolutely right. I was thinking that if she was on her lead I may get away without the muzzle but I hadn't thought about the possibility of the cat going for her i.e. coming close of its own accord so I will ensure she's muzzled.

Feb 5, 2009 11:00:17 GMT -5 wanda said:

Is the cat a brave cat or a running away type cat as generally the 1st type are easier, & is the cat used to dogs?

You need to see how she reacts with a muzzle & lead on, that will give you an idea of how to proceed. If she looks at the cat you need to use the VOG when she looks away praise & treat her. But if she is a keen girl I fear you are onto a loser

If she isn't too bad you could try gating her so she can see the cat but not harm it & do some desensitisation by treating & praising when she ignores.

If it is a no goer are you able to keep them separate?

It is a brave cat and I don't think it will run. If it doesn't work they can be kept separate as the cat spends a fair bit of time outside and when it's in Rosie can be kept in one room and the cat in another.

[bobsmam]

I can only speak about my cats and how they coped when we moved two hounds in....

• always make sure they can get away if they want to- we used a baby gate that was high enough off the ground so the cats could get underneath but the dogs couldn't
  
  
• don't carry the cat to meet the dog- puts the cat at dog head height
  
  
• don't force the cats to stay if they don't want to
  
  
• make loads of time to fuss the cats to stop them getting huffy
  
  

Our cats just absented themselves for a few days... just appearring to glare at the dogs and eat. Then they moved back on their terms. We kept the dog on a long lead while they first met and stopped the hounds trying to play with the cats.

Our cats initially ran away, then we let the dogs get closer and they got spat at, so backed off. And now there's an uneasy truce in the house- the cats are definitely in charge!

But I guess there is no rule as to what's best. Depends a lot on the dog and cat .

Good luck