Question for pet owners

We've recently added a dog to our little family. We already had a cat and now the two of them have to share the same living space. The dog is a 1 year old shih tzu and the cat is 10 years old. The dog is really playful but the cat has a major attitude problem (our local vet is traumatized from her last visit). Most of the time they just work around one another but off and on the dog will see the cat and either start barking or run up on her to play. It's gettin annoying because they're pretty loud when they go at it. My question is....will this ever stop? Will the cat ever get used to the dog or will the dog ever start ignoring the cat?

I have a feeling it'll never stop but I was just wondering if anyone has went through this before.

Just put the cat down. They're not real pets anyway.

Dogs FTW.

^^

The dog is still very playful. I would like to say it will get better but it's hard to say. The cat is already set in it's ways and the dog more than likely see the cat as a play buddy. If the dog gets his ass beat enough I would think he would stop.

Does the cat still have claws?

krpykrwly wrote:Just put the cat down. They're not real pets anyway.

Dogs FTW.

I like it! Unfortunately my wife and son would prolly have me put down for even suggesting it.

Just let it go. The cat and dog will work out the pecking order for themselves. All you can do is tell the dog to be quiet, or distract it with a toy or treat if it's too distracting. But there's nothing you can really do that will facilitate good will between them.

Although, if your cat is a nut about tuna, you might try rubbing some tuna oil on the dog's head or face. Facial licking/rubbing in both species is a sign of pack/pride affection, and maybe fooling the cat into thinking the dog is all right might help. However, the downside is that your dog smells like fish for a couple of days.

Oh, and with a Shi-Tzu, you really want to make sure you're trimming Kitty's claws. Smaller dogs have easily-scratched eyes, and if things get too rough, you could be looking at a big vet bill later. Just sayin'.

Rath99 wrote:^^

The dog is still very playful. I would like to say it will get better but it's hard to say. The cat is already set in it's ways and the dog more than likely see the cat as a play buddy. If the dog gets his ass beat enough I would think he would stop.

Does the cat still have claws?

She doesn't have any front claws, we took care of that years ago. Yes, the dog definately wants to play with the cat but she is having no part of it. All in all it's not bad, it's the 2:30 in the morning run ins that's getting old.

it will pass

superdoug wrote:Just let it go. The cat and dog will work out the pecking order for themselves. All you can do is tell the dog to be quiet, or distract it with a toy or treat if it's too distracting. But there's nothing you can really do that will facilitate good will between them.

Although, if your cat is a nut about tuna, you might try rubbing some tuna oil on the dog's head or face. Facial licking/rubbing in both species is a sign of pack/pride affection, and maybe fooling the cat into thinking the dog is all right might help. However, the downside is that your dog smells like fish for a couple of days.

Oh, and with a Shi-Tzu, you really want to make sure you're trimming Kitty's claws. Smaller dogs have easily-scratched eyes, and if things get too rough, you could be looking at a big vet bill later. Just sayin'.

So far we've just been letting them work it out. It does seem to be gettin a little better. He knows not to get too close, they usually just sit in the kitchen about a foot apart with him barking and her growling/hissing. She's declawed in the front so if she bats at him it won't hurt him.

We kind of had the same issue with our three dogs.

My husband got Mischief when we were only friends and she was a pup. After we were married for over a year we got Buster from a friend who was going overseas. The dog is 2 years older than our dog and wasn't a big fan of playing, which was the reason we got him to begin with, so he'd play with Mischief. Finally the husband got a new puppy, Kali, and Mischief and Kali play rough with each other now while Buster is a sum.

FroZen wrote: I like it! Unfortunately my wife and son would prolly have me put down for even suggesting it.

Then it needs fall within the law of Barter Town.

Thunderdome. Two pets enter. One pet leaves.

my cats still fight and they have been together a year and a half

I think a dog and cat will eventually work it out. Two cats, though, that grudge can go on forever.

We had a dog and cat that we got at the same time. They got along great. We adopted a stray about 6 years later. The dog wanted to be playful with the cat, and got swatted a few times (with claws), which made the dog back off. She was actually scared of her for a while. But now that the dog has settled down and the cat we adopted has settled in, they're pretty good friends.

Now, the other cat that we have has NEVER forgiven us for bringing another cat around, and will still hiss at her whenever she has a chance, and this is about 6 years later.

So the lesson is, never get another cat.

It'll be worked out eventually, but it can and will take months to years for it to happen. I have three cats and a dog. One cat absolutely loves the dog, one ignores her for the most part or is just in different to her existence, the other tends to fight with her the moment they're within reach of one another. This has been this way since we obtained the cats eight+ years ago and it hasn't changed yet.

Keep in mind, your situation between your dog and cat is tremendously a territorial issue. The cat has established your residence as its home (forget the humans, the cat probably thinks it's allowing you to live there anyway ). The dog is now classified as a stranger and will be as such until they end up working it out on their own or just learn to ignore each other. The dog has the same mindset I imagine with the cat being the stranger. On top of that, your dog is also pretty young and may not have been exposed to other household animals before, so there's always that.

A lot of it too, if you choose to believe in it, depends on the animal's personalities. As much as two people can not get along in the same space, two animals can just as easily not get along.

All you can do at this point is prevent situations between them whenever they start. Pull them apart, put them in different rooms if you have to.

I've had a dog for 6 years now and he still doesn't get on with my cat. We keep them separate, with my cat living in the loft converted room and the dog with the rest of the house, and when we put the cat out at night, the dog is usually restrained, and he always barks.

After 6 years, yes it is annoying.

ARRGGGG

Stop being horrible kitties!

Cats. They kill babies.

Cats. They're assholes.

awesome

FroZen wrote:We've recently added a dog to our little family. We already had a cat and now the two of them have to share the same living space. The dog is a 1 year old shih tzu and the cat is 10 years old. The dog is really playful but the cat has a major attitude problem (our local vet is traumatized from her last visit). Most of the time they just work around one another but off and on the dog will see the cat and either start barking or run up on her to play. It's gettin annoying because they're pretty loud when they go at it. My question is....will this ever stop? Will the cat ever get used to the dog or will the dog ever start ignoring the cat?

I have a feeling it'll never stop but I was just wondering if anyone has went through this before.

In my cousin's experience, the cat began avoiding the dog and the dog would chase it whenever it saw the cat.

Make sure your puppy is getting stimulus from other places. Toys, walks and teaching your pup new tricks will keep them happy and stimulated. Give your puppy other things to do besides focusing on the cat. Also, you might consider designating "dog areas" and "cat areas" in your home. Two words: Baby gates. Your puppy can't get around them. The cat is another story.

alucardbarnivous wrote:

In my cousin's experience, the cat began avoiding the dog and the dog would chase it whenever it saw the cat.

Yep, this is happening alot.

flux336 wrote:Make sure your puppy is getting stimulus from other places. Toys, walks and teaching your pup new tricks will keep them happy and stimulated. Give your puppy other things to do besides focusing on the cat. Also, you might consider designating "dog areas" and "cat areas" in your home. Two words: Baby gates. Your puppy can't get around them. The cat is another story.

The apartment isn't really big enough for baby gates but thanks for the suggestion. Disko is kept very busy, the thing that seems to set him off is when she jumps off the counter/fridge and he hears her hit the floor with a thump. Then the chase is on.

I think your first mistake was getting a Shih Tzu. My ex had an old cranky cat and an awful little Shih Tzu and they eventually got along together, they weren't ever exactly friendly, but they dealt with each other pretty well.

Kate says that the two will have to work it out themselves. Beyond that separate them.If the cat gives the dog a good swiping it would speed up the process.