Cats and dogs in the same home

[kenny]

Why do they usually hate each other?
I mean if they we feed them and they are loyal to humans you'd think they'd figure out they are both members of the same pack.

My stereotype is that dogs basically want to, uhm, eat/kill/tear up the cat until the cat's claws sink into that moist tender flesh of the dog's nose.
Then the dog respects the cat and stays away.

To you with both cats and dogs, isn't this the way it usually goes?

 

[Maisie]

I can only talk from personal experience. Gracie (cat) and Blossom (dog) are completely indifferent to each other. Neither even acknowledges that the other one is there.

 

[elrohwen]

I think it totally depends on the animals in question. Some dogs have a very strong prey drive and anything other than another dog is considered "prey". Some dogs are more easy going and don''t see cats as their next meal.

I think there''s also somewhat of a communication breakdown between dogs and cats. They use body language somewhat differently and this can cause problems. A dog may be asking to play, but a cat may find the bouncing around to be threatening, etc.

 

[princesss]

I''ve got 2 cats and a dog (with another dog on the way), and I''ll just break it down by animal, because we''ve got some crazy dynamics:

Lola: 8 year old cat. Stubborn, and HATES the dog. Hates him - growls at him, hides from him, sits at the top of the stairs and glares at him.
Ezra: 2 year old cat. Goes back and forth with the dog. Likes to hide from him and then jump out from behind the door and scare him. Snuggles up to the dog when he thinks we''re not looking. When BF and I are on the couch, they lay down right next to each other, and are often nose-to-nose.
Bodhi: 1.5 year old dog: Thinks the cats are the best toys ever. He wants to sniff and snuggle them, and play with them, and be bestbestbestbestbestbest friends.

We''re hoping the second dog becomes his good friend so he can stop bugging the cats for entertainment.

 

[elrohwen]

Princess, that''s another good point - some dogs are just too friendly for cats to handle. Cats tend to be more independent. I think this can absolutely cause tension.

 

[Matata]

I had two adult cats when I adopted a whippet puppy. Since he was raised with the cats, all went well even when I started lure-coursing the dog. Sight hounds are wired to chase furry little things and he would do that to all furry little things he didn''t live with. Got a second whippet about 6 months later, older dog, raised on a farm without the same socialization as the first. I had to really show I was pack leader with that one to get the message across that the cats were not prey. While the cats & dogs did not snuggle or play together, they all lived peacefully under one roof until claimed by old age.

 

[MonkeyPie]

I find that if they are raised together from a young age, they can''t even tell that they are different species. I once had a dog that was raised with a litter of kittens, and all of my kitties would sleep perched directly on top of her back.

 

[yssie]

My parents got kitty first. He''s a standoffish creature - he wants attention when he wants attention, and ye cometh, beware! the rest of the time. Puppy came two years later... puppy is the friendliest, most energetic creature

. Kitty loathes him, it''s clear in every glare and every swipe. Puppy - well, he apparently wants to be kitty''s friend very, very badly, and hasn''t yet given up hope, four years later.


Usually it''s puppy pining after kitty, and kitty ignoring him:

 

[Tacori E-ring]

In my experience if you have the dog first and then get a kitten they get along great. Growing up we had a cat and a dog who cuddled. So cute. If the cat was first than it is not pretty. The puppy wants to play and the cat wants NOTHING to do with him/her.

 

[yssie]

Sometimes kitty gets frustrated with the unceasing loving attention:

 

[yssie]

Once in a while kitty takes an interest in puppy''s existence without employing his usual ministrations:

 

[yssie]

This has happened exactly once in the four years they''ve lived together. I was lucky enough to have a camera on hand and on at just the right moment:

 

[missy]

It depends on the specific dog(s) and cat(s).

My parents have a boxer female and she is just in love with their 2 cats and vice versa. Tara (the dog) even has learned to groom herself just like the cats do LOL.

They all curl up together and play together. It is just adorable.

Same for my sister''s dog. He loves cats and gets along great with my parents cats and my sister''s one cat. However, my cats hate all dogs but most likely because they were not raised with dogs. I think it comes down to what you know.

 

[Maisie]

Aww Yssie your pictures are gorgeous!

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

Date: 3/8/2010 3:54:25 PM
Author: princesss
I''ve got 2 cats and a dog (with another dog on the way), and I''ll just break it down by animal, because we''ve got some crazy dynamics:

Lola: 8 year old cat. Stubborn, and HATES the dog. Hates him - growls at him, hides from him, sits at the top of the stairs and glares at him.
Ezra: 2 year old cat. Goes back and forth with the dog. Likes to hide from him and then jump out from behind the door and scare him. Snuggles up to the dog when he thinks we''re not looking. When BF and I are on the couch, they lay down right next to each other, and are often nose-to-nose.
Bodhi: 1.5 year old dog: Thinks the cats are the best toys ever. He wants to sniff and snuggle them, and play with them, and be bestbestbestbestbestbest friends.

We''re hoping the second dog becomes his good friend so he can stop bugging the cats for entertainment.

This is almost completely like my house! Our 7 year old cat HATES our 2 year old dog with a passion - she often spends HOURS staring at her with what can best be described as a death stare. Our 2 year old cat has his moods - some days he is rather playful with the dog and some days he would prefer to be alone.

The dog just adores anything and everything that will pay her mind. I think overall the biggest problem is the dog has absolutely no sense of boundaries and tends to be too intrusive. If she could learn to observe and approach with caution and back off the moment one of the cats gave her a disapproving signal (such as a growl) I think they would be much better off. However, I believe the cats see the dog as constantly disrespecting their space and that causes a LOT of friction. Can''t say I blame them, even I get annoyed when the dog won''t leave me alone!

 

[yssie]

Date: 3/8/2010 5:14:21 PM
Author: Maisie
Aww Yssie your pictures are gorgeous!

Thanks Maisie

I do love my furbabies - so much so that I find reasons to talk about them (and include pictures) even if it doesn''t really make sense..

 

[Maisie]

Date: 3/8/2010 5:49:00 PM
Author: yssie

Date: 3/8/2010 5:14:21 PM
Author: Maisie
Aww Yssie your pictures are gorgeous!

Thanks Maisie

I do love my furbabies - so much so that I find reasons to talk about them (and include pictures) even if it doesn''t really make sense..

I talk about my pets like they are my kids

 

[lilyfoot]

I never had that problem when I had dogs and cats together.

Actually, one of my dogs has a lot of cat-like actions, I''m assuming because he was around cats from 8 weeks and on.

 

[waterlilly]

We have an elderly cat so can''t tolerate any roughness from dogs towards the cat. And - she was declawed before we adopted her, so she doesn''t have the advantage of teaching them a lesson if they get too close. Since we take in foster dogs, the cat situation gets worked out very quickly. We just run a very tight ship and no kitty interactions are allowed. They are not allowed to stare at the cat, bark, growl, approach her, etc. After a couple days the message is crystal clear and the novelty is gone. Haven''t had any problems.

Not sure if you are literally looking for the general reason they don''t get along but in short:

Most dogs were either bred to hunt, herd or track furry animals. If they aren''t raised around them instinct tells them to what to do...

Cats don''t like other animals that are potential predators out of instinct - so they act defensive if approached.

With training, dogs can live with cats (most, not all) but cats seem to either accept or decline - there''s not a lot of modification you can do to a cat''s reaction to a dog!

 

[Haven]

We currently have three cats and one dog. They LURVE each other, and all six of us sleep in the bed together every night like one big happy family.

We had the cats first, and we did some serious training with the pup when we first brought her home. For example, we trained her to allow the cats to stick their faces in her food bowl and take her food out. She just backs off, sits down, and watches with a sad little pathetic look on her face. (And she eats RAW food, so we're talking about good food, here.)

The kitties often cuddle up together during the day in a warm patch of sun, and during the winter months when our room is really cold they all snuggle right up against the pup at night to keep warm. She's like a little heater.

I think they get along so well because the pup is really well trained, and so she isn't very unpredictable. The cats do this thing where they run alongside the pup and then leapfrog over her, it's hilarious.

I've posted these pics before, but I just have to share them again.

Snuggling:

 

[Haven]

Their favorite spot in the house--the front window bench. The dog is in the cat tube, of course.

 

[Haven]

More snuggling.

We like to call the picture on the left "Excuse me, you''re in my tube."
And yes, we do a lot of lying around here. Warm furbabies are good for that sort of thing.