1) I would get her to the vet for weighing and a check up. Obesity in cats is quite common and I find it hard to judge their weight; my female cat is not overweight but she has the hugest sagging belly which makes her look enormous!

2) A wagging tail can mean different things and can be hard to interpret. My general rule is that a wagging tail means the cat is in some way agitated. It could either be a good kind of agitated (I've spotted a fun thing to chase, I'm feeling playful) or a bad kind (I've had enough of being petted and am about to get mad), but either way if I see my cat's tail wagging I will back off from them, because even if it's playful that can mean pain...

3) Because cats play mean! My cats for whatever reason tend to be fairly gentle when playing, but my partner's family's ones can really lacerate you. When my cats were about the same age as yours they were much more "vicious" in play, they loved attacking our feet or batting at other body parts lol. I would invest in a cat flirt pole toy so you can play with them at a safe distance. Otherwise I do a bit of -P and remove all attention and disengage if they start playing too rough.

3) It sounds like you've got a good plan for dog/cat relations. I would try to do some work on calmness with her and Georgia, with Georgia on the lead. Treat for any sign of disinterest or calmness around the cat. But I would keep them separated for sure when they're not around.

Cats are so great aren't they! It's really rewarding spending time with them and getting better at reading their body language. They're so different from dogs and more subtle in some ways. Though in some ways they're similar: tenseness, staring eyes, and pinned ears indicate stress. I find a stressed cat usually has no problem moving away from a stressor though! Friendliness is indicated by head-rubbing, and a tail held straight up or slightly crooked when they approach you. This is a really good resource: Cat Chat: Understanding Feline Language : The Humane Society of the United States

 

First how do you judge weight. I know this may sound stupid but to me she seems thin but hubby says she is just dainty. We free fed her. Her food is well out of reach of the dogs and she gets extra chicken and tuna a couple times a week. She can't be 5lbs and has to be 4-5 months old now.

That can be a normal weight, as long as she doesn't look chubby. Poke her, and see if you can feel any ribs. And is she bean-shaped from above, or pear-shaped, or even round?

Second signals. I assumed that wagging tail meant she was happy but I saw something that said it can show signs of discomfort. Are there any other stress signs that maybe aren't so clear?

As for body language, I recommend you check out Jackson Galaxy's video logs, like this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEbtXkd2XF4

How can I teach her that "attacking" us is a no no? I know she is playing and when she bites she isn't really biting but when she gets into the play her nails come out and ouchy

Don't engage, and try to play with her on your own terms, like wiggling a lure in front of her, or a laser pointer. Anything that keeps a distance between her claws and your skin. Also, squeak with mock-pain when she does hurt you. A well-socialized (by her mother) cat should get the hint. I have 6 cats and no scratches. A lot of it is about reading signs in time, and not engaging in rough play. Whenever mine get rough, the fun is over as I remove either myself or the cat from the situation.

Finally the doggy questions. She gets along great with Dot and Mac but I'm not sure Georgia, Piglet, and Petey will ever be ok with her. I tried introducing her to Georgia and Georgia was very stimulated. She didn't go after her like to hurt her but she was way to excited and I'm sure had I not put Bunny up something bad could have happened. Can a cat live happily in a house full of these dogs or am I asking too much? In our house it's very easy to separate them while we are not home and after the puppies are gone it would be very easy to give Bunny the front of the house and let the dogs have the back and the yard.

This is something you need to teach the dogs, not the cat. The dogs need to understand that the cat is a) the alpha's property and hence off-limits, and b) that the cat is a pack member. Instead of just putting the cat out of reach, keep her on your lap, patting her, while also keeping your dogs around to sniff her, but scold them if they start behaving in a way they shouldn't, like show signs of game drive, rough play, or downright aggression. Reward the dogs when they behave well, which is from staying calm to giving kisses. BBe calm and unanxious.
Separating them isn't gonna be good enough as the cat will always live with anxiety and the dog will never learn that the cat is off-limits. On the contrary, the dogs need to get used to and bored of the cat being around. Introduce them to each-other gently and patiently. I've always had several dogs and cats together, but the dogs never got uppity with the cats. They knew the cats were my babies, and it was okay to play with them on the cats' terms or retreat with a scratched nose. It may seem unfair, but my dogs are usually much bigger than my cats and must never expect to get away with using that strength, be it for play or for fighting, even if the cat started it (and it usually did). I actually make pretty sure that the dogs feel lower-ranking than the cats as the cats don't really know it and can do far less damage to the dogs than the other way around.

The social politics in my home are like so:

 

That can be a normal weight, as long as she doesn't look chubby. Poke her, and see if you can feel any ribs. And is she bean-shaped from above, or pear-shaped, or even round?


As for body language, I recommend you check out Jackson Galaxy's video logs, like this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEbtXkd2XF4


Don't engage, and try to play with her on your own terms, like wiggling a lure in front of her, or a laser pointer. Anything that keeps a distance between her claws and your skin. Also, squeak with mock-pain when she does hurt you. A well-socialized (by her mother) cat should get the hint. I have 6 cats and no scratches. A lot of it is about reading signs in time, and not engaging in rough play. Whenever mine get rough, the fun is over as I remove either myself or the cat from the situation.



This is something you need to teach the dogs, not the cat. The dogs need to understand that the cat is a) the alpha's property and hence off-limits, and b) that the cat is a pack member. Instead of just putting the cat out of reach, keep her on your lap, patting her, while also keeping your dogs around to sniff her, but scold them if they start behaving in a way they shouldn't, like show signs of game drive, rough play, or downright aggression. Reward the dogs when they behave well, which is from staying calm to giving kisses. BBe calm and unanxious.
Separating them isn't gonna be good enough as the cat will always live with anxiety and the dog will never learn that the cat is off-limits. On the contrary, the dogs need to get used to and bored of the cat being around. Introduce them to each-other gently and patiently. I've always had several dogs and cats together, but the dogs never got uppity with the cats. They knew the cats were my babies, and it was okay to play with them on the cats' terms or retreat with a scratched nose. It may seem unfair, but my dogs are usually much bigger than my cats and must never expect to get away with using that strength, be it for play or for fighting, even if the cat started it (and it usually did). I actually make pretty sure that the dogs feel lower-ranking than the cats as the cats don't really know it and can do far less damage to the dogs than the other way around.

The social politics in my home are like so:

With all due respect, I'd just like to mention that this is the wrong way to train a dog to behave well around a cat. Firstly, there's no such thing as a human being an "alpha" to a domestic dog (or "dominant"). They do not understand what animal (or object) belongs to the human it lives with, nor do they understand that an animal of a completely different species (and a species of prey to them, in most cases) is supposed to be a member of their "pack". They also do not have the ability to understand the concept of a 'lower ranking' animal of a different species. Neither animal should be allowed to antagonize the other, but using punishment will never provide true results.

Working on counter conditioning a dog, or modifying their behavior when cats are present by addressing why they are exhibiting those behaviors, is what provides results, with no risk to the dog or the cat. Forcing the dog to suppress it's behaviors around the cat will not help, and if any of the dogs are showing serious signs of arousal around the cat, and they are around the cat but corrected for exhibiting prey-driven behaviors or reactivity, this can end very badly for the cat, and teach the dog nothing.
@AllieD, have you tried teaching 'settle-on-a-mat'? Along with capturing calmness, it can help during times that the cat is playing or acting in a way that causes arousal for the dogs. I would also spend time playing with the kitty in another room without the dogs present, so she can really zoom without any worry for you. You've received some great advice!

 

I can't add anything to the great advice you have already gotten except to make a suggestion to her food. Canned wet food is way better for cats than dry. It helps to lower the risk for bladder troubles later on immensely. Of course you are never guaranteed anything but it does help a lot! From my own experience.

I figured I would throw it out there if it's something you might want to look at later.

You sound like you are doing awesome though! A picture would be nice too!

P.S. Your hubby sounds a bit like my hubby! "No, I'm not too fussy on the cats!" Then you take a look in to see a cat getting belly scratches on his lap!

 

I can't add anything to the great advice you have already gotten except to make a suggestion to her food. Canned wet food is way better for cats than dry. It helps to lower the risk for bladder troubles later on immensely. Of course you are never guaranteed anything but it does help a lot! From my own experience.

Very good and important advice! To elaborate further, cats in nature are less of a drinking animal and get most of their fluids from their prey. Hence they never really developed a sense to drink beyond quenching strong thirst, but healthy levels of hydration are not reached by only drinking once your body screams for it. You shouldn't get to that point at all, neither should cats.
Hence their fluid intake needs to either be compensated through wet food which is closest to their natural way of hydration and they're unlikely to turn that down, and/or through a drinking fountain with flowing water which stimulates drinking more than does the still, stale water in a dish.

 

First how do you judge weight.

It depends a lot on the cat. On average, an adult cat will weigh about 8lbs but there are cats that range up to 25lbs without being obese and others will be in the 4-6lb range where 8lb might be chubby.

From what I've observed is that belly fat is where cats show being overweight first. As long as they aren't developing "udders", you should be fine.

Second signals. I assumed that wagging tail meant she was happy but I saw something that said it can show signs of discomfort. Are there any other stress signs that maybe aren't so clear?

Unlike dogs, tail swishing & flipping is usually a stress sign in cats, kind of like a dog yawning or giving moon eyes. You'll learn to tell this kind of swishing from when the cat is swishing their tail for balance. Another big stress sign is swatting with claws retracted. That's a "leave me alone or else" signal.

As someone else mentioned, check out what Jackson Galaxy has to say on it. Unlike a certain dog training TV personality, he gives good info although his usually recommendation is building an expensive cat habitat.

How can I teach her that "attacking" us is a no no? I know she is playing and when she bites she isn't really biting but when she gets into the play her nails come out and ouchy

It's best not to use your hand as a toy. Feather teasers work very well and encourage energetic dippy-ness without you getting scratched. The better socialized and comfortable the cat is the less likely they are to lash out with full claws.

You can also clip the tips of the cat's nails or use SoftPaws to help prevent most painful, bleeding, scratches. Some cats won't allow clipping but most, well socialized, cats will allow you to do it if they trust you.

 

Thank you all so much! I'll get some pictures soon it's hard because the puppies broke the flash on my camera so all the pictures look grainy.
She just got on my shoulder I think she knows I'm talking about her lol

 

Don't forget to provide a good, sturdy, stable, scratching post. Ones with multiple types of scratching surfaces, wood, sisal rope, carpet, that are very stable (not able to be tipped over) are best. Doing that and teaching her to use it will save your furniture.

Don't encourage her to hunt your hands or feet as they move under covers unless you happen to enjoy a 10 or so pound cat pouncing on your body in the middle of the night.

The crazy kitten stage only last so long, she should outgrow hunting you as long as you don't encourage it.

 

If you haven't already I would take her in to the vet for all of her normal vet visit stuff, and you can ask your vet about judging weight at that time. My vet always has weight evaluation charts sitting in the exam rooms, so perhaps you could look over something like that with the vet. WAY more often than not a free fed cat will wind up being overweight. That's not always the case (my old lady was free fed her whole life and stayed tiny) but I would move away from free feeding if possible.

On the note of food type and free feeding- canned food is a MUCH healthier option for cats (as mentioned). Having gone through kidney disease with my old lady I will always feed almost exclusively canned food if I can help it. Dry food is definitely better than no food, but try to go for wet if possible. I even mix extra water into my cat's breakfast. But, you can't free feed with canned food. Letting it sit out will allow for it to get gross, and that's not good for the cat.

Wagging tails in cats are generally a sign of being distressed/upset, that they are overstimulated, or that they're in "hunting" mode. You should clearly be able to tell which of those three applies in a given situation. For example, if she's wiggling from side to side while swishing her tail and intently focused on an object ahead then she's obviously hunting and about to pounce If she's swishing her tail when overstimulated other signs include the "wild eye" look, flattening the ears, etc. When my kitty swishes her tail, gives me "the look" with her ears back and sits there looking goofy with her mouth slightly open I know not to touch her. A bite will soon follow.

As for biting- that's a slightly more complicated situation. My cat is two years old and I've never been able to break her of the biting habit. She's a very sweet and friendly kitty who LOVES greeting newcomers at the house, but then promptly gets overstimulated. She doesn't do it maliciously and has never drawn blood, but she was a feral kitten baby. I got her at 5-6 weeks old, and she had never seen humans before that point. She was also taken away from her mother and siblings way too early. As a result she missed out on some critical social skills that I'll never be able to teach her. But, managing her properly has helped a lot and learning to read her behavior can stop lots of problems.

First off, never play with her with your hands. Use a stuffed toy instead and encourage her to attack that. When she tries to use your hand as a toy, redirect her to an actual toy. If that doesn't work, hiss at her. Hissing is how mom/sibling cats indicate to their fellow kittens that the play has gotten too rough and most cats will stop (that's a lesson my cat missed). Make sure she's getting plenty of exercise and play time, and keep those claws trimmed! Most of them will catch on to what's unacceptable, and she'll naturally calm down a ton over the next year.

Make sure the cat has PLENTY of hiding spaces to get away from the dogs. Get cat trees, hidey holes, portion off "dog-free" areas in the house, just make sure that the cat has lots of areas to retreat to. Having an escape will make her feel safe from the dogs, and these things are good for cats to have regardless. I would NOT leave the dogs unattended with the cat unless you trust 100% that they will leave her alone. That simply won't happen with some dogs, and you MUST separate them when you're away. This could involve crating the dogs or locking someone into a separate part of the house when you're away. Back when I lived in a small apartment and had my old lady cat with a young kitten I'd lock the kitten in the bedroom to give the old cat a break from her when I was away. It wasn't a big deal and the kitten survived. Praise the dogs heavily for ignoring the cat, and teach them the "leave it" command as it applies to cats.

Some dogs don't get along well with cats, and some cats don't get along with dogs. My current cat HATES dogs, but we manage just fine. She'd probably be happier if she never had to see another dog again, but we manage. The old lady thought dogs were great, but hated the kitten. Go figure.

Have fun with your new kitty!

 

CATS RULE! At least in my house with the houlas when they come...the dogs have to curl around them on the dog bed...the cats won't budge an inch, lol.

 

We got some wet food today. We are going to leave the bowl of dry food in her kennel all the time and feed her the wet at her meal times.
Right now she has a kennel as her house. Her litterbox, bed, scratch post thingy, and food are in it in the dining room. She jumps right in when I go to the door. Most of the time the door is open and she has the run of the room. The kennel is on top of a table (not the dining room table) so the dogs can't get to it but she has no trouble getting in it. Sometimes she is locked in the kennel depending on where the dogs are. She mostly sleeps. We are planning on putting up "cat shelves" where she can sit out of reach when she gets older.
She is never left alone with the dogs but Mac and Dot mostly ignore her now. Mac still gets excited when she starts playing with something.
I'm really going to have to start working with the other three dogs with her. I think Piglet may be ok but I'm worried about Petey and Georgia.

 

It sounds like you are doing great with everything!!

Cat shelves are awesome! That's what I'm in the process of doing in my house.

 

best picture I could get.

 

She's gorgeous! I just love your animals' names btw lol. If they are not distracted by food (and if they are normally food driven), they are most likely above threshold, and not able to learn in that moment. Along with settle-on-a-mat, I would suggest trying the LAT game (I believe there's a vid in the reactivity sticky). You can also practice sessions of crating the cat, while rewarding the dogs for calm behavior. After a week of practice, you should notice a difference in the over-excitement, as the cat becomes less interesting, as she'll be around them a lot, but without the risk to her. Just keep reinforcing those incompatible behaviors. It takes a lot of time and patience (and consistency), but this can be done! Here's a story from Pat Miller:

Peaceable Paws

And although this is more about chasing, here's an article from Patricia McConnell:

Chase This, Not That!

 

When Bunny is in her kennel and Petey is in the room he just stares at her. Today I was able to call him away and he left her alone so that's a good sign. (I think) I really want this to work out my Hubby is totally in love with her. She lays on the back of his chair whenever he is home. Sometimes she just puts her paw out and touches his face it's sooo cute!!

About the names I do get funny looks when I call my dog Piggy or worse Pretty Piggy.