Honestly I don't know. Maybe someone else with more experience of raising dogs and cats together will chime in.

 

I would give it a month. I had the same problems, actually. The dog was sooo focused on the cat. The cat would swat at the dog unprovoked during our treating together and the dog would flip. I probably treated them together 3x a day for several minutes with the same types of problems you're describing (although it took longer for us to get that close).

And, yes, it is very stressful. Just try to breathe and be patient.

If after a month of consistency you're still having problems, you may want to rethink it, but from what I understand (in theory) it's possible to have any dog and any cat live together, some of them just take more management and wouldn't be considered "safe" out together.

I would also start swapping their bedding every other day if you're not already. The more you can desensitize them to each other (including smell), the better.

 

i would try the swapping thing but ben doesnt sleep in any one spot... or he lust lays on the cool floor...

 

Hm...well, you can at least give him Zoey's blankets to smell, maybe even wipe them on him. You can also (this is going to sound weird, but...) wipe a cloth from nose to ear (along the mouth) of one animal, then take the same cloth and do it to the other. Really, any way you can get them to smell similar and smell each other should help.

 

I just wish Zoey wasn't so on edge about it. I would feel better if she would just come lay next to me like she normally does rather than give me her ars and stare at the door. Its like she knows she wants to be with me but can't pull her self away from the damn cat. I took the cats collar off, it had a bell and when it would jingle it would set Zoe off, so I took it off, rang it, clicked and treated. Seemed to be... um... ok? I dunno. For now I think I will leave the Collar off.

We have tripled our work out/training routine in an attempt to get her even MORE tired. I think tomorrow I will go get two packs of raw bones, I think those maybe tempting enough that she will stop pacing. Shes calm in her crate, but I need to see her calm out side of the crate.

Its strange, shes so content to just WATCH the cat. I feel im breaking herding instincts when the cat bolts. However, if the cat just gets up and walks slowly away, no big deal other then HEY WAIT why are you leaving me? barks.

What really worries me is Bens reaction, the deep growls from 15 foot away. The out of nowhere attack, yet, did just fine when I was treating both of them, one for you, one for you. I Busted out the canned chicken... SO HIGH VALUE!

Sigh...

 

fawkes attacked (didn't do any damage though ) clover when i brought him in... and come to think of it, several other visiting dogs. he and clover get along pretty well now, they will occasionally kiss each other, and all 3 of us can snuggle together, but today i took fawkes to the vet and he growled at all the dogs there, i'm sure he would have been attacking them if i gave him the chance... make sure that ben has lots of places to retreat, do you have that cat tree yet? i also like to put baby gates in doorways with a space big enough for the cat to dart under if he needs to. i sometimes need to convince fawkes to retreat and will put him up in his cat tree, once there he usually seems like "oh! now i can watch everything, but the dog can't get me!" i think it really helps fawkes and clover that we all sleep in the same room too...

anyway, just keep doing what you are doing... open bar/sit-treat when they are together, and they will warm up to each other...

 

you might also check out a dap diffuser/collar and a feliway diffusor or collar, just to take the edge off of everyone for a while...

 

I do have a DAP, we had a SUPER SUPER reactive dog(had to give up because even the behaviorist didn't know how to handle him.)

I suppose I could get a refill. We all do sleep in the same room together. I guess I will put up baby gates tomorrow. IM just really afraid that Zoey will up and jump them because they are low enough for that. This dog jumped straight up and on to our dining room table... I guess I will give it a try... We did finish the cat tree, Ben refuses to look at it. It has such a nice scratching area too!

 

I would work on getting Ben to like his tree. Put him up there and give him lots of treats and if he likes toys get him to chase a toy up there. Then make him jump from one post to the other so he can see how much fun the tree is. Maybe you could add a couple of bouncy kinda toys to the tree so he can also get up there and play by himself.

 

yeah, i would bust it out, it couldn't hurt, and the feliway would help ben out too... you could also try putting 2 gates in the same door...

like i said, i think it will start to settle with time, ben hasn't been there for very long, and though he seems comfy, even without zoey there, it would take a bit longer for him to truly "settle" in... same for zoey, you've just introed a small furry critter to her world, when the novelty wears off a bit, i'm sure she will also settle. not saying you won't have any problems at all ever, but i think you are doing all the right things so far, lol, now you just have to wait for them to make up their minds/get over it/ get used to each other
btw, seebrown's suggestion of trading scents is a pretty good one... do you have any cat beds/cardboard boxes in the house? have you tried catnip in the cat tree? that worked for my sis's elderly cat...

 

You could also randomly put treats on the cat tree so when he does get up there he will find a goody.

 

I'm sure your dog will get over the cat... It's new to her... I've had cats and dogs my whole life, some dogs deal with it better then other, and some are more curious then other... My boyfriends dog will come over and wine at my cat non stop but wont do anything to the cat, or some will chase the cat... Then sometimes my cat will start things with the dogs hehe... Such as smacking their tails as they walk threw a room...or maybe push his way threw to the water dish, or simply sit as close as he can to tease the dogs like you can look but can't touch lol
But I have never never never! Had a issue with the dogs hurting the cats, it will get boring and she will move on

Right now I have been dealing with Alice my Heeler mix... She seems to want to herd the cats in the house..She's my rescue dog and wasn't around cats before lol But I've had her for 2 years now and she wont hurt them...Just herds them around the house lol

 

I'd be taking it much more slowly. Ben is new and hasn't established his territory yet, so he'll easily be feeling threatened.

 

So Ben is in the bedroom and Zoey is in the living room. Ben is sticking his paw through the underside of the door. Zoey is just staring at the door... is this good? She did this last night as well... When we were in bed and we put Ben in to his "room" so that Zoey could be loose with out worry(trying to keep the same schedule) Zoey lays in bed with us until we get sleepy and then she goes in to her crate.

 

I guess I'd have to see a video. It's hard to say. I had a hard time telling at first if Coconut's stare was super focused or if she was relaxed (she did both in the beginning). I'd say if her body language is semi-relaxed (no stiffness, ears aren't totally forward, etc.), she's ok. If you aren't sure, I'd treat her any time she looks away from the cat or paw under the door after watching.

 

So Bens on one side of the door, Zoey on the other, Ben has been crying for the past 15 min wanting to come out of the bed room. However, Zoey is out here. So Ben has to be in there. We have a baby gate, but I am afraid to get to much visual with them...

Thoughts on what to do?

 

I'd keep the baby gates up but have Zoey on a leash and make sure Ben can get away (cat trees by the gates for him to get up/over). Basically give Ben the run of the house and keep Zoey leashed. I wouldn't purposely try to get them closer, just treat Zoey for seeing the cat and not lunging or over-focusing and let Ben learn that he is safe walking around the house.

Does Zoey lunge right now at a distance? Does Ben try to get close even if you're not feeding him? If Ben tries to get closer, you may need to train with two people and treat Ben from a distance too, so that he learns the same thing as the dog (attacking gets you nothing, calm behavior gets you treats). Ben may be his own worst enemy if he's getting too close to the dog and attacking her because he's scared, which sets the dog off.

 

Zoey wont lunge at a distance... my house however is small so there are no great distances... Ben gets close and chose to come closer to me when I was treating Zoey. Im thinking that he is is own worst enemy... lol... We were working yesterday and Zoey was being FANTASTIC and Ben walked up to the baby gate and Zoey wagged her tail and stuck her nose closer and Ben walked closer and POW Ben got hissy... and attacked... though the gate, so we shut the door cause Zoey was freaking out...

 

Personally i put a new cat in a small small room like a bathroom, they live there for a week or more. The feliway is on in the bathroom. The cat only gets to glimpse the other animals that first week from under the door
Second week all intros involve the nip. Lots of nip. This is differnt than treats. The cats associate euphoria with the other animal. If the cat will not take nip rub it into their fur
Cat novelty for the dog will wear off when the cats body language changes. When the cat doesnt run etc. Ime. The cat is very new still and the dog is excited about new toy/friend. Dog needs to be bored with new friend

Personally ive never used food for cat/dog intros. I used tone of voice, dap/feliway, body blocking and scent exchange. Personally i use food for behaviors (tricks, ob) or CC. I dont see fear in this interaction. I see frustration on the part of the cat and fixation/joy on the part of the dog. Those are things i dont want to increase on accident

Dunno if thats helpful. ?
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THe issue with the bathroom is that he crys for hours on end... I will try the Feliway. Maybe we are going to fast... we will tone it back... WAY back... Ben back in the bathroom

 

Feliway spray or defuser?

 

Diffuser. I found the spray absolutely useless
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ok 24 buck on amazon doesn't seem bad... it will be here thursday ish...

 

Cool beans

But yeah, at day three they shouldnt be able to see each other yet imo. Depends on the cat. The less tolerant of dogs the cat is, the longer til the intro imo

Ive been lucky, never had a cat attack or swat a dog in anger. I think my cats are broken
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Just to update since it's being passed around for other poor cat dog folks. Zoey and Ben still have issues. Mind you it's the darn cat that causes most of the issues. Zoey wants to come in to the kitchen but Ben is sitting on the dining room chair, hisses and zoey won't walk past because Ben is a mean SOB and will attack if she walks past. They are working it out. Zoey has pretty much stopped chasing staring ect... As long as I make sure she has had enough mental and physical work....


I'm where I was hoping to be. Ben can sleep on the back of the couch while Zoey sleeps at the other end( only if I'm in the middle) or Ben couch cat tree ect... Zoey floor with toy/chewie