Hello. I am in the process of introducing my girlfriend's kitty to my 11 month old lab, Bella. I wanted to start a thread relating to introducing cats and dogs because I did a search for cat and no results. So if anyone has any advice with regards to this subject, it will be welcome.

To start, I will introduce my problem. Bella does not bark at the kitty, but she does whine and try to break out of her kennel by pawing at the door and trying to dig through the bottom. I would like her to calm down while the kitty is loose. Am I expecting too much? (To Bella's credit, I think the kitty "flying" around the room is getting her prey drive going.) Is there anything I can do?

Article by Ed on introducing dogs and cats

It can be done. My dog lives with an undisclosed number of cats.

Mine too. It keeps their prey drive sharp and the cats survival skills honed. Won't post a pic of them sleeping together though. It would ruin the dogs' reputation. :-)

Howard

Hi Rick,

I can share my experience introducing my Lab to 3 cats...I can't say if it's the "correct" way but we've never had anything close to serious occur beween dog and cats. My dog was 6 weeks old when he arrived home so obviously it is a different situation for you.

True and the cats were never left unsupervised in the beginning. Cats always had a way out and a place to jump to and True was limited to certain areas of the house, and still is.

True wore a drag leash for months-not to correct him but to stop him from ever advancing toward the cats. Toys were used for distraction if he got a little too interested. Now he gets a verbal correction for being nosy.

I have always fed the cats first. When he was young True was crated and could see this...now dog and cats mingle together on the floor but the cats still get fed first. Dog doesn't get to mess with the cats' stuff-bowls, toys, beds are off limits.

My cats are still pissed we brought this *dreadful* creature into the house but he minds his manners and tries to make friends...going so far as to lie down on the floor, I'd swear, to bring himself down to their level. Snotty felines will have none of it.

I have read the above article, and plan on following it. I have been letting the kitty in the same room for about a week now, and I am about to order a muzzle.

The problem is that I have stopped the barking, but I cannot stop her from whining with a "No." I have considered using her prong and giving her a correction for this behavior. Is this a good idea?

Thanks Sarah!

My problem is that Bella won't stop whining and getting too excited with just a verbal correction. She is in the kennel at this point when the cat is in the room. I will be getting a muzzle for when I feel it is safe to introduce them. In the meantime, I would like the dog to be more relaxed around the kitty. Will the prong correction work?

She's excited and curious about the cat and will need a little time to adjust and relax around the newcomer. She's blowing off your verbal correction (which you don't want to encourage) and I can't figure out a way you could possibly give a proper prong correction while she's IN her crate.

How about covering her crate so at least one of her senses is turned off...at least for awhile? She'll be able to hear and smell the cat but maybe not seeing the cat, in the beginning, will help her calm down. I'd also try and stay as calm as possible. The more anxious you feel about the situation the more Bella will pick up on that and react.

One other thought...

Is Bella at all aggressive with other dogs, humans, or cats? Because if she's not then the muzzle seems a bit much. A prong (if that's what she needs to listen) a leash, and your constant supervision is what's really in order when she's around the cat out of the crate.

Unless Bella is a true small animal killer (in which case the muzzle and an e collar is a good idea) Kitty faces a greater risk of being trampled or smushed than of being eaten.

Thanks Sarah!

Bella is not agressive at all with other animals, but she is quite nervous. Just today, I had this lady's dog run at us in the park. I guess the dog wasn't on a leash. I told Bella to sit, and she would sit, but the other dog was all over her, so it was really hard. I finally got Bella to sit and turned to control the other dog because the lady sure didn't jump in. I finally had to tell her to grab her dog myself! It was crazy!! The point is, Bella never bit the other dog, or growled, and she was trying to listen. I was very proud and even the lady said she wished she could get her dog to mind as well as Bella!

I think what you are saying makes sense. I will try covering the kennel for awhile and see if that works. I was only going to use the muzzle because it is mentioned in the article about introducing dogs and cats that Ed wrote. I will probably just get to where I feel the dog will control herself, and keep a close eye on her when she is out with the kitty. Thanks!