PLEASE HELP!-Marriage: CAT v's DOG now what?

[Guest Anonymous]

My fiance has a mix pitbull/great dane "Hershey." Very friendly easy going dog. Not aggressive at all, neutered. Just a big lovable baby. He is 7 yrs old. I have a 8 year old neutered cat "Malcolm". His entire life he has had a cat door and gone in and out. Has his claws. We are having a terrible problem trying to introduce them. For several mths we have brought Hershey over to my house and kept him seperate from Malcolm
letting them get used to each others smell. Last wknd we tried to introduce them to each other. DISASTER! We put a muzzle on Hershey and let him go in a room where Malcolm was. He was like an insane bull knocking over furniture "he weighs 75lbs" and lamps and plants trying to rush towards my terrified and angry cat. Malcolm almost scratched him in the eye as he made his mad rush towards him. It was terrible. What are
we going to do? Is there any hope for getting Hershey to leave Malcolm
alone? These animals are like our kids so it isnt like we can just give one of them away. :agrue:

[Guest Anonymous]

Some more things my finace asked me to tell all of you. For Hershey the dog dominance is important to him. Also, he lives with a 20yr old cat and
gets along with it real well. THe cat is not like mine at all though. SHe
is very passive, declawed and feeble. My cat Malcolm is big and tough
and territorial. Also Hershey if given the chance will chase small
animals like squirrals. He is generally friendly to other dogs.

[Guest Anonymous]

This is a tough situation. Some breed and also mixed breeds are animal aggressive and can view small animals as prey. this can make a dangerous situation. Since Hershey lives w/a 20 yr. old cat and he is 7, I think he tolerates this cat because it was there when he arrived (I'm assuming, as a pup), and this would not indicate that he will like or tolerate any other cat.

How soon are you planning marriage? I hate to tell you this, but I would never have given up any of my animals for marriage no matter how much I loved him/her. Do you really want to get married? (LOL). I'm sorry I can't be of any help to you.

[deepseasnake]

I've never had a REAL problem with my cats and dogs, they dont really get along but they do manage to coexsist.
I dont have a pitbull though I have 2 golden retrivers and they chase the cat around but its never really malicious just playing.
Until recently the cat would run for dear life, but now he's not really scared he just plays along, but when he's not in the mood a couple of right hooks and loop around to the nose makes the dogs back up.

Now I really doubt your pit would respond the same way he may be angered, I dont really know, but regaurdless I would make hiding spots for the cat to get to that the dog cant. Like the top of the fridge or entertainment cabnit I would keep window sills clear too just in case. I'm sure they will run around a bit but as long as the cat can get out of reach I'm willing to bet things will probably be alright.
However I would be very aware of the dog if his attitude seems Malicious or like he really wants to kill, something more drastic needs to be done

sorry I cant be of more help :lol: :oops: :lol:

[Smooshie]

Oh my...this IS a tough one :-? ...Well I can't say I'll be much help either as I've never been in this exact situation.I have had to introduce a dog with a high prey drive to a very territorial(and believe it or not...dog-aggressive)parrot before though. :roll:

Anyhow, these are some suggestions that were given to me....maybe some of them will work for you...I guess anythings worth a shot,since it sounds like you and your fiance are both very devoted to your pets :) :

First off,is the dog obedience trained? If not this will be more difficult. He needs a good solid "Down,Stay!"....and understand and obey the "Leave it" command

The muzzle is a good idea,but also try introducing him to the cat with him(the dog) on a lead.....put him in a down stay and hang on tight.....when he starts to lunge at the cat give him a good firm "leave it!" and put him back in a down stay(remember....praise ,praise,praise when he does what you want him to)....let the cat wander around....make sure (like Deep said) that he has an escape route so he feels more secure. Its also a good idea to make sure(since this IS the cat's territory) that the cats food,litter box and toys are put up during this exercise,so he doesn't feel as much need to protect whats his. This is NOT a guaranteed method by any means!!!! It takes time.It worked for me but it took about 3 weeks of repeating this EVERY DAY (always removing the dog when the other pet gets too agitated) before I could even ATTEMPT an offleash introduction (same drill though...as soon as the dog shows signs of giving chase,use the "leave it" command and put him in a down stay.
Is Hershey crate trained??...you might also want to try crating him and allowing Malcolm in the room (always under strict supervision of course...never leave them alone together even with the dog crated) This way the dog can get used to the sight and smell of the cat, and the cat (once he realizes the dog is confined) can sniff around without feeling too threatened.

It can't hurt to try,right?...it might not work for you,but you might be pleasantly surprised....give it time though....some animals take MONTHS to get accustomed to coexisting...and like Guest Pat pointed out...some animals NEVER get over their aggression towards each other (I hope this is not the case for you). In any event ,if this DOES work for you,I STILL wouldn't leave them unsupervised in a room.....always make sure the cat can escape to a safe place.......crate the dog or close them in separate rooms when you leave the house and keep their food,toys and beds in separate parts of the house...

When I first brought my dog home,he was hell bent on killing my Macaw..... he tried to tackle her cage......threw himself into a plate glass door trying to get at her...tried to chew through a wood panel door because he knew she was on the other side of it.It was a NIGHTMARE. Now they hardly notice each other....the dog is perfectly fine with the bird being out of her cage in the same room(as a matter of fact the dog backs down to HER now)...the bird has stopped trying to fly at the dog and bite him :roll: ....its MUCH more peaceful around here :lol:

I wish you and your fiance and Hershey and Malcolm luck.Please let us know the outcome!

[Carolk9s]

Just an idea, would putting each animal is a separate crate in the same room do any good? Making sure of course that each crate is VERY secure, put them across the room from each other, ignore the rumbles and growls, ignore the animals, just sit in the room and read or play a game, IGNORE the animals. If/when the growls and grumbles subside, move the crates just a bit closer then again ignore the animals. I'm thinking if this is to work it will take some time, maybe more than one day. The idea is to very gradually move the animals closer to each other, ignore them till they decide its not getting them anywhere by snarling and growling at one another. I'm wondering if some quiet low key praise to both when they are BOTH quiet will help. I still would not trust them loose around each other for some time but perhaps this will help desensitize them to each other a bit.

[deepseasnake]

the problem here is its gonna be all dog because what do you tell a cat? I

once saw a thing on domesticated animals and this doctor guy summed up cats and dogs in relation to us, their care givers,
The Dog,
Wow, these people give me food, water, a place to live and love, they must be God
The Cat
Wow, these people give me food, water, a place to live and love, I must be God

anyway, I'm very interested on your progress please keep us informed and like I said I really would like to know if the dog seems "malicious" or if he's just chaseing the little thing that runs