Camden's Mom Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 I have a huge, bossy, dominant male cat who was borderline cruel to Camden as a puppy. Due to very poor management on my part (I didn't know what I was doing and made some serious mistakes) they really hated each other. Things were at their worst when Camden, as he was entering adolescence, decided to take matters into his own jaw, delivering a few very nasty air snaps at the cat. He never touched the cat, but it was a serious warning and a reality check for me. I did some research, consulted our trainer and changed tactics. The biggest change I made was actually standing up for my dog and defend him from the cat when it was being an a$$hole to him. Things got much, much better once I started managing them more appropriately. I just needed them to be able to live together, not to be friends. Well... over the past couple of months I *think* they have started playing. In an effort not to stifle the growth of their relationship I've watched cautiously and stopped it if necessary. Now it's becoming more and more common and I just want to make sure we're not treading into dangerous territory. Basically the big male cat will posture, puff up and essentially bait Camden into chasing him. He'll then run and hide behind the curtain, pouncing out at Camden once he gets close enough. Then the game switches and Camden is the one being chased around the room. Rinse and repeat (with the cat selecting different "hiding spots" to pounce from). When the game gets too serious I put a stop to it, but that's happening less and less. Does this sound OK?? Do your dogs play with your cats? Is it safe to let them play together or am I just asking for trouble letting them do this? Should I be concerned because they have a tumultuous history? I wasn't too worried about it a few weeks ago because the cat and dog "playtime" was pretty rare. Now as it's becoming more common I want to make sure it's OK before I go and screw these two up again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 I don't have a lot to offer here, as I don't have much of a history with cats (I'm even more allergic to them than I am to dogs), but I used to have an only dog and an only cat at one time who played with each other and all the time and otherwise had a very close bond. So it is possible for cats and dogs to play together and to be close friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 A couple of my cats have been good playmates with my dogs. I do always try to keep an eye on things to make sure it doesn't get too rough (usually a youngster too rough on the cat). Birdie used to play with both Calvin and Sneaky. They are staying with a friend right now, but I have no doubt they'd still be playing if we were all together. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway61 Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 I have a 12 month BC and the wife has a 16 yr old tom cat. When Sammy was a pup he wanted to play with the cat and of course, chased it. It didn't take long to curb and stop the pup from doing this as the cat did what he does to all of us and that is ignore us. Unless it's meal time or he needs us to let him out/in. Then he musters up just a tad of affection. But I think it would be nice if they did play together. However I don't see that happening as the cat has little tolerance for anything but getting fed (obviously I'm not fan of the cat ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom of Mya Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 I actually had a cat and dog growing up that slept in the same bed together. They were extremely bonded to each other. After the cat had kittens, the dog carried them around just like the mother but more than the mother did. Then the cat, dog, and kittens all slept in the same bed until I gave the kittens away to neighbors (we lived out in the country). Then the silly dog would go to the neighbor's houses and carry the kittens back home again!! It was comical to me, my dad not so amused.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom of Mya Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 Also I have a dog groomer friend right now who has 2 cats and 2 dogs and they all sleep and play in the same room together. She just sent me a picture the other day of the cat sleeping with her dog in its' bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 When I had Tobi she would pick on the dogs. When Josie first got here I would stop her from chasing Tobi until I realized Tobi wanted her to. When Tobi died Josie grieved like I never saw a dog grieve before. It broke my heart a second time. I know not all dogs and cats get along but it's awesome when they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy1 Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 When we brought Maisy home 7 weeks ago our 3 indoor / outdoor cats and the 3 Shih-tzu's were horrified. The cats disappeared for 2 days. Now, 7 weeks later the Shih-tzu's are still dumbstruck what to make of this BC puppy of the likes they have never seen and try to ignore her. In the meantime Maisy has made "friends" with 2 of the cats. They actually have a chasing game they play in the backyard. So far I have observed no problems but I do keep an eye on the games to make sure no one becomes mean or aggressive. My first BC was very friendly with the 2 housecats we had. Oddly enough I got those 2 cats at the advise of my vet as Murphy was having anxiety issues being left alone. Having the 2 cats in the house to look after helped a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 My cat initiate play with my dogs all the time. As long as you keep an eye on it, I think you will know if either one gets carried away with himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway61 Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camden's Mom Posted April 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 @ Highway61... ha!! If they looked like the cat and dog in that picture I'd hardly be worried. Too cute. A lot of you have shared stories about cats and dogs that get along but the fact is I wouldn't call these two friends. Camden and Riffraff were more like mortal enemies for the first eight months... it was awful. I came to terms with the fact that these two would never get along but, who knows, maybe they are becoming friends now that they've found a game they can play together. The sweet, timid, female cat sure doesn't want to be chased all over the house by Riffraff and my dog doesn't have any canine playmates. I'll just keep an eye on it and maybe they will actually find a way to enjoy each other's company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 I had 2 feral cat sisters. One I got at 6 weeks old and was able to tame her fairly well, the other, we didn't get until she was 9 weeks old and she never tamed much. They both never really cared for the dogs, but I have 2 other cats to teach the dogs how to behave, so I never cared. At 13 1/2, I lost the friendlier one on Valentines day, leaving the wild one by herself. Three days later, she decided that she is a house cat(used to prefer the isolation of the garage) and demands attention, including rubbing on the dogs. They most certainly can change their mind about their relationships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 They most certainly can change their mind about their relationships. Yes, they can! When I got my first cat, a kitten, I told my then border collie, Chance, that he could pick the one we'd bring home. There were 2 left, and he was definitely much more interested in the little imp who spat and hissed at him, ignoring the sweet one who curled up in my lap and purred next to him. I lied to him and brought the friendly one home. He decided he wanted to have nothing to do with her, but she had other ideas. I have pictures of her rubbing up against him while he's showing all his teeth and growling at her to stay away. She never got the message, and he finally gave in, and they became fast friends. They didn't play chase so much, but they wrestled a lot. Very cute. I used to have to work away from home a couple days at a time then. I left her at home with plenty of food & water, and Chance stayed with friends. Manitou (the cat) always greeted him first when we came home. It was quite obvious that she missed him more than she missed me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted April 11, 2014 Report Share Posted April 11, 2014 That sounds like pretty normal cat/dog play to me. As long as they try to hurt each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaveProfesora Posted April 11, 2014 Report Share Posted April 11, 2014 I don't have a "friend" cat and dog situation, more of a sibling one. They like each other, but get really annoyed at one another too. If they could talk, all I would hear all day is "He started it" "I had it first!" etc. The dog actually swats at the cat like the cat. What you describe sounds like playing. Just keep an eye. Even my two (who do love each other--kind of) can get out of hand every now and again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Boots Posted April 12, 2014 Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 We have a large Siamese who rules the home, yard, and neighbor driveways. More often then not I have had to put him in time out when he was relentlessly egging on Timber as a puppy. Or when he would get too violent in play. For our situation is has been just as important to make sure the cat isn't being rude or pushy just as much as making sure the dog is behaving. Sounds like you are on the right track and monitoring well. Pict of Timber vs C.O.B. face off just prior to the pup getting his butt kicked. A kitty sandwich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camden's Mom Posted April 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2014 We have a large Siamese who rules the home, yard, and neighbor driveways. More often then not I have had to put him in time out when he was relentlessly egging on Timber as a puppy. Your Siamese sounds a LOT like Riffraff. This is the bossiest, pushiest most dominant cat I've ever owned... and he's huge. Once I started managing him and Camden more appropriately I also began instituting time outs for the cat. I also started quietly praising both of them when they were in the same room together and remaining calm. The thing that helped the most though was I began to use the same language and tone with the cat as I had been using with the dog. I was actually doing this for the benefit of Camden so he could clearly understand that I was disciplining the cat and why I was doing so. To my astonishment the cat has picked up a lot of these cues and now understands some basic commands! When the two of them are lingering around the kitchen hoping to get a scrap of food I can say "out" and the dog AND THE CAT run out of the room, do a 180 at the doorway, lie down and watch me from there. By trying to help my dog understand my communications with the cat, I've inadvertently trained the cat (at least in a few things, lol)!! This is not a high quality picture of them, but here's Riffraff and Camden sharing a sun spot. Them laying this close together isn't exactly common but it does happen every now and then. I had written off that they would ever be anything more then neutral parties sharing a space but now I'm really interested to see how their relationship develops over time! (p.s. Jumpin' Boots: **LOVE** the kitty sandwich pic, lol!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted April 13, 2014 Report Share Posted April 13, 2014 Sounds to me like they are becoming friends and they look very comfortable together in that photo. I haven't had a cat in many years, but when I did the cats and dogs often played together as you describe your two doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Point Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 My cat is an A'hole. He doesn't like being touched and is miserable to everybody in the family. I found him abandoned under my deck a few years ago when he was only few weeks old. Anyway, he is only indoor and is a good cat otherwise. Now the dog comes along (12 months now) and well...Tio (dog) is the most friendly creature on the planet. He loves this damned cat and wants to be friends sooo bad.. The cat...no way! So right now I have to watch them because the cat will rub up against Tio but them turn around and wack him on the nose. Tio doesn't mind and he's pretty quick to get out of the way but I'm only concerned the cat might get him in the eye one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roanhorse Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 playing like cats and dogs! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32cIc4Yfvq0&feature=youtu.be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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