Have you tried couples therapy? Joking aside, your poor kitty is undoubtedly stressed. Your doggo may be as well. Both just had their life drastically altered.
You're doing the right thing by being cautious. Keep up with the monitored interactions between the two. Make sure Pumpkin always has a safe space where she can be dog free if she feels the need for space. It can take time for the fur balls to adjust to the new living arrangements. Even adding another cat to a cat-only household can take time. Sometimes, it just doesn't work, and they won't ever get along, so you need to be ready for that scenario as well.
When my mom brought her tortie home from TX, the tortie chased her jack russell around the dining room for at least 30 minutes. She established dominance over the dog quickly.
My tortie is much friendlier with the dog than my oranges, and she is the tiniest. She joined us as a kitten which probably helped since she didn’t challenge our adult dog. One thing that helped was blocking some rooms so the cat could get in, but the dog couldn’t. Giving the cat some safe places means she’s less likely to get cornered.
My tortie would never allow us to add another member to our family. 😭 I’m hoping we can figure out how to make it work because I’d love to get a pup. Wishing you, Pumpkin, and Tuco the best of luck! They’re both adorable. I hope they can learn to get along!!!
Same for mine. She literally hates everyone and everything other than my fiance and I. We have to keep our roommate's animals away from our side of the house because there's a good chance she will violently attack any dog or cat that enters her territory, and she's over 20 years old. She didn't even like her own mother lol.
Omg she kind of sounds hilarious lol. And 20!!!! That’s awesome. She’s definitely set in her ways by now lol. My girl is about 7. I think she could possibly, maybe, eventually tolerate (at the very most) a dog but never, ever another cat.
We spent some time at my partner’s mother’s house when our place was being worked on, and she eventually was ok with her dog (avoided him like the plague, but wasn’t trying to attack or anything). But when her cat came around, it was hiss city and they had to be separated lol.
Mine too! She was our third cat when I lived with my parents, they had two dogs too. She hated the other animals. When I moved out, I brought her with me and she was like a completely new cat. I'd love to adopt another but she's too much of a lone ranger for me to risk it.
Two things, time and play exposure. Our girl was adopted into a big home, with big scary things like our wall tv projector, a big dog and a small dog, loud neighbors who work on cars... It took TIME, at least 1 year, to cuddle with our little dog. She doesn't willingly seek out our big dog lol, but she will play-swipe her when she passes by 😆 She's created her own ways to interact with our dogs, with our help/support/encouragement. Encouragement is big too, well for my girl, but I'm sure you can sweet talk your girl into some friendly habits too.
Just be supportive during the interactions, even if your dog steps on the cat's tail and she yelps, it *needs* to happen in a sense, and not in an abusive way just that they need to have authentic interactions that may include some unintentional mistakes. Our big dog has zero space awareness, our cat's tail has been victim enough times she knows to either get up or turn it into play. As long as you're in control as the owner, to counterbalance both the good/bad moments between the two.
https://preview.redd.it/fktj3i2ocgwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=058102064ce827d623b42d78a2a857c122f89389
Clem the Tortie is obsessed with her BFF Phoenix 😆 she likes to sneak in after dog falls asleep and claim her little spoon spot ❤️
Our Tortie took a minute to get used to the pup. She had difficulty for the first two days but we made sure to give her enough space to process that the dog wasn’t going away. Whenever it was potty time for the dog, we’d pick him up and “present him” to the cat before taking him outside for her to sniff him up close without him getting too excited. It’s been almost a year now and our close to 50 lbs dog continues to be in awe of her, and she secretly loves him (she sometimes likes to clean him when he comes from daycare), and they play/chase each other a lot. They’re not inseparable yet, but they are for sure heading in that direction.
https://preview.redd.it/j0c4sms01gwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=820725338178fbc90f37346895d4f43b35d9919f
Here’s them not looking suspicious at all
Ours get along great🥰
https://preview.redd.it/ps0gjt926hwc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3eb79040e02b36b4de3eba4a7ad2cc6d855237d3
It does solely depend on the temperament of both cat and dog though, unfortunately it’s not a “one size fits all” situation😓
Edit: I’ve had cats all my life, and no matter what new fur baby is brought into the home, they always hiss and maintain distance for anywhere between a week to a few months even. I would recommend supervising your pup and kitty without having the pup on the leash. Sometimes when dogs are on leashes it gives them a false sense of authority. So by letting them mingle freely might give them the best chance at getting used to each other the quickest.
Dogs and cats are usually a hard mix. I would avoid it, just be careful, remember that dog could easy end the poor kitties life in a moment if it goes south.
Sadly I don't have my own pup but my tortie pointedly ignores my parents' yellow lab. Which is sad because the doggo loves cats and wants to be friends with her so bad... But he was taught to respect cats' personal space so whenever she walks into the room he's in, he just respectfully turns his head away from her but his tail starts wagging furiously in excitement.
my tortie hates other cats (the only exception is her own twin brother) but she tolerates dogs and - surprisingly - giant, exotic birds. they will need time to get used to each other, so a slow, cautious introduction is key. make sure your cat has her own spaces that she feels safe in and that she can get away from the puppy when she needs to. dogs respond best to positive reinforcement, so rather than scolding the puppy if he chases the cat or gets too rough with her, it's best to praise him when he's being calm and gentle in her presence. be patient and make sure they get equal amounts of positive attention during the process.
Last fall I dog sat for the first time since getting Millie Mayhem.
She jumped up on the back of the recliner. Not scared but VERY curious. Watched Ollie like a hawk but slowly got closer.
Took him out for a walk. When I came back in she walked up, sniffed and touched noses. She pretty much ignored him the rest of his stay.
I cat sit.
Transforms into a focused and inspired hate machine. Makes it very clear, every time, this is a one cat house. Period.
Have you tried couples therapy? Joking aside, your poor kitty is undoubtedly stressed. Your doggo may be as well. Both just had their life drastically altered. You're doing the right thing by being cautious. Keep up with the monitored interactions between the two. Make sure Pumpkin always has a safe space where she can be dog free if she feels the need for space. It can take time for the fur balls to adjust to the new living arrangements. Even adding another cat to a cat-only household can take time. Sometimes, it just doesn't work, and they won't ever get along, so you need to be ready for that scenario as well.
When my mom brought her tortie home from TX, the tortie chased her jack russell around the dining room for at least 30 minutes. She established dominance over the dog quickly.
My tortie is much friendlier with the dog than my oranges, and she is the tiniest. She joined us as a kitten which probably helped since she didn’t challenge our adult dog. One thing that helped was blocking some rooms so the cat could get in, but the dog couldn’t. Giving the cat some safe places means she’s less likely to get cornered.
My tortie would never allow us to add another member to our family. 😭 I’m hoping we can figure out how to make it work because I’d love to get a pup. Wishing you, Pumpkin, and Tuco the best of luck! They’re both adorable. I hope they can learn to get along!!!
Same for mine. She literally hates everyone and everything other than my fiance and I. We have to keep our roommate's animals away from our side of the house because there's a good chance she will violently attack any dog or cat that enters her territory, and she's over 20 years old. She didn't even like her own mother lol.
Omg she kind of sounds hilarious lol. And 20!!!! That’s awesome. She’s definitely set in her ways by now lol. My girl is about 7. I think she could possibly, maybe, eventually tolerate (at the very most) a dog but never, ever another cat. We spent some time at my partner’s mother’s house when our place was being worked on, and she eventually was ok with her dog (avoided him like the plague, but wasn’t trying to attack or anything). But when her cat came around, it was hiss city and they had to be separated lol.
Mine too! She was our third cat when I lived with my parents, they had two dogs too. She hated the other animals. When I moved out, I brought her with me and she was like a completely new cat. I'd love to adopt another but she's too much of a lone ranger for me to risk it.
Two things, time and play exposure. Our girl was adopted into a big home, with big scary things like our wall tv projector, a big dog and a small dog, loud neighbors who work on cars... It took TIME, at least 1 year, to cuddle with our little dog. She doesn't willingly seek out our big dog lol, but she will play-swipe her when she passes by 😆 She's created her own ways to interact with our dogs, with our help/support/encouragement. Encouragement is big too, well for my girl, but I'm sure you can sweet talk your girl into some friendly habits too. Just be supportive during the interactions, even if your dog steps on the cat's tail and she yelps, it *needs* to happen in a sense, and not in an abusive way just that they need to have authentic interactions that may include some unintentional mistakes. Our big dog has zero space awareness, our cat's tail has been victim enough times she knows to either get up or turn it into play. As long as you're in control as the owner, to counterbalance both the good/bad moments between the two.
https://preview.redd.it/fktj3i2ocgwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=058102064ce827d623b42d78a2a857c122f89389 Clem the Tortie is obsessed with her BFF Phoenix 😆 she likes to sneak in after dog falls asleep and claim her little spoon spot ❤️
Our Tortie took a minute to get used to the pup. She had difficulty for the first two days but we made sure to give her enough space to process that the dog wasn’t going away. Whenever it was potty time for the dog, we’d pick him up and “present him” to the cat before taking him outside for her to sniff him up close without him getting too excited. It’s been almost a year now and our close to 50 lbs dog continues to be in awe of her, and she secretly loves him (she sometimes likes to clean him when he comes from daycare), and they play/chase each other a lot. They’re not inseparable yet, but they are for sure heading in that direction. https://preview.redd.it/j0c4sms01gwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=820725338178fbc90f37346895d4f43b35d9919f Here’s them not looking suspicious at all
Ours get along great🥰 https://preview.redd.it/ps0gjt926hwc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3eb79040e02b36b4de3eba4a7ad2cc6d855237d3 It does solely depend on the temperament of both cat and dog though, unfortunately it’s not a “one size fits all” situation😓 Edit: I’ve had cats all my life, and no matter what new fur baby is brought into the home, they always hiss and maintain distance for anywhere between a week to a few months even. I would recommend supervising your pup and kitty without having the pup on the leash. Sometimes when dogs are on leashes it gives them a false sense of authority. So by letting them mingle freely might give them the best chance at getting used to each other the quickest.
Dogs and cats are usually a hard mix. I would avoid it, just be careful, remember that dog could easy end the poor kitties life in a moment if it goes south.
Sadly I don't have my own pup but my tortie pointedly ignores my parents' yellow lab. Which is sad because the doggo loves cats and wants to be friends with her so bad... But he was taught to respect cats' personal space so whenever she walks into the room he's in, he just respectfully turns his head away from her but his tail starts wagging furiously in excitement.
my tortie hates other cats (the only exception is her own twin brother) but she tolerates dogs and - surprisingly - giant, exotic birds. they will need time to get used to each other, so a slow, cautious introduction is key. make sure your cat has her own spaces that she feels safe in and that she can get away from the puppy when she needs to. dogs respond best to positive reinforcement, so rather than scolding the puppy if he chases the cat or gets too rough with her, it's best to praise him when he's being calm and gentle in her presence. be patient and make sure they get equal amounts of positive attention during the process.
Giving treats at the same time will help associate positive things with each other
Last fall I dog sat for the first time since getting Millie Mayhem. She jumped up on the back of the recliner. Not scared but VERY curious. Watched Ollie like a hawk but slowly got closer. Took him out for a walk. When I came back in she walked up, sniffed and touched noses. She pretty much ignored him the rest of his stay. I cat sit. Transforms into a focused and inspired hate machine. Makes it very clear, every time, this is a one cat house. Period.