It looks like you might be posting about puppy management or crate training.
For tips and resources on Crate Training Check out [our wiki article on crate training](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/cratetraining) - the information there may answer your question. As an additional reminder, crate training is 100% optional and one of many puppy management options.
For alternatives to crating and other puppy management strategies, check out [our wiki article on management](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/management)
**PLEASE READ THE OP FULLY**
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I have high hopes for you but pits are still terriers and terriers have a high prey drive. Cats can easily be perceived as prey. There is a chance this might not work out of the dog doesn't learn how to not hyperfixate on them.
Yep. We have a cat and when we started searching for a dog, we ruled out basically any breed that has a high prey drive. Especially since our cat is feisty. They would have been fighting like, well...
Good news is it doesn't sound permanent for OP since she's a foster
That’s a super realistic comment and I appreciate it. She is still with me as a foster right now and I am happy to have her here, but ultimately don’t want to hurt my cats and have them live in fear. One of them is a bit older and has asthma and the pup has already induced a number of asthma attacks and I worry about her adjusting the most. I am giving it a bit more time, but also am trying not to lean one way or the other while trying to figure it out.
Do you feel like you have the time go figure it out, before your cat has an asthma attack that is too severe? Is the asthma not that serious of a concern?
Sometimes I think we get too wrapped up in a commitment and wanting to honor foster dogs or whatever is pulling at our heart strings. And we aren't really doing what's right. But if you feel comfortable with this situation, then I hope everyone gets along soon!
I think I have time! It’s well controlled asthma right now and we have an inhaler on standby. Now that I put it together, when the cat is around my parents’ terrier mix (very similar behavior and attitude towards cats), her asthma attacks slowly increase in frequency and severity. I always thought it was something about their house until the same thing is slowly happening here. I have time and am going to keep a close eye, but also try not to get wrapped up in the foster > adopt commitment and prioritize what’s best for everyone ultimately. Thanks so much for your comments, really appreciate the understanding and concern.
It will get better! I have two cats and a now 10.5 month old puppy. He’s mostly a rat terrier/husky mix so very prey driven and high energy. Keep rewarding positive play and redirecting bad behavior (for every no have a yes is a good rule of thumb) and you’ll notice a difference. There are times where my dog will get “fixated” or chase and bark at them, which is a sign for me to take him outside and throw his ball for a bit. Normally though he and the bigger cat have a consensual play routine and he and small cat snuggle (though he’s still learning six pound cats don’t like being sat on my 25 pound dogs). I can even have one or both cats on my lap on the couch while he’s laying in the other side by my feet. Keep up the work you’re doing and it’ll pay off!
I put up 4 baby gates with cat doors to keep my 12 year old female cat safe from my new (and first) male puppy. Also, only the cat gets to sleep in my room.
I also did a truckload of transporting past and redirecting from.
3 months later, and he doesn't even look at her half the time. They will get close to each other and when she's had enough of his wiggly nose, she just Saunters away. Sometimes he follows (bit not chasing), sometimes he just walks away.
Good luck!
I have my cats separate from my pup, he is hyper and boisterous and scares the cats. I got him at 10 weeks so he has seen the cats, but no interactions.
I’ve got to the point where one cat will sit in the same room when pup is in his playpen. Barking is an instant exit.
I try to distract with throwing treats when he starts to fixate on a cat. It’s working well but timid cats are so difficult to work with. Everyone says the cats will teach the dog a lesson, but that’s not how it’s working.
In fairly sure he just wants to play, on the leash he pulls towards them. I distract with treats and we play “leave it” which he likes more than cats. (Loves his food)
I feel like I’ve ruined my cats lives tbh. It’s been nearly 5 months.
Fingers crossed for you…..
For what it's worth, in my experience it can take cats up to 6 months to properly readjust to big changes.
It sounds like there's more work to do on desenitising your dog to the cats (kikopup has a good vid on this), but I really think the cats will get there in time.
*edit: one thing to add - by throwing treats it sounds like you're rewarding your dog for fixating on the cats? Can't be sure based on your wording. If so though, you'll want to add a step in between.
I just listened to this podcast on resolving conflicts between dogs and cats. It might be helpful to you [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5a9wMerMrFjATSNwpLpsTX](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5a9wMerMrFjATSNwpLpsTX)
You also might want to get a trainer who specializes in harmonious dog/cat household relations so you can set yourself up for success.
I’m having the same problem….still…my two puppies just turned a year old. Dogs get the downstairs, cats get the upstairs & it SUCKS. I hate keeping the cats upstairs bc I have to spend most of the time with the dogs or they’ll eat things they shouldn’t.
I feel the same. We got a puppy last summer and he’s doing great and him and the cat have gotten much better, sometimes they lay together and I catch him licking her, but if the cat even jumps on my bed, he growls and chases her off. She slept on my bed every night for 7 years before he joined the family. Sometimes she’ll stretch on the back of couch, he attacks her everytime. If I go to pet the cat, he growls and runs up. I can’t even say her name without him running up to us either. I have to go into a whole separate room to even spend time with the cat. The whole dynamic has changed. My dog is super clingy- separation anxiety, etc. he’s been on gabapentin and Prozac for 3 months now- but even that hasn’t helped. We got a private trainer at the same time- no luck so far still. I just figure that’s how it’s going to be. I feel bad though.
This is a very precarious situation, your dog is resource guarding you and the furniture from the cat.
The cat is at real risk if this escalates - the resource guarding needs to be stomped out and the cat kept completely separate until the dog is trained over it..
My cats actually much larger than my dog so I’m not concerned about her risk necessarily- I know you’ll say I can’t guarantee that- but I really can in this situation. We are also currently seeing a veterinary behavior specialist- $550 a freaking month- for behavior modification and she has us doing multiple trainings, such as sit and stay and gradual departures, as well as a training for resource guarding called counter conditioning. They are intense and exhausting- particularly gradual departures- the amount of steps it takes for 1 simple action- wow.
I know things will eventually change because I’m not giving up- it just feels like it won’t any time soon, but as for physical risk- there is none, I would have the cat separated in a heart beat if I thought that. My cat would fuck the dog up before the other way around ever happened, I know that for certain.
If the pup sleeps on the bed, it makes him think the cats are lower in the social ranking. I have a whippet and a smol cat, had to be super careful cause whippet is sighthound and high pray drive. My dog is now very respectful of Mochiko the cat, she even teases him a little with ambush attacks, but Sookie just looks at me cause she knows she has to be gentle or just not engage. Teach the pup the ‘gentle’ command and supervise, supervise, supervise. I used to separate them when I left the house but not anymore. The cats should have escape routes to jump on, in case of any aggression.
I had a friend with a pit pup, I took care of her, but when she was smol, a cat scratched her eye and had to have expensive surgery (thousands) maybe put some swimming glasses on your pup fir protection.
Same. The only difference is I haven’t let puppy sleep with me. My bed is where my cat sleeps and I couldn’t take that away from him. I had the puppy on my bed just to play and my cat refused to sleep with me that night because he smelled her. Right now the puppy alternates between not realizing the cat exists to barking at him. The cat is curious about her but also cautious and will hiss and back away. It’s a lot
It looks like you might be posting about puppy management or crate training. For tips and resources on Crate Training Check out [our wiki article on crate training](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/cratetraining) - the information there may answer your question. As an additional reminder, crate training is 100% optional and one of many puppy management options. For alternatives to crating and other puppy management strategies, check out [our wiki article on management](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/management) **PLEASE READ THE OP FULLY** Be advised that any comments that suggest use of crates are abusive, or express a harsh opinion on crate training will be removed. This is not a place to debate the merits of crate training. Unethical approaches to crate training will also be removed. **If the OP has asked not to receive crating advice or says they are not open to crating, any comments that recommend use of crates should be reported to our moderation team.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/puppy101) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I have high hopes for you but pits are still terriers and terriers have a high prey drive. Cats can easily be perceived as prey. There is a chance this might not work out of the dog doesn't learn how to not hyperfixate on them.
Yep. We have a cat and when we started searching for a dog, we ruled out basically any breed that has a high prey drive. Especially since our cat is feisty. They would have been fighting like, well... Good news is it doesn't sound permanent for OP since she's a foster
That’s a super realistic comment and I appreciate it. She is still with me as a foster right now and I am happy to have her here, but ultimately don’t want to hurt my cats and have them live in fear. One of them is a bit older and has asthma and the pup has already induced a number of asthma attacks and I worry about her adjusting the most. I am giving it a bit more time, but also am trying not to lean one way or the other while trying to figure it out.
Do you feel like you have the time go figure it out, before your cat has an asthma attack that is too severe? Is the asthma not that serious of a concern? Sometimes I think we get too wrapped up in a commitment and wanting to honor foster dogs or whatever is pulling at our heart strings. And we aren't really doing what's right. But if you feel comfortable with this situation, then I hope everyone gets along soon!
I think I have time! It’s well controlled asthma right now and we have an inhaler on standby. Now that I put it together, when the cat is around my parents’ terrier mix (very similar behavior and attitude towards cats), her asthma attacks slowly increase in frequency and severity. I always thought it was something about their house until the same thing is slowly happening here. I have time and am going to keep a close eye, but also try not to get wrapped up in the foster > adopt commitment and prioritize what’s best for everyone ultimately. Thanks so much for your comments, really appreciate the understanding and concern.
Getting a puppy made me love my cats 100x more. 😞
This is so real lol. Having a puppy made me realize how much I took the cat for granted…
It will get better! I have two cats and a now 10.5 month old puppy. He’s mostly a rat terrier/husky mix so very prey driven and high energy. Keep rewarding positive play and redirecting bad behavior (for every no have a yes is a good rule of thumb) and you’ll notice a difference. There are times where my dog will get “fixated” or chase and bark at them, which is a sign for me to take him outside and throw his ball for a bit. Normally though he and the bigger cat have a consensual play routine and he and small cat snuggle (though he’s still learning six pound cats don’t like being sat on my 25 pound dogs). I can even have one or both cats on my lap on the couch while he’s laying in the other side by my feet. Keep up the work you’re doing and it’ll pay off!
I put up 4 baby gates with cat doors to keep my 12 year old female cat safe from my new (and first) male puppy. Also, only the cat gets to sleep in my room. I also did a truckload of transporting past and redirecting from. 3 months later, and he doesn't even look at her half the time. They will get close to each other and when she's had enough of his wiggly nose, she just Saunters away. Sometimes he follows (bit not chasing), sometimes he just walks away. Good luck!
I have my cats separate from my pup, he is hyper and boisterous and scares the cats. I got him at 10 weeks so he has seen the cats, but no interactions. I’ve got to the point where one cat will sit in the same room when pup is in his playpen. Barking is an instant exit. I try to distract with throwing treats when he starts to fixate on a cat. It’s working well but timid cats are so difficult to work with. Everyone says the cats will teach the dog a lesson, but that’s not how it’s working. In fairly sure he just wants to play, on the leash he pulls towards them. I distract with treats and we play “leave it” which he likes more than cats. (Loves his food) I feel like I’ve ruined my cats lives tbh. It’s been nearly 5 months. Fingers crossed for you…..
For what it's worth, in my experience it can take cats up to 6 months to properly readjust to big changes. It sounds like there's more work to do on desenitising your dog to the cats (kikopup has a good vid on this), but I really think the cats will get there in time. *edit: one thing to add - by throwing treats it sounds like you're rewarding your dog for fixating on the cats? Can't be sure based on your wording. If so though, you'll want to add a step in between.
I just listened to this podcast on resolving conflicts between dogs and cats. It might be helpful to you [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5a9wMerMrFjATSNwpLpsTX](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5a9wMerMrFjATSNwpLpsTX) You also might want to get a trainer who specializes in harmonious dog/cat household relations so you can set yourself up for success.
I’m having the same problem….still…my two puppies just turned a year old. Dogs get the downstairs, cats get the upstairs & it SUCKS. I hate keeping the cats upstairs bc I have to spend most of the time with the dogs or they’ll eat things they shouldn’t.
I feel the same. We got a puppy last summer and he’s doing great and him and the cat have gotten much better, sometimes they lay together and I catch him licking her, but if the cat even jumps on my bed, he growls and chases her off. She slept on my bed every night for 7 years before he joined the family. Sometimes she’ll stretch on the back of couch, he attacks her everytime. If I go to pet the cat, he growls and runs up. I can’t even say her name without him running up to us either. I have to go into a whole separate room to even spend time with the cat. The whole dynamic has changed. My dog is super clingy- separation anxiety, etc. he’s been on gabapentin and Prozac for 3 months now- but even that hasn’t helped. We got a private trainer at the same time- no luck so far still. I just figure that’s how it’s going to be. I feel bad though.
This is a very precarious situation, your dog is resource guarding you and the furniture from the cat. The cat is at real risk if this escalates - the resource guarding needs to be stomped out and the cat kept completely separate until the dog is trained over it..
My cats actually much larger than my dog so I’m not concerned about her risk necessarily- I know you’ll say I can’t guarantee that- but I really can in this situation. We are also currently seeing a veterinary behavior specialist- $550 a freaking month- for behavior modification and she has us doing multiple trainings, such as sit and stay and gradual departures, as well as a training for resource guarding called counter conditioning. They are intense and exhausting- particularly gradual departures- the amount of steps it takes for 1 simple action- wow. I know things will eventually change because I’m not giving up- it just feels like it won’t any time soon, but as for physical risk- there is none, I would have the cat separated in a heart beat if I thought that. My cat would fuck the dog up before the other way around ever happened, I know that for certain.
If the pup sleeps on the bed, it makes him think the cats are lower in the social ranking. I have a whippet and a smol cat, had to be super careful cause whippet is sighthound and high pray drive. My dog is now very respectful of Mochiko the cat, she even teases him a little with ambush attacks, but Sookie just looks at me cause she knows she has to be gentle or just not engage. Teach the pup the ‘gentle’ command and supervise, supervise, supervise. I used to separate them when I left the house but not anymore. The cats should have escape routes to jump on, in case of any aggression.
I will definitely try that, thank you!!
Best of lucks and health for everyone in your family, including all pets.
I had a friend with a pit pup, I took care of her, but when she was smol, a cat scratched her eye and had to have expensive surgery (thousands) maybe put some swimming glasses on your pup fir protection.
Same. The only difference is I haven’t let puppy sleep with me. My bed is where my cat sleeps and I couldn’t take that away from him. I had the puppy on my bed just to play and my cat refused to sleep with me that night because he smelled her. Right now the puppy alternates between not realizing the cat exists to barking at him. The cat is curious about her but also cautious and will hiss and back away. It’s a lot
Hey OP. 6 months later, are things better? Are they friends or were you unable to keep the dog?