What do you do?

tltrooster · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 9:57 pm Post subject: What do you do?

Okay, here is my dilema, I hav two cats that are 11, 10 yrs old. Ihad them before Champ came and they were my best friends. They were pretty much left after the divorce. Well Champ comes into the picture and
I love this dog so much. He is my sidekick and goes with me everywhere,
the problem is that I hardly spend any time with the cats. Champ and my
cats do NOT get along. Champ is very prey driven, and I am so afraid that one day he is going to get to one of them. I put them in my extra bedroom and they have all the comforts, but I feel really bad that they
arenot getting any attention. When I do spend time with them, I feel guilty because I am not spending time with Champ. I put him on the back
patio and he cries, and scratchs on the door. I am thinking of surrendering my cats to a local rescue shelter. How do you divide your time between your animals. Most of the time when I check on them, they
are just sleeping in the window seal. They do get full roam of the house
when I am at work, but I dont want to see one of them get hurt by
Champ. He has seen them from the patio door, and he was NOT very
happy. Hackels were up and tail was NOT wagging. I recently have been making sure when I do go into the room, that Champ is either in my
room or on the patio. god forbid one of my cats decide to take a run when I open the door. So whats everyones opinion??

SparkyTansy · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 10:07 pm Post subject:

I currently have 5 dogs and a cat in the house. One of our dogs is an ex-racer greyhound... a prey driven dog who was trained out of wanting to chase small animals. It can be done...
however, I understand that there are many who cannot be trained out of this behaviour for one reason or another...
As for spending time with all of them, well, it is hard to divide up your attention between 5 dogs and a cat, however the cat gets to sleep in our room and the dogs dont, so that solves my problem.
Your dog should not be so attached to you that it cries when it is outside and you are trying to spend time with your cats. Champ should be happy to spend some time by himself... have you thought to try him with a toy or a chew? what about giving him a bone or chicken carcass to devour while you spend time with your cats? he would then associate good things with being left alone and you could let the cats out.
Another idea could be perhaps sectioning part of your yard and build a cat run for your cats? something that Champ could not get to but they would be getting fresh air and some play time outdoors without roaming free?
whatever you do, i would NOT give them up. They are older cats, and it'd be unfair just because you have a dog to entertain. I would even go to the effort of getting in a good dog behaviourist in to assess the situation and help you make changes to keep your pack dynamics balanced, before i would ever consider giving up the cats.

youhavenoidea · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 10:42 pm Post subject:

I agree with the above post. Do whatever it takes to make it work as best as possible. Aside from it being unfair to your cats to disgard them, do you have ANY idea of how low their odds of adoption are, at that age?

You should arrange Champ's schedule and routine around YOURS. Not the other way around.

amazonstarlight · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 10:57 pm Post subject:

I agree with these posts. The odds of adopting kittens is very low, but the odds of adopting adult (especially senior) cats is next to nothing. I work with the shelter in town and the hardest thing is to see these older cats be left behind.

But, beyond that, you can separate your time. I have two cats and two dogs, and I do not have a family to help split the time with these guys. Yeah, I have know idea why I keep getting more! lol But I do work 8-5 so unfortunately they have to deal by themselve during that time. However, when I come home I usually try to spend some time with the cats. Then I take the dogs for a walk and spend time with them. Then I let the dogs stay outside for a while by themselves and spend a little more time inside with the cats and getting housework done. I finally quarantine the cats upstairs and bring the dogs inside and give them rawhides before I finally put them to bed. I know...it sounds weird and hectic, but to be honest with you it works for me and my crew. The key is finding what works for you and your little guys. Also I agree that you should try to give Champ a chew (I just give my small rawhide squares) while he spends time by himself. Its good for him to be comfortable spending time alone. Plus it helps incase you have an emergancy and he HAS to spend time by himself.

But just take the time to find what works for you. You can do it.

hoochmamas · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 5:33 am Post subject:

CathyT · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 6:38 am Post subject:

My cats are also in my bedroom but have a gate lifted to the height that they can get under but Jake can't. They can come out and roam the house if they feel like it but Jake will chase them. If he's asleep they come out and lay down with us. They have everything they need in the bedroom and master bath and even have a little cat area just for them. I make it a point to give them loads of attention every time I go in the bedroom and they keep each other company. I know jake won't hurt them he just wants to play but I'm afraid he will get too rough. The cats don't like being chased either.

svolk · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 8:55 am Post subject:

I do feel for you as I am a home with 2 dogs and 3 cats, but luckily all of my cats have grown to love the dogs.

Our cats were here first and when our first dog came home the cats weren't sure what to think. We left our bedroom as the "cat sanctuary" and we put up a baby gate to keep the dog out of there - this way the cats could come out if they chose to but could also escape if they needed. It took 2 of the cats months to come around to the dog and we let them go at their own pace, we didn't want to force the dog on them (and Riley was a super hyper puppy and wanted to play all the time - still is like that).

When Molly came home we again used the baby gate to keep our bedroom as the cat's sanctuary (this was before the dogs started sleeping on our bedroom floor). It took the cats maybe a week tops to get used to Molly - although we are lucky in that Molly could care less about the cats, and she even likes them and will occasionally lick them if they lay near her.

So I definitely think that it's possible for the cats and dog to coexist - we even have our oldest cat who is literally BEST FRIENDS with Riley. Those two are two peas in a pod, always snuggling together and bathing each other. The shelter where that cat came from (and he was 3-5 tys. when we adopted him, said that he HATED dogs - turns out that he's our cat who loves the dogs the most! He loves Molly now too.)

GailB · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 8:59 am Post subject:

The cats having free roaming of the house while u r at work is good...they prob. just sleep...mine do at that age....

In the evening my cats sit with me if I am watching T.V. can you do this and have Champ babygated out of that room...they usually take off after 1/2 hour and lay on my bed...

It sounds like your cats are getting enough free roam of the house...

Their odds of getting adopted let alone getting adopted together is very slim....

Idea

You did say Champ was your sons dog...if your son has his own place would he able to take the cats?

Good luck....

tltrooster · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 9:52 am Post subject:

Yes Champ was my sons dog, but he has decided that Champ is now
my dog. I cannot baby gate and let the cats and dogs in the same room.
There would be major destruction, as well as two dead cats.
I am only 5'5 130 lbs, and Champ is 90 lbs of pure dog.

My cats have never been outside, they are pure indoor cats, so sectioning off the yard would not work.

Champ does have alot of alone time with out me, He has kongs, rawhides

hoochmamas · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 10:09 am Post subject:

it can be tricky.. i always feed my cats first.. upstairs in the "no Hooch" arena.. he gets fed after.. the litter box is downstairs, but it is in a gated room.. the cats can jump the gate easily.. Hooch hasn't even tried. when he does, i will do as others have and just raise it so they can get under and he can't. my son's bedroom is another "no Hooch" zone.. baby gated again, so the cats can come and go..
i am hoping as he gets older, i can remove the gates entirely, but for right now, everyone gets safe lovin', safe space and safe food..
BTW, i think GailB meant gating champ out to create a temporary safe environment for you and the cats to spend time together..
glad you are thinking of new ways to work it out..

svolk · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 10:15 am Post subject:

Aren't baby gates wonderful Laughing

My husband and I don't want human kids but if someone came over to my house and saw all the baby gates they'd think otherwise Laughing

We have a baby gate up for our bedroom still (it's the kind you step on to open), but it's kept closed during the day to keep the dogs out of the bedroom during the day. At night when the dogs are in their beds the gate is left open.

We have another baby gate up to protect the litter boxes. The boxes are inside a closet (there's nothing else in the closet but the boxes) and a baby gate is up at the closet doorway.

Our cats eat up high too, we have a high wooden cabinet where the cats eat. They have their own water bowl up there too but they usually drink out of the dog water bowls Laughing

simis · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 11:05 am Post subject:

We have mother/daughter siamese cats whom are 9 and 5 and we make it work....they were here first and I couldn't fathom it being any other way. We installed cat doors in and out of the master bedroom, and they have a catbox and their food and water in our closet with cat doors in and out of that. Downstairs we keep a water dish on one of the countertops, and the cats have free roam of the house, the dog does not.

When there are humans present, Rosie is almost always with one of us, we keep a VERY close eye on her, and she will be babygated in the room with us. If the cats choose to come into the room (we stagger the gate so they can squeeze through should they like to join) and sometimes everythings fine (when she's tired out or content) whereas other times Rosie gets that "OHHHH a kitty look, we give a firm EASY command so she knows to be gentle with them (particularly Louise, the mommy, as she is a love bug but doesn't like Rosie's nose going up her butt - who would?!?) Wink

When I want to play with the cats, Rosie either is put in a sit, stay position, or is contained in another room that she can choose to watch or go about her own business with bones, food, etc. and sometimes, yes, she whimpers as she wants to be in on the fun (more so it's separation anxiety from me leaving her) but she simply plays too rough (not to mention has destroyed way too many cat toys!) You just have to let the dog know that there is a pecking order.

The tough part is when the cats are sunning and Rosie wants to join but just comes bellowing in the room and sets them to run for the cat tree or safety under the bed. We are working on that though, with a simple wait command at the doorway to see where everyone is, and to gain control over the situation.

I won't lie, when Rosie was a puppy she charged the older kitty and we flat out alpha rolled her and held her down a few times. If you feel confident and successfully know how to do that, it will very quickly help them see that they are all on equal ground and that they have to respect eachother.

BTW, have you done any obedience training with Champ? After puppy kindergarten we enrolled Rose in a more advanced class and it has done wonders for her listening and basic manners.

How old is your guy? It's never too late to teach him to be polite around the cats, you just have to make sure you are willing to put in the effort and time. It can work if you want it to, just like a diet or picking up a new hobby - you have to want to make it work though. I hope for the kitties sake that it does, as well as for your emotional happiness - I know how special our little furry friends are. Goodluck with it Smile

tltrooster · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 1:23 pm Post subject:

I got Champ when he was about 6mths old. He has been through obedience classes, and we are currently enrolled in advance. But he has
been through Bird Dog training and this has pushed his prey drive very
high. I am not going to give up my cats, I am going to adjust my schedule and so I spend time with the cats first and take care of their
needs, then Champ. This has been very hard for me and I do not want
to give up my cats, but I just want them to be happy, and I feely guilty
sometimes when I shut the door, they are getting old, and I guess they
dont need as much attention as I thought they would. Just like at lunch
today, I went in the house, and they were both in the window seal sunning, and they didnt even move the whole time I was there. So,
new schedule and cats stay.

anne · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 1:43 pm Post subject:

Tip: If your cats are too old to jump baby gates, you can lift the gate a bit off the ground so they can go under instead of over. Hopefully your dog has been trained to respect gates...

simis · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 4:31 pm Post subject:

I'm happy that you've decided to make the effort for everyone involved. Presumed innocent

Rosie is also a bird dog, we haven't actually won any hunt tests yet, but the instinct is there. Here's a pic of her from April's test Smile

That's great that you have him in advance obedience, that will certainly help your bond. Do you find that you can call him off with a "Really Reliable Recall" if your class teaches that? If so, you could practice it often in the event that he ever did chase your kitties with mal-intent.

As a sidenote, I hope I'm not the only one but I don't think 10/11 yrs old is really old...I have had cats that live to 19/20. I do think it would be very difficult to adopt one out at that age though as others have said.

It's funny, now that I have Rosie, I understand why people say cats are so "independent" - before they were just like a dog, following me room to room, meowing when I was late with their breakfast, etc. and that has really calmed down. I think it helps that you have two so they can keep themselves occupied.

If I may make one suggestion, I'd highly recommend a cat door or carving a hole in one door of your home if you can. We had those pretty much hollow doors (luan) so if/when we go to sell the place and the buyers have a hissy fit about the cat door, we'll just give them a credit to buy a new one and they can replace it at their leisure. It at leasts give me the peace of mind that if a real problem were to arise, the cats would have the chance to escape. I think they retail for like $20 at petco and its a good investment in my mind.

My fur kids say thank you for thinking it through and committing to all the members of your family! Here's a pic (don't mind the eerily glowing eyes!)