sueisallaboutquilts

Hi friends,
Last night we went to a friend's house for a get-together. Since the weather is horrible we mostly stayed in. She has
2 dogs and I spent a good part of the evening snuggling
with them. (when they weren't on patrol in case evil people came to the party lol)
Now..... I have 5 cats I adore but I'm afraid they would have
a complete revolt if I got a doggy.
I had Barney for 16 years and haven't gone a day w/o
missing him! The cats we had at that time grew up with him.
Our son has a puppy and the cats take off whenever he comes over. They don't like him at all! Granted he's "spirited" at this stage but they didn't like his other dog either, who has since gone to dog heaven and was very calm and never bothered them.
Any ideas or experience??? I'm happiest when I have both :D
Thanks!

Glassquilt

Are any of your cats motherly? Our shih-tzu puppy was adopted by a very motherly cat and grew up thinking she was a cat.

romanojg

I got my cat before I got my dog; she was about 4 yrs old at the time. Then my daughter got a kitten and then a few years later I got a small american eskimo puppy (very hyper even now at 1 1/2) In the mean time my daughter also got two kids; one now 5 and the other 4mos. In our house along with the kids we have a 25lb old cat, a 10 pound young cat, a 200lb akita and my 25 lb eskimo. The only issues in all of this was witht the two dogs; when I got the puppy the akita was jealous and it took about a month before he'd even be in the same room with her. Now they are best friends; he preens her, if she has to go out and no one is paying attention he'll come and get you; akita's love to dig holes, now he digs a big hole for him to lay in and right beside that he digs a small one for her. The puppy irratates the cats because she always wants to play but I've also seen the cats tease her as well. It will all work out. By the way; my daughter just brought home a 6wk stray. It'll work out

nance-ell

If you've had a dog before with your cats, it would seem they would adjust to another dog. It does take time, and some animals never do get along. Every situation and every animal is different.

We have 2 dogs, a lab mix (90 lbs) and a maltipoo (10 lbs). The maltipoo was here first and I was worried about bringing the bigger dog in. Guess who rules? lol. They are hilarious together and I know would be lost without each other, but the first few days we were extremely watchful over them. So, my best advice is to not expect an immediate "glad you are here" reaction, but don't let that deter you right away. Give it time. Unless your heart is set on a puppy, you may want to contact some rescue organizations or your local humane society. You may be able "try it before you buy it" with some agencies. Sometimes they even have puppies.

Good luck with your decision. Animals definitely fill our lives with lots of love.

ptquilts

I would vote for adopting an older dog, maybe a larger breed who would be calm around the cats.

feline fanatic

They may be all bent outta shape in the beginning but they will get over it. Just make sure the cats have a "no dogs allowed" area for sanctuary. In my house it is the upstairs area. I have introduced several dogs to in resident cats. I try to get the cats to "assert their authority" while the dog is still a puppy but it never works out that way, they are always afraid at first. One thing I would not do is introduce a full grown dog into the fold, it would have to be a puppy so I can ensure there is not cat aggression through training. In my household the dog know the cats reign supreme but she also knows there is plenty of love to go around and the yard is her domain so if one of my stinkers sneaks out side they are open game. I prefer it that way, makes the allure of the outside much less enticing that way.