# Dog and Cat not getting along after 3 1/2 months of living together



## blt88 (Nov 27, 2010)

Hi, 

I was wondering if anyone has any experience on how to get my GSD (6 months old) and cat (2 1/2 years old) to get along. The dog just loves to chase the cat usually only when the cat runs away (which is normal). Is the dog going to get better when he is older? We have had the cat way longer than the dog, so I could understand why the cat always hisses at the dog. I would just love to have them in the same room together without all the chaos. So, if anyone has any tips, please let me know. Thanks!


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## gypsyrose (Nov 22, 2010)

if you have any sucess in this endever please let me know... i have two cats and gypsy hates them both i guess sweety peety living claws stuck in her nose dident help any.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

There are 3 cats and 3 dogs in my house.

My 2 older cats hate all 3 dogs. They were adults when I brought home my GSD (he was an 11 week old pup at the time) They run from them, they hiss, slap and growl at them and 2 of the dogs chase the cats.

My youngest cat is a 9 month old kitten, she grew up with my GSD, she loves all 3 dogs because she believes she is a dog. All 3 dogs love her and they are very careful with her.

I think you have a better chance of dogs and cats getting along if you bring a dog into the house first and then bring a kitten home and raise it with the dog.


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

Most dog and cat issues happen because owners just through the new housemates together and hope they'll work it out. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Often it leads to animals living in a constant state of stress (cats who never get used to the dogs and constantly run, hide from, hiss and scratch at them and/or dogs who are nearly always aroused by the chance of chasing the cat). And unfortunately, dogs sometimes kill cats they live - even cats they've lived with for a long time. usually when this happens, the owner blames the dog but signs of the animals having issues had been there all along. It is extremely important not to leave the dog and cat loose together unsupervised. And be sure the cat always has a way to escape from the dog.

With your puppy, I'd go back to the basics with the dog-cat relationship. Pretend you are just now introducing the cat and dog. The more your puppy chases the cat, the more your puppy find it rewarding to chase the cat and the harder it will be to get her to stop. And the more stressed out your cat becomes by the dog's presence, so the more likely she is to run.

This article outlines a good plan for dog to cat introductions:
Cat-to-Dog Introductions | Little Big Cat


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## blt88 (Nov 27, 2010)

Great article!! Thanks! "In either case, when the time is right, start attempting short, controlled, open-room meets." (This is what we are doing at the moment, the dog is getting better). My boyfriend holds the dog while the cat is in the room and they both stare at each other. Like I said, the real issue is when the cat starts the run the dog instinctively wants to chase him. 

"Until you’re absolutely certain that the introduction has succeeded and the cat is safe, physically separate cat and dog when you’re not around to supervise their interaction." ( We also do this, we keep the cat's litter box, cat bed, food, etc in the office and the dog's crate in the laundry room). This way, they both have their own space, and can't attack each other. There are some good tips in this article, thanks again.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

teach and enforce leave it. My cats probably wont like Shasta until she's an adult. She insists on following them around but she's not trying to play with them anymore. time patience and training your dog to just leave the cat(s) alone and they'll adjust on their own terms. but a controlled introduction would have been the best way to go from the start. hope everything works out for you!


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## BluePaws (Aug 19, 2010)

After almost 8 years, my WGSD and my cat never got along. A few things kept happening. 

My cat didnt speak canine body language ... my shepherd kept giving her 'signals' that the cat would ignore, and the shepherd would get confused why the signals were being ignored. 

The shepherd never understood that the name of the game was "the cat always wins". 

The shepherd never understood that the cat was NOT a weird shaped, weird smelling puppy and did NOT want to play with her toys, or share a bone, so dropping these objects on the cat's head was NOT going to accomplish favoritism.

The shepherd had very big paws and would accidentally step on the cat, making the cat very cranky. 

My aussie and my cat DID get along, my aussie played by the cat's terms, which made the shepherd jealous (which I think my cat enjoyed).

!!The shepherd had a strong natural prey drive!!

The result was I never felt safe leaving the two alone, unsupervised. We worked on the "no cat" command for many years, as a 'leave it' sort of deal ... they were just two different creatures.


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## cheetahgrl66 (Apr 15, 2013)

*my cats hate my GSD*

WE have 2 cats and a GSD that is 10 months old now.My cats let "buzz" know to leave them alone, by hissing and pawing and sometimes with their claws out. But he doesnt seem to care. He stills want to chase and getting very close to them."Buzz was actually even bit in his nose.You would think that would deter him,but is still very curious .How can I keep them from fighting?Its been almost 6 mo.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

If your cats are giving very clear signals to the dog, and the dog ignores it, MAKE HIM LISTEN. He should be on leash, correct him if he ignores the cats. 

Correct the cats with a spray bottle if they ignore dog signals. 

Make sure the cats have plenty of vertical real estate and easy ways to get away from the dog. 

If you are not there to monitor the interaction, it should not happen. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

Also, please start your own thread and don't bump a thread from 2010.


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