# Dog barking at stray Cat!



## BadStarter (Apr 29, 2015)

Dude is now 14 mo and doing good, he could be doing better though

The one major issue is a stray cat has made his home on roof top of Dudes home. (He's got an outdoor room for himself). The cat is audacious; he will try to steal his food, treats and drink his water and loves to irritate Dude. Dude goes bonkers and barks at him vigorously. All efforts to restrict the access of cat to dudes room have failed till date. Meanwhile neighbours complain, and ask me to train him not to bark at the cat. Just how do I train Dude not to bark on the cat when the cat comes near his room ? Thanks!


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Live trap the cat and take it to a shelter or rescue.Then work out how to make Duke's roof inhospitable to other critters.


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## David Taggart (Nov 25, 2012)

Feed them both at the same time in the same place. Your dog should receive his bit of food in the moment when he is quiet, repeat command "quiet" when he is chewing, thus train him. Ask him to keep sitting, "sit" command - when you fed the cat. You never know, they might turn best companions.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

The cat is not audacious and toying with your dog. The cat is hungry and thirsty. The first thing I would do is feed it and give it some water. It is the humane thing to do.

Do NOT trap this cat and take it to a shelter especially with the advent of kitten season where it may very well be euthanized. Living on your dog's roof should not be the death penalty for a lost or hungry animal. Have you tried to find the owner of this cat or ask your neighbor where it came from? Somebody may be looking for it. Have you checked your local lost and found listings? How would you feel if your dog was lost during moving or traveling or other causes? Wouldn't you want somebody to help him?

If it is a feral cat, you may want to trap, neuter, and return before you have a population explosion. If it is approachable, you may still want to take it to a local clinic or humane organization to have it spayed or neutered and vaccinated.

I would put food and water for the cat away from the dog's food and water and provide it with a box on a porch or in a garage away from the dog until you can either find the owner or find a home for the cat. Don't think for a moment that this cat enjoys risking its life every time it is hungry or thirsty by tempting your dog. Try to imagine how desperate the cat must be in order to attempt such an endeavor. Putting the food and water away from your dog, preferably even out of sight, in itself should eliminate the majority of barking from your dog. 

I would use this opportunity to train and proof your dog with distractions. Look at the brighter side.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Feeding and housing one feral cat leads to more feral cats showing up.They spray,bring parasites to your yard,screech and fight,bring their kittens,and so on.Just a heads up.Of course you should do what you feel comfortable with.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

Feral cats that have been TNR'd do not spray, they certainly don't bring parasites any more than your neighbor walking his dog past your house or any wildlife in the area, they do not screech or fight as they are no longer intact, and the fact that they would now be speutered, they most certainly do not bring kittens and so on. 

They do act as a deterrent for other cats and wildlife from coming around (which I am sure your dog will also bark at) and they are wonderful for rodent control and can also be tamed and can be wonderful pets and a companion to your dog.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I feel your pain. We have a "feral" that showed up a few months ago. I think someone dumped him nearby at one of the farms. He has to go. I won't be held captive in my own yard fearful that one of my dogs will chase a stray into the road. My dogs don't understand cats that run from them as our cats do not.

And before anyone yips at me over my post...Stray cats, whether dumped here or intact males from the farms, are NOT my responsibility and are NOT welcome at my house. I have enough responsibilities.

So, you can trap him. contact your local shelters and see if they have a TNR program to have the cat fixed. There are also programs that will trap them, speuter them and have them released at farms. (which is my plan for this cat)


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

I'd follow the suggestion of trapping the cat and taking it to a shelter (a no kill shelter if possible). Your dog shouldn't have to be subjected to the whims of an animal you don't own. Also, like any animal, a cat in the wild can introduce diseases/parasites/etc that your dog hasn't been immunized against.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Jax08 said:


> I feel your pain. We have a "feral" that showed up a few months ago. I think someone dumped him nearby at one of the farms. He has to go. I won't be held captive in my own yard fearful that one of my dogs will chase a stray into the road. My dogs don't understand cats that run from them as our cats do not.
> 
> And before anyone yips at me over my post...Stray cats, whether dumped here or intact males from the farms, are NOT my responsibility and are NOT welcome at my house. I have enough responsibilities.
> 
> So, you can trap him. contact your local shelters and see if they have a TNR program to have the cat fixed. There are also programs that will trap them, speuter them and have them released at farms. (which is my plan for this cat)


I wouldn't feel bad either. I have indoor cats, too, who might well go berserk at a feral hanging out in our yard. And I don't need my dog to be taunted or stressed in her own yard. Nope. Cat would be going. We have TNR around here (hotly contested by some, given our extreme climates), but there does not need to be a colony in or near my backyard.


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## HOBY (Aug 12, 2013)

Feral cats draw coyotes, please be careful, keep a look out. Coyotes are very slick. 
I would check and see if you have a Concerned Citizens for Animals in your area. They will help you catch and find a home for your uninvited guest. They work on donations of equipment, food and of course money.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Gezz, it's one freaking stray cat not "Patient Zero" folks, not really sure why some feel the need for "scare tactics??" It's a "creature" in need of help and I would speculate given the dog house thing that most likely it's a lost cat that has lived with dogs??

Don't try feeding this cat with your dog together! If it's a cat you want to keep?? Then there are "protocols" and yes "something" like that is done with precautions taken.

I'd you don't want to involve yourself in this creature's life and it's a choice between the pound or being mauled?? Then just call animal control.

My choice would be to keep the creature safe and contact a "Cat Rescue" group and work with them to find the cat a more suitable home. Or just contact a "Cat Rescue" and tell them the cat needs to go before he gets hurt by your dog.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Chip18 said:


> I'd you don't want to involve yourself in this creature's life and it's a choice between the pound or being mauled?? Then just call animal control.
> 
> My choice would be to keep the creature safe and contact a "Cat Rescue" group and work with them to find the cat a more suitable home. Or just contact a "Cat Rescue" and tell them the cat needs to go before he gets hurt by your dog.


A cat rescue will make you take the cat inside until they can come and get it. Not doing that.

I'd be on the phone with animal control, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.


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## Sarah0407 (Oct 5, 2015)

All I can say is... poor cat.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

Sarah0407 said:


> All I can say is... poor cat.


Poor cat is probably somebody's pet that got lost and nobody will help it find its way home or get it to safety. It just makes one think about what would happen if one of our own cats or dogs would get lost. Small wonder so many don't find their way home.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

You can post a found flyer on facebook or i was never into Facebook but found pinterest or Instagram is good to post these lost and found flyers up also.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> Poor cat is probably somebody's pet that got lost and nobody will help it find its way home or get it to safety. It just makes one think about what would happen if one of our own cats or dogs would get lost. Small wonder so many don't find their way home.


I don't see why I should risk my other pets' health by bringing the cat inside like a rescue would require. Disease, parasites, that's why I don't let my own cats outdoors. I'd be going straight to animal control to have them trap and deal with the cat. If it's indeed someone's lost pet, surely they would be checking with the city shelter.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

WateryTart said:


> I don't see why I should risk my other pets' health by bringing the cat inside like a rescue would require. Disease, parasites, that's why I don't let my own cats outdoors. I'd be going straight to animal control to have them trap and deal with the cat. If it's indeed someone's lost pet, surely they would be checking with the city shelter.


For somebody that has been involved in rescue, dogs for @ 30 years, and cats for over 40 years and primarily deal with feral cats now, I never saw where a cat or dog brought any disease or parasites that would not be normally expected just from letting one's pet out in their yard or walking the dog around the block. I am not saying it does not happen, I am just saying in my experience the risk is low. 

It is kind of like toxoplasmosis they always warn you about with cats. What they don't tell you is that @ 2/3 of the population have already been exposed, had mild symptoms, and are now carriers themselves. What they don't tell you is that the most common method of transmission for people is from the handling of raw meat. What they don't tell you is that you have a better chance of getting it from another human than from a pet cat. What they don't tell you is that most house cats are fed kibble and their only exposure to the disease is to contract it is from their own humans. So if you cat has toxo, they most likely got it from you.

Fleas, roundworms, parvo for dogs, etc., is commonplace and found in every neighborhood, with or without stray dogs or cats. All you have to do is let your dog in your yard or walk it around the block for exposure.

Heck, some of my favorite hiking spots are a few solitary areas near the river well known around here for rabies. 

Speaking of rabies, there were some a few small cat colonies in the area where I live. The cats were all fed and kept vaccinated. One person complained and the borough trapped and killed all of them. Most were not feral but abandoned by renters in the area when they moved. The problem? In their place was an influx of rabies carrying wildlife like raccoons and skunks. Many a night people sit in their house because of the skunk spray in the summer. Many a night I can't let my dogs out to do their business because I can smell the skunks out there. Many now see that killing off all the speutered and vaxed cats was not a solution to the problem, it only removed one problem and replaced it with what many consider a worse problem.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> For somebody that has been involved in rescue, dogs for @ 30 years, and cats for over 40 years and primarily deal with feral cats now, I never saw where a cat or dog brought any disease or parasites that would not be normally expected just from letting one's pet out in their yard or walking the dog around the block. I am not saying it does not happen, I am just saying in my experience the risk is low.
> 
> It is kind of like toxoplasmosis they always warn you about with cats. What they don't tell you is that @ 2/3 of the population have already been exposed, had mild symptoms, and are now carriers themselves. What they don't tell you is that the most common method of transmission for people is from the handling of raw meat. What they don't tell you is that you have a better chance of getting it from another human than from a pet cat. What they don't tell you is that most house cats are fed kibble and their only exposure to the disease is to contract it is from their own humans. So if you cat has toxo, they most likely got it from you.
> 
> ...


That's fine for you. I choose not to take that risk with my own animals. I don't volunteer in a shelter environment, and I don't bring foster animals into my own house. I don't have the space to quarantine appropriately.

So it's fine if you want to do that, but I won't and I don't feel bad about it. It would be straight to AC for the stray cat who found itself trying to make my yard home.


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## Sarah0407 (Oct 5, 2015)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> Poor cat is probably somebody's pet that got lost and nobody will help it find its way home or get it to safety. It just makes one think about what would happen if one of our own cats or dogs would get lost. Small wonder so many don't find their way home.


I agree. It's not so much that people don't want to take in another cat - that's all fair and well really, people have their own wants and needs. It's more that people should show a little compassion for another living creature that is clearly suffering out in the cold and has become desperate enough to seek out shelter in someone's back yard.

If the tables were turned, I would hope someone would help me out rather than treat me like a piece of dirt. If people are going to take it to a shelter that's fine, but do it with the intention of helping the cat out, not getting rid of it like a piece of vermin. It has every right to be on this earth as do our beautiful pets which were lucky enough to have not ended up homeless or lost.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Sarah0407 said:


> I agree. It's not so much that people don't want to take in another cat - that's all fair and well really, people have their own wants and needs. It's more that people should show a little compassion for another living creature that is clearly suffering out in the cold and has become desperate enough to seek out shelter in someone's back yard.
> 
> If the tables were turned, I would hope someone would help me out rather than treat me like a piece of dirt. If people are going to take it to a shelter that's fine, but do it with the intention of helping the cat out, not getting rid of it like a piece of vermin. It has every right to be on this earth as do our beautiful pets which were lucky enough to have not ended up homeless or lost.


Well and sure, that's part of it. I live in an area with a pretty extreme climate, and neither summer heat nor winter cold are great for a full time outdoor animal.

It's just that I'm going to take action in a way that's expedient and low risk to me. I'm going to call animal control and let them come out ASAP to take the cat in. Is a rescue a safer option than a kill shelter? Sure, but I won't do what the rescue would require (which would be to bring the cat into my house). Calling AC right away is splitting the difference: I'm not leaving an animal to fend for itself, but it cannot stay, and this is the way to accomplish that with the lowest risk to my own animals, who are my priority.


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