1yr old rescued abby not getting along with cat...suggestions?!

[macboxer]

We resuced Abby from the boxer rescue in South Carolina. She is a sweet baby who loves to give kisses, does not really like her crate (she will go in it however) and who we are still working on house training. The problem is our cat. We have had Tabby (didn't plan the names to match) for 7 years and he has been the only pet and baby of the house. Tabby has tried to be socialable with Abby and Abby just really wants to eat her. She does not growl at the cat but will lung for her if let go. We have had to keep the cat locked up when the dog is out and let the cat out at night when Abby is crated for the night. Any suggestions on how to have some kind of harmony between the animals will be very very appreciated. Getting rid of one of the animals is completely out of the question!

 

[apollosdad]

some dogs have a higher prey drive than others and your dog might never get along with your cat. however, that is in most extreme situations. if you allow them to socialize with one another and keep a careful watch over them than in time everything should work itself out. keeping the two of them seperated for a while in the beginning is a good start. gradually introduce them to one another and just increase the time they are allowed to spend together. also, be careful to keep an eye on your cat while your dog is locked up in his crate. cats can sometimes be notorious for mischief and they will sometimes take advantage of the dog being locked up to cause it stress.

 

[gmacleod]

I can understand why you've resorted to keeping the cat locked up for her own safety, but I think it may be the wrong way to go about things in the long run. If the cat is excluded from the "family" you may end up with behavioural issues there, while at the same time the dog isn't getting more used to or desensitised to the cat.

I'd suggest that Abbey spends a reasonable amount of time crated while Tabby is loose in the same room - with you present too, of course. Any unpleasant overtures should be corrected with a "leave it", and rewarded when she complies. Once you've got her to the point where she essentially ignores the cat, you can try her out of the crate but on a leash. Again, any snapping or moves to chase the cat should be corrected and "leaving it" rewarded. And with a leash, you've got the means to enforce your "leave it" command. Teach her an alternate behaviour instead. What you need to be aiming for is desensitisation - not friends

Only when Abbey is reliably ignoring Tabby and largely uninterested by her will it really be safe to allow them both loose in the same place. And most likely it will be some time after that before you can leave them unsupervised. But the first steps toward desensitising Abbey have to come with exposure to cats, and it needs to be in an environment where she is unable to chase (chasing will heighten the prey drive, so must be avoided at all costs) and where there are rewards for ignoring the cat alongside consequences (loss of freedom) for trying to bite or chase. A long-ish process probably, but one you'll need to go through in order to get to a harmonious household. Good luck!

 

[macboxer]

Dear gmcleod

Thank you for the information on ways to deal with Abby and the cat. On a personal note I was not spamming the threads. I posted the first thread and the site told me I did not have permission to do so. I unsubscribed, resubscribed, introduced myself again and then tried reposting the message. It still told me I did not have permission. I gave up and came back online to read over the instructions again thinking I might of missed something when I saw your reply. I do apologize for any mishaps my postings might of caused. Thanks again for the information. I plan to implement the plan immediatley with hopes that it works.