help! My cat and doodle are fighting!

[Becky, Savannah, & Raleigh]

We have two cats and one doodle, all of whom have gotten along really well in the past. In fact, we called the male cat (who we are having issues with now) and our dog best friends! Over the past couple weeks, and occurring more frequently now, our male cat has been stalking, and downright trying to stare-down our Doodle. He becomes really confrontational, oftentimes trying to bully her while she's sleeping, resulting in her waking up and snapping and barking quite loudly at him. We noticed him even trying to back her into a corner and not letting her pass into the kitchen from the living room. I am scared that this behavior is going to continue to worsen and that he will get hurt because Savannah will bite him. She has never attacked anything in the past, and is the most submissive dog in the world.  My husband is at the point where he is making the cat sleep in the basement and is thinking that we may need to get rid of him if things don't get better. Any words of wisdom on this matter would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Becky, Savannah, & Raleigh]

Ripley is 3 years old. He is used to living with other animals, as that's all he's ever known since we adopted him at age 3 months from the shelter. He is a sweet boy, loves snuggling and even is certified to do therapy work, which is why this whole thing has me upset and baffled. He just was in to the vet in September for his usual checkup and everything was/has been fine. There have been no other changes in his behavior that i'm aware of..ie, he's still eating normally, using the litter box, wanting to snuggle with us all the time and esp. at night, he is an inside-only cat...i'm not sure if he just thinks that Savannah is on his same level bc he and our other cat, Nala, will wrestle and play at night (well usually it's him chasing her and tackling her, but she gives it back to him and lets him know when she's had enough). I don't know why he has turned into the bully with her. These are the two friends that would lie right next to each other and share water dishes at the same time. It seems that this whole bullying thing is most severe at night. I am worried that my husband will have had enough and give him away. Thanks for your response.

[Becky, Savannah, & Raleigh]

no, they didn't run any blood work because he is only 3 years old. My vet normally starts between ages 5-7. He appears healthy in all other aspects, and i've been home alone with all three animals today for hours and nothing has happened. He and Vannah in fact were almost nuzzling each other. I am wondering if he just is trying to play with her the way he plays with Nala, my other cat, which involves pouncing, and stalking...still, i'm concerned...i don't like this nightly fighting because I'm afraid he will get hurt! It also scares me that Vannah has been responding the way she has by barking, lunging, and baring her teeth at him like she's going to eat him!

[Becky, Savannah, & Raleigh]

thanks so much for the advice! I think getting the blood work might be a good idea. I am going to continue to keep a close eye on them as the night goes on...it seems that's when Rip gets riled up and wants to attack. thanks everyone for their responses!

[Natasha]

Bad kitty! Hmmm, does Ripley attack your other cat?

Perhaps it does make sense to go back to the vet and explain what is happening. It can be so difficult to know when any pet has something going on, but cats are the most difficult. Typically, problems present themselves through behavior alone. From the sound of his other behavior, there isn't an issue, but the piece of mind of a vet consultation would be a great place to start.

[Belinda Stevens]

I'm just thinking out loud here so forgive me. But I had the same problem but in reverse, with our dachshund doing this to the cats. It turned out that he needed more structured exercise. Now he is not you typical dachshund he is very lean and very active. He went out and ran like a mad man in the back yard 2 or 3 times a day and went for walks occasionally, but not until he started getting structured walks DAILY did he stop attacking the cats. Now I'm not suggesting walk for your cat but does your cat have an activity tree? Or something he can take some of his aggression out on? Aside from the other cat of course :-)

[Becky, Savannah, & Raleigh]

thanks for your reply! Those are some good thoughts--i don't have an activity tree, but definitely will look into getting one! The good news is that Van and Rip were completely fine yesterday, no night-time attacks or awakenings. My husband seems to think that we favor the dog over the cats (which is true), and that maybe Rip is trying to get attention.I also think he does need some more activity, so i got out a lot of his toys and he's been a happier boy today---i just really have to watch because vannah will chew and shred them and could swallow some of the balls/bells. Also, I made it a point to let him sleep right next to me last night, and had him sit with me while we were watching TV. I know it sounds crazy, but maybe he was a little jealous?? Who knows? He does act very dog-like, but it's so hard to give him the same type of attention that Savannah gets bc it's not like we can walk him or take him for rides to the pet store or dog park. I have been making a point to feed them first and give them (the cats) their treats before Vanny gets hers. I will see if this makes any difference. They do get special treatment in that they get to sleep with us and go on the furniture, whereas the bed and couches are off-limits to Van (my husbands rule). Thank you all for your thoughts!

[Belinda Stevens]

Oh i don't think it's crazy at all, I think they can get jealous. Our dachshund is not treated the same as the doodles for sure. Not because he is not loved just that he has severe behavior issues aside from his sudden stint attacking the cats. It's hard to take him places because of this and he pee's uncontrollably (he's a pain in the butt over all). With all of this and I am sure his little feelers get hurt. I try and show him some extra love every day. But giving him daily walks really changed him around and it really only took a week or two to notice a change.