Chasing and trying to grab the cat

[Rita and Fazzy]

Ohhhhhh, we looove our Fazzy (10 mo old LD)....but he WILL NOT leave the cat alone.  He stalks her, if she runs, he chases and tried to grab her with his mouth...if she slowly walks away, he just walks behind her.  Once he sees her, there is NO getting his attention.  Not food/treats, words, spray bottles, etc.  We're afraid that he will hurt her if he does manage to grab her (she's an older cat), even tho I would highly doubt that he would mean to.  She hasn't yet swatted and connected, I'd rather that not happen.  If she's cornered and we pick her up to get her out of his way, he jumps up trying to grab her...

 

How do we stop this....will he grow out of it, is it a puppy thing?  Our two small dogs chased the cat as well, but eventually they just stopped.  I don't know that he will...and he seems to be getting more into it just lately.

 

Ideas???

 

Rita

[Ghazal A]

I swear you're just describing my situation, word by word... I have a gorgeous, mellow ragdoll. My puppy keeps chasing her, biting her (not really biting, just pressing and taking a fistful of cat hair!!) and the ragdoll looks like a homeless cat now with all the patches of hair missing!!! and it seems like she doesnt mind it! She knows she can go sit on the couch or somewhere high that the dog can't reach, but she wouldnt! she lets the dog nip at her and then runs... I dont know what to do either. I'm trying not to separate them, in the hopes of them getting along eventually. but as of right now, the only time the dog doesnt chase her is either when she is exhausted from playing and running, or when she's eating.. That's about it... I would appreciate any ideas also!

[Rita and Fazzy]

When I have dinner in my hand....that the only time he will ignore her. Arggh

[Ghazal A]

I'm also worried that "eating" that much cat hair would hurt her...

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

I have an elderly cat (19) that is both deaf and partially blind (I think she only sees shadows).  Two new puppies and they were all in her business and all it took was a few swats from her and they keep their distance now (Just out of paw reach).  They still follow her and try to get close but they know if they do what will happen! 

In the beginning I had a formal meet and greet (more for the cats sake - she HATES dogs) .  I sat on the couch, with her in my lap and them on the floor and introduced them one by one.  If the dogs was too friendly I grabbed their snot and firmly said "No Bite" "Nice Kitty" while gently petting the cat.  The smaller of my dogs has to nose everything so she was harder to break, they chased a bit but mama bear (me) did not stand for it. On my part there was several firm "NO's" and "Leave it" which got their attention briefly.  Be consistant. 

Being that old she doesn't run anymore so we have a slight advantage.  I'd allow the cats to set the tone and swat them on the nose.  As they get older I think it will sink it too, puppies are always rambuncious.  I have no idea if what I did helped or if they figured it out on their own?  My two dogs can't stand it when I am angry with them so I'd like to think I made a difference? 

Now my sister has a kitten and her golden would chase the cat and that cat wanted nothing to do with her, one week of vacation at our house with a half dozen swats across the nose (from my kitty) my sister said her golden went back and wasn't as aggressive to their own cat?  Good luck.

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

It's a tough one, Rita. You have my sympathy. Pixel, my cat, thinks that he's a dog and loves playing with the boyz - and Lachlan has always been super gentle with him - but it's taken a long time to get Declan to that point and at a little over a year he's not completely there yet. I considered using Leave It, but that command means "leave it forever and ever and you can't ever have it" and that's a tough one to enforce when he sees his brother getting to have the same thing - in this case, playtime with the cat.

I've posted my Rules of Engagement for cat/dog association elsewhere and will copy them below, but first prefix them with another that I added just for Declan - The Cat Is Mine. That's been the golden rule since the day I brought Declan home. I'm trying to think of a good way to explain it ... it's an attitude more than anything. This Is Mine. You don't get to damage it. Just like you don't get to damage the furniture. Same response from me, really "Oh no you don't, mister!"

Jen's Rules of Engagement:

• The Cat always has at least one, preferably more than one, escape route.
• The Cat gets his nails trimmed every weekend.
• They are never, ever left alone together. Interactions are always supervised and refereed if necessary.
• If either of them starts to "wind up" and get too rough the game ends and they're separated (with redirection if possible).
• If either of them squeaks like there might be pain involved the game's over Right Now and very firmly. No coddling of the squeaker or punishing of the causer-of-squeaks, just firm and immediate separation of both.

Outside of that I hold my breath and bite my tongue a lot, knowing that accidents can happen and praying they won't. I also know that they have learned through play to communicate with each other and that, when they're older, they'll probably curl up and rest together too. Here's a recent video of Declan and Pixel playing - miracles CAN happen! (If you could hear my voice on the video you'd hear me at least once verbally backing both dogs off because they started to wind up a bit.)

Hang in there, guys!

[Rita and Fazzy]

Thaaaaat is soooooo frigging cute!!!  I'd love to see that happen at our house....hahaha.  Thanks for sharing!

[Rita and Fazzy]

I suspect that since the little dogs got over the "cat" thing, he will eventually as well...but, I don't like the pursuit in the meantime.  She (the cat) hasn't once hurt him, or otherwise told him no.  Bailey the cat actually has a bedroom all to herself, doorway blocked with a baby gate and really, she spends most of her time in there.  Occasionally she wanders downstairs and then the chase is on.  I feel bad that she can't hang out with us like she could before FazzMonster.... last night I got up about midnight and took him out to potty and she decided it would be a good idea to wander into the bedroom, and I didn't know she was in there until I was back in the room with him and had shut the door.  She meowed and "it was on"....my husband had to jump up, throw the door open, turn on the light and grab the collar while I tried to get her out of there.  Of course, when Fazzy gets that stirred up, it gets the small ones all excited too.  I've tried to do the "the cats mine" and stand between him and the cat, but he just tries to get around me.  Being 10 months old, I'm sure that some of this is just the brat stage, and he's testing us....he IS testing us!!  :-)

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

Ahhh, teenagers. "Testing" is exactly the right word, isn't it? Don't you wish sometimes that the cat would just haul off and clobber him? I know I do - my old cat would have dribbled doodle heads like furry basketballs until they got the message. Pixel eggs my guys on until I'm ready to scream "Look cat, I can't save you from your own stupid!"