Labradoodle and a cat

[Breanna]

My boyfriend and I are looking for a labradoodle to add to our home. I have been raised with a golden retriever and labrador retrievers and love them. I have searched for something that fits both my boyfriend's and my needs and I have found that the labradoodle will be great for us. My boyfriend has a cat who is afraid of big dogs who lunge at or chase her. This led us to our decision to get a puppy instead of a matured dog so that the cat can get used to him as he grows. We also plan on getting one that is medium-sized. We were discussing the best way to introduce the two when we get them and how we should go about acclimating them. I would always prefer to rescue but my boyfriend insists that we get a puppy so that the cat can get used to him as he grows. I would like any suggestions from those who have experienced this

[Christine & Camus]

I raised 2 dogs with a cat.  They were not doodles, but both were puppies from rescue.  Our cat, Comet, was the pack leader and rule the roost and I don't think it would have worked out as well if I had tried to introduce an adult dog. 

[Sally S Miles]

Introducing a dog to a cat is going to take as long as the cat wants. Whether it be a puppy or an adult rescue dog - there are ways to smooth the transition.   We have had 'mixed species' forever, every individual is going to handle it differently .

An adult dog that has been ok with other cats is your best bet - but you can teach a puppy - a puppy is going to run at, pounce on, bark at, and chew on the cat.   You will need at least one x-pen, plus door gates.  Do not let the dog run at the cat, make sure the cat has a quick escape route, at all times - separate space, hole, something.   Allow them to get acquainted through the gate or fence, little by little it will dawn on everyone that it's ok.  It can take days, or weeks, or months.  

 Puppies are raw enthusiasm in a fur coat, not cats favorite thing.  We have two cats, one is a true 'scairedy cat', (SC)  but after nine months she now approaches the dog and allows contact.   The other cat was curious immediately, but it takes time for puppy to prove to the cat that they won't clobber them and cats have to be convinced of things.    If your cat already has a fear of dogs, just be patient and let it go ever so slowly - that cat can do damage to puppy face, but it also means that cat can teach.  Our dog was raised with a cat and treats/reacts differently to each of our two cats - they are very different cats!  Frankly all you need is patience and good separation spaces.      My SC now approaches dog, yells at dog, teases dog - but one hiss and dog knows she must leave her alone.  Other cat puts up with getting a bath from dog - washes dog, follows dog, cuddles dog, and they curl up together now and then.  I did cat rescue for years, had dogs - - it's all up to the cat - but you can help.

We used the 'leave it' command initially - but still have up pens, gates, there are barriers everywhere - now the cat can tell her even more clearly.  Is your cat inside only or outside also?  

Oh, and do make sure that you have your dog crate trained - nothing smugger than the look on a cats face when dog is in crate. 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Sally  :) 

[Ginny Nightingale]

great reply! My dogs have always chased our cats and barked at them--so the cats avoid them--but then one day, Charlie showed up and adopted us--he is a big guy and takes no abuse from the dogs--a few swipes across the nose was all it took for Charlie to take over as top dog--or I guess I should say Top cat! Now he lies across the back step and the dogs have to go carefully around him--it is a riot! I am grateful to him for teaching the dogs respect for cats!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I have a very active and happy boy who is now over four years old. We also have two very elderly cats ( sisters~17 years old who were my husbands before we married) We have also brought in homeless dogs from time to time, we have company and our door is always welcome to their dogs too. So, I know this can work. I did have one bad incident but I've had many more positive than negative.

Here are a few of the things we did to encourage harmony.

• teach the dog down /stay and very early. If a cat walks by, put the dog in a down. If the dog is down, he cant chase the cat. -Install baby gates. Our gate was installed to be 5 inches off the floor. This way, the cats could walk through from kitchen to living room but the dog would stay on one side. This broke any chase ~ if one would happen. Also, they got used to seeing each other in a safe environment.  The gates kept them safe.
• -We let both dog and cats on the bed at the same time. This way we were near, made the dog stay down and let the cats know being close can be safe
• One of my cats runs and the other stays put and wont back down to a dog.  The cat that runs.. usually gets chased. Too bad we cant tell cats STAY  :)
• We got boxes and put them up on the desks.  Yes, it looks tacky.  Who cares?  We would cover them in nice cloth and let the cats have a safe place UP and away from the puppy or adult dogs.
• Like Sally mentioned crate training a dog is wonderful. It also allows the cats to come close. My one cat slept on top of the crate all the time  :)

I know this can work, but you have to really make sure you keep them out of trouble and it does take awhile.  Introducing a baby, a dog, a cat, or anything into a household is always going to take some adjustment.

Some phone pics ( bad quality ) but you get the idea

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

There are some dog/cat videos around here that I love where the cat and the dog wrestle and love each other.  Not likely to happen but it does.

Sometimes, with your guidance, you really need to let them work it all out

[F, Calla & Luca]

Okay, the new search engine comes through. It has Boolean search and I remembered the name of one of those cats, a miracle in and of itself. So I searched for pixil AND cat. Voila!
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/puppymadness/forum/topics/chasing...
The video is midway down.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Good post, Breanna. You should be able to get some good tips as well as alerts.

[Breanna]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I really like the idea of putting the baby gates 5 inches up. The cat has been attacked by neighborhood dogs before. She was chased under a car and they surrounded her until the people came out and called them in. She has reason to be fearful of big dogs who chase her, that's why I'm hoping we (and the cat) can teach our dog she can't be chased. I'm definitely willing to put all the time in to make it work. 

[Heather & Brinkley]

We put a baby gate up and let the cat stay in his favorite room for awhile.  This way they good sniff each other and get to know each other through the gate.  When we'd leave, Brinkley went into his crate and the cat could have full roam. The funny thing:  she ended up just going back into the room, gate or no gate.  We transitioned them slowly.  Brinkley still isn't the cat's favorite thing-- our two will never be best buds, but they can be in the same room and the cat can feel safe. 

[Sally S Miles]

We have one room the cats can have and the dog is not allowed - and vice versa.   Our cats are both rescued and one that is SC was hit by a car, she runs lickety split on three legs - have no idea her history, but yes if she would quit running the dog would not chase. I have seen cats that never adapted to canine buddies, as well as dogs who could not behave around a cat - it's a process. A process that needs to go slowly, while a pup grows fast - our dog cuddles with one cat and has to tolerate being teased or 'yelled' at by the other.

 

Cat poles - condos, very handy - gates, hiding places for cats is imperative.  To most cats, a puppy is the next worst thing to a vacuum cleaner... eventually you turn off the Hoover and eventually the puppy turns into a dog - but a cat is a cat, period.

[April S.]

We introduced our goldendoodle puppy to our 2 year old cats and at first they hid from her continuously in our basement.   Our golden grew so fast, that it didn't matter that she was smallish at first (18lbs)- now she's 40lbs.   We have one cat that plays chase with her - but our golden (Luna) thinks the cat is a dog and does "play bowing" and bounces all over trying to get the cat to play, even throwing toys at her.  When the cat gets sick of Luna she runs into the basement through the catdoor or upstairs where Luna can't go.