Thoughts on Cat/Doodle introductions and interactions please

[jenn D]

Hi everyone,
I haven't been on in awhile. We have 4 big standard doodles. I call them the sandwich pack because their names make up Big Mac and PB&J. About a year and a half ago we move from a New Mexico suburban neighborhood to Colorado Springs in the forest on an acre of treed land. It's been a big adjustment for our kids and our doodles but after we got our property fenced in and did some serious recall training (there is wildlife out here! Lol) everyone is doing great.

We've recent.y been involved in a cat santuary, volunteering time. My 12 year old wants to be a vet and wanted feline experience. This summer we saved some feral barn kittens and got them to the santuary to be fixed and either sent out as barn cats in the community or domesticated for adoption.

During one of our adventures we came across a 4 year old neutered male orange tabby that needed to be fostered for a few weeks until room in the normal foster homes could be freed up. We are hosting "Aslan" in a dog free cat room at our house until room is available.

He is an awesome cat. And I'm not a cat person. We've done a fair amount of cat volunteering (daughter is a minor and needs a parent there) and I've never felt a pull toward a cat. We've even fostered two other cats for a few weeks (in cat free room) and I was happy to let them go.

However, Aslan is pretty cool. Is there anyway I could even get this to work with 4 doodle boys? How do I introduce? I've read let them eat on opposite sides of a door for smell purposes. . Im assuming 1 at a time, dog on leash. I've taken different things they've slept on to each other's rooms to smell. Cat can see dogs outside playing Fromm the window. So far just curiosity one everyone's part. I would introduce Mac first as he use to sleep with kittens st the shelter and he's most submissive. I know I need a good down and stay, on and off leash. I miss assuming I do each one and the next start doing multiple? Right now dogs and cat are taking turns upstairs with dogs having more time becaus they were here first. When cat is up he drinks out of dogs bowls. Dogs drink out of same bowls afterward. No one has been together yet.

Looking around for a lot of high places for Aslan to retreat to.

But maybe this is a pipe dream.

I need advice.

Thank you all for any thoughts and help.

I'll try to attach a picture of Aslan. And the doodles in the forest if I can find one.

[Valery]

What about bringing a puppy into the home of a cat. I want to get the puppy acclimated but will have to get the cat acclimated to the puppy too. Our cat is much older now than the last time we brought a puppy home. Hoping she will do ok. I was thinking the same thing of having a towel with puppy scent on it before hand for her to smell. Also of keeping him in the crate so she can check him out without "danger". I think it will be difficult to separate them in the beginning when we are trying to acclimate the puppy to our home. 

[Cathy and Daisy and Harper]

That is one of the best looking cats I have ever seen! Your dogs look amazing too! Good luck!

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

I just showed my daughter the picture and her eyes got huge and she said "I WANT HIM"! I couldn't argue with her, he's stunning.

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Beautiful kitty! I'm a firm believer it can be done. I have always had both, not all have best buddies but they have all respected each other. Any idea how the cat is with dogs, to me that's more of an issue then dogs with cats. If the cat is terrified or a rubber then it'll be harder to adjust everyone but if the cat is mellow it'll be much easier at least in my personal experience. Slowly introduce the first two and that will give you an idea of the cats feelings about the dogs. As far as food, our two cats love fussie cat, wet and dry (feline version of Zignatures). For the litter box we took a 5 gallon tub with lid cut a hole on one side of top so cat can climb in and out and dogs can't get in. We also have a gate by Carlson that has a small cat gate within it, no jumping required and really easy to open. I can take pictures if you're interested.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

I agree! He's stunning! I think he may have some Mane Coon in him. And in thinking about it, ManeCoon's are notorious dog lovers! :)

[Amy and Annabelle]

When my oldest daughter went away to college, she adopted a cat from a Siamese rescue. She would bring her home during the summer and holidays. We had a Golden Retriever who was a gentle giant. The cat worshiped him. They were best buds even sleeping together. Eventually the cat just stayed with us because they both seemed depressed when separated. When the dog died the cat was so depressed it was sad. So it can be done and we didn't really do anything special. I think a lot of it was the gentle nature of our dog. Plus, it was 1 dog and 1 cat, though the dog weighed close to 90 lbs and cat weighed about 8.

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Hello I'm back.  I have some more info to share now that I am on a computer and not my phone.  

We have two rescue cats, one we rescued as an adult two years ago (we think she's about 6 now) and the other as a very young kitten (5-6 weeks old).  The older cat was not a fan of the dogs, at all, but has since learned to tolerate them and outside we've had several Homeward Bound moments where they are seen sniffing and mulling around the yard together (it's really adorable especially when I call them in and they all come running in together).  In the beginning my Sassparilla so desperately wanted to be friends and play buddies but the cat wanted no part of it now, over time, they have since worked out a quirky relationship that works for the two of them (it's funny they only play when nobodies looking??) lol  This new kitten we just brought home last October and Sassparilla immediately adopted and has pretty much raised him.  Funny, our other cat despises him (still) so even same species don't always get along.  

We just recently started fostering and neither were cat savvy.  The first was a puppy mill dog, very young and so was the kitten at that time. In the beginning though the puppy was way to assertive so I would leash him and have him sit with me and watch the kitten and Sassparilla interact, talking to him the whole time and at some point it clicked and they became wonderful friends and playmates. The most recent foster came in as a stray, we assume BYB or mill puppy and he was very excited and curious with the cats and would pounce and playfully mouth them. Our older cat kept at a distance but the kitten chose to take the challenge although he didn't always agree with the puppies hyper playful personality so often corrected him but never with claws out.  We did reach a point where the kitten and puppy could be in the same room without the pouncing but the puppy has since moved onto another home where they are starting over with the same issues of a new dog to a cats environment.  It'll take time, respect and just getting used to the new family member and most recent updates prove things are looking good. 

The one thing I noticed with this recent pup is his prey drive, he chased if the cats ran and that made a big impact on how they got along (in my opinion) our older cat always ran and or course the pup chased, I'm sure thinking it was a form of play where our kitten stood his ground so that prey drive wasn't tested.

What has worked for us is to gate the dogs in one part of the house.  In our case they had the back room and backyard, this is also where the family spends most of their time.  When acclimating the older cat she had access to the entire house then as she got more comfortable she would join us in the room with the dogs but she could retreat if she felt the need. She also had high places to go to get out of reach.  Sassy was always curious and in her face while our Josie prefers to just stay back and watch.  Now both cats do great with the dogs but not so great with each other! lol  My little man kitty desperately wants to play with our older kitty and she is still not interested. He's still under a year so I am hoping as he matures they can be friends. Now the only time the gates go up is when we are fostering and that's just to keep them safe and away from anything in the house that could be a danger to them or valuable to me! 

Our last cat hated the dogs period, she was best buddies with my first dog but never warmed up to any others after than.  For her we had a gate on the stairwell that had a door for us and withing the gate door a smaller door the perfect size for her.  Here she could retreat upstairs without being followed by any of the dogs.  We also had the litter box upstairs and the gate kept our Josie from seeking out the kitty poop (yuk) and eating the dry food. Since we've changed our littler boxes to the Rubbermaid tubs with lids.  Cut a large circle hole to one side of the lid and the cats seem to prefer the privacy when going potty and Josie hasn't been able to get anything out of it! 

As far as cat food I mentioned mine like Fussie Cat (sister company to Zignatures).  I've just used the approved DK dog food and selected the feline version.  My daughter was feeding her cat Lotus but she's lost interest in it.  My little man doesn't like chicken so we're lucky Fussie Cat has a big variety of flavors to choose from without the chicken.  They are also have a frequent buyer program.

Good luck, your dogs are beautiful and should be able to adapt easily.  I find there is a definite difference in the prey drive for a rabbit and squirrel vs a house cat.  Stay calm and talk to all of them as they get to know each other, what you do sets the tone.  Please keep us posted.

[jenn D]

I just want to thank everyone for the wonderful advice. I'm gonna nag to use it as we try this adventure. I'll keep you updated. Thanks doodle friends! :)