We have three cats who get along great with our dog, but we always have to keep them in the garage when we have a Rover dog over. Are there any suggestions or ideas other than that out there? I know it's a long shot - seems like most dogs are not comfortable with cats....
I have a cat as well, and haven't had any problems with the rover dogs that I sit. Even though every single owner says "I'm not sure how they'll do with a cat...they've never been around one before" the dogs really seem to do fine once they're actually in the same room with the cat. Granted, my cat is very confident and doesn't seem to mind the dogs.
For my first few sits, before I knew my cat would be comfortable with strange dogs in the house, I kept a baby gate over the guest bedroom door. I left the cat's food and water and litter box in there, so the cat spent a good amount of her time in the room. The baby gate allowed the guest dogs to see and smell her and just get used to her presence. She eventually just will jump the baby gate and introduce herself to the dogs, no problem.
I'm so jealous! Have only had 5 dog boarders so far but every single one has barked and chased the cats a bit... they're mainly outdoor and the dogs were never aggressive so it wasn't a huge problem, but I really wish I had more cat-friendly clients
We actually gate off the main room of the house for the Rover dogs as well as our own. That way, if the cats do not want to be around the dogs, they can jump the gate and go into other places in the house while the dogs stay in the main room. Perhaps that may be an option for you?
It depends on your client base and how much you want to restrict new guests based on their cat friendliness. Many dogs are very interested in cats but can learn to be respectful once they've been safely introduced. Dog-savvy cats are pretty good at setting their own boundaries and enforcing them. You might be able to leave the cats out and have your guest dog stay on leash until you're able to determine if they can coexist peacefully, but even if they prove themselves trustworthy in your presence I'd still recommend keeping the cats/guest dogs separated when you leave.
My profile clearly shows I have a cat, and I keep getting requests that say there dog is notcat friendly. Feel like people don't read the profile. I don't want my 10 year old cat being chased repeatedly so I always have to clarify. A lot of times they say not cat friendly but I have no problems. Go figure!
the "gets along with cats" section is under "fill out more information about my dog". So if they just fill out the basics, it defaults to 'no'. I thought the same thing! :)
We have 9 cats and 3 dogs and it hasn't been an issue. We do always require a meet and greet/ cat test. Our cats won't run, so it's hard to chase them. ;-)
Fortunately, I have a spacious house so my cat has his own room. The door stays open at all times but when we are dog sitting, he may be confined to his room if a rover dog does not get along with cats, which most seem not to.