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How do you help your indoor cats adjust to Rover dogs visiting?

Anne M.'s profile image

We have 2 cats that have always lived with dogs. The first couple of dogs we sat through Rover completely ignored the cats and everyone carried on with life as usual. The cats didn't adjust or change their routine AT ALL and were completely fine being out and about with the dogs. I would consider them dog savvy. Then we watched a dog that literally wanted to kill the cats and he was super aggressive towards them (obviously we should have caught this in the meet and greet but hindsight is 20/20) and they've lost their cool.

Now, any dog that comes in the house gets the cats completely worked up without even trying. We've had dogs who literally couldn't care less about the cats and will just walk into a room... and the cats hide under the bed, howl and growl, hiss and lunge at them and suddenly the super calm dogs think these hissing crazy cats are the funnest thing to chase. If the cats had just kept their cool, there wouldn't have been an issue. I'm looking for really specific advice on how to help support my cats when Rover dogs come into the house without having to keep them completely separate all the time. I don't want to stress them (and obviously they're super stressed about it)... and we have 2 dogs coming for 3 weeks so they're going to need to find a way to be ok with the new visiting dogs!

3 Answers

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Laura R.'s profile image

I think the best thing you can do for them is give them space just for them, where they can be secure in the knowledge that they will not have to put up with dogs there at all. Make sure their litter box, food, and water are all accessible to them without having to enter the dog area so they can have all the time and space they need to readjust to new dogs. Be sure to give them attention (assuming they are attention-liking cats) in the safe area as well so they don't feel like they're being isolated from the family. Give them plenty of places (the higher the better) where they can observe the dogs without the dogs being able to approach them. And finally, if you see one of the cats start to get uncomfortable with a dog's presence, even if the dog isn't showing any interest or doing anything wrong, distract the dog and encourage him to leave the area. Cats don't bond with humans the same way dogs do, but showing your cats that you recognize their discomfort and are willing to take action to make them more comfortable might help them relax. Plus, it will prevent future guest dogs from becoming too interested once the cat has proven itself worthy of attention by teaching them that when kitty starts acting like that, the smart thing to do is give kitty privacy.

Comments

I have to deal with this. I am screening for dogs that don't want to chase, but sometimes I get a dog and have to keep it separate from the cat. Mine is indoor/outdoor and the house is big so I keep her food upstairs and let her in and out through front door. I have a request right now but the owner wasn't sure, so I asked her to come to a meet and greet to asses.

Suzanne E.'s profile image Suzanne E.
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Cheryl W.'s profile image

All my cats are okay with dogs to some extent (even the shy ones will come up and sniff a butt eventually). I only watch a couple of dogs over 40 lbs because the magnitude of fear seems to go up with the weight. I've only had one dog not "pass" the meet and greet - but both the owner and I agreed it wasn't a good idea, and he lived with a cat - go figure. What Anne said is right - if a cat darts past them, lots of dogs will chase, but are playing - but if your cats are that freaked out STILL by visiting dogs maybe do them a favor and not sit in your home for awhile. Do travelling and housesitting.

I know this is an old post, so I hope you and your cats (and your visiting dogs) have reached an agreement!

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Sarah B.'s profile image

Hi Anne, how have things been going for you re: this issue? At this very moment I'm sitting for a dog who also, quite literally, wants to kill the cats. I'm keeping them apart (they're shut in a two-room space) but I've had a few intense scares. Any tips you can share? And will you take a dog who chases the cats if it seems non-aggressive?

Unfortunately every boarder I've had so far has chased or barked at them to some degree :/

Comments

Hi Sarah, We have taken dogs that chase non aggressively. For the most part, they are trainable and don't really care about the cats- they just think it seems fun. We haven't taken any aggressive dogs since my posting but have basically kept the cats in their own room when we have chasers.

Anne M.'s profile image Anne M.
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