Guest Anonymous Posted May 14, 2002 Share Posted May 14, 2002 Found a puppy, vet says he's german shepard,chow mix maybe, he's not sure. Tried to find his owner no success, decided to keep him. Housebroke him in two days, he seems extremely intelligent. Problem, I get mixed advice, I have two cats 1 year old & 6. He I believe is only trying to play he's (eight weeks old), but at times he seems to get overly aggressive with him. The vet said let them sort it out, it will be fine. Friends say discipline him when he barks at them and seems aggressive, What is the right path to take with this, we've had him 3 weeks it seems to be getting a little better. I love my cats and I don't want them to get hurt, Should I discipline him or let them work it out? Thanks for any help. Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 14, 2002 Share Posted May 14, 2002 I tend to lean toward agreeing with the vet on this one. As long as there is no bloodshed (so to speak), let them sort it out... with supervision, of course, but don't necessarily interfere. Cats are quite adept at establishing their boundaries and I imagine they will be more than willing to teach the new pup a lesson or two if he pushed his luck with them too much. It would probably be a good idea to have the cats an established safe haven, if you haven't already. Someplace they can go to get away from the pup. A room blocked off by a child safety gate, for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 15, 2002 Share Posted May 15, 2002 i would not let them fight it out--sort it out, yes, but not FIGHT it out. I taught my dogs that if the cat flees, LET IT GO. I have spanked and scolded for following the cat to the top of the couch or bed. The reason is, solely, even if the cat likes to wrestle (as mine does) even my smallest dog outweighs it by almost three times as much! The cat knows when the play is getting too rough and is allowed to flee at any time, without being harrassed on the furniture. The cat is also allowed to dole out a little discipline (a slap or two) if she is feeling threatened or uncomfortable. However, I also keep the cat under control--bullying is not allowed on either end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 15, 2002 Share Posted May 15, 2002 [quote] On 2002-05-15 09:15, Anonymous wrote: i would not let them fight it out--sort it out, yes, but not FIGHT it out. I taught my dogs that if the cat flees, LET IT GO. I have spanked and scolded for following the cat to the top of the couch or bed. The reason is, solely, even if the cat likes to wrestle (as mine does) even my smallest dog outweighs it by almost three times as much! The cat knows when the play is getting too rough and is allowed to flee at any time, without being harrassed on the furniture. The cat is also allowed to dole out a little discipline (a slap or two) if she is feeling threatened or uncomfortable. However, I also keep the cat under control--bullying is not allowed on either end! [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 15, 2002 Share Posted May 15, 2002 Thanks for your responses, the younger cat seems to want to get to know him, the older one left a claw sheath under his eye, I never leave them together unattended and the cats do have shelves etc., to escape to. Not really being a dog person, my greatest fear is after several months of them being together, I would wish to stop separating them at night, and when I go shopping, I'm just afraid he will hurt them, somewhere down the road. Everyday it does seem to get a little better, he's learning his limits with them, can anyone estimate how long it will take before we are one big happy family? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.