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what are the best ways to prepare your cat for a new puppy

1K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  lady amanda 
#1 ·
Hi everyone, 4 weeks 4 days till puppy day :) and i just wanted everyones thoughts and experiance on what is the best way/s to prepare our cat for berties arrival.

Our cat is rather timid yet a bit 'wild' at times and the thought of her being scared and running away is hanging over mine and my parents heads at the moment so i thought this would be the perfect place to ask all of you experts who may have tacled and succeeded with this stage.

Were hoping that once she gets used to having a dog in the house she should be fine ( we have a parrot and she plays with him all the time but he was there first before we bought the cat (pixie) )

soo any opinions experiance etc would be greatfull and helpfull
:confused:
 
#2 ·
your cat will soon put him in his place. our boy murphy took no nonsense and love nothing better than to be in the middle of the on the couch on in the dog bed, Yosser is still timid and keep out their way but gives them what for when they push their luck. joey was just a kiten when we got out youngest so it think he thinks he is a dog.
 
#5 ·
Our two cats were a bit put out when Eddie arrived but they both have different ways of coping with him, one just jumps out of his way if he gets too much for her and the other will use her claws if he annoys her too much [strangely she is his favourite].Its funny when Eddie copies the cat and pats her head with his paws.They all rub along well now and will play chase and lie next to eachother for a snooze, so dont worry and just leave them to sort things out for themselves.
 
#6 ·
Hi there,

It's good to be prepared and I too had these worries before Saffi came home. I had mental images of the cats scratching the puppies eyes out or worse.

We set up the puppies things bit by bit - the puppy gate 10 days before puppy arrived, the crate a week before she arrived, we squeaked the toys a bit so they got used to the noise. Two days before she came home we plugged in Feliway and sprayed all the furniture with it (including the crate). Night before hand we cut the cats claws - we do this regularly anyway but as a precaution. When we brought Saffi home we held her so that she didn't chase the cats. The cats surprised us all by reacting very well! Bluebell, our little princess, is a bit off her food so we're having to feed her on the work surface but generally all is ok.

Try not to worry to much, it will all work out in the end :)

P.S. Have attached some pics!
 

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#7 ·
I'm definitely not an expert, but we got our puppy a month ago and also have a cat.

My cat was raised around my very young kids so he is VERY patient and used to youngsters. He's also very social and kind of dog like! I wasn't worried about bringing the puppy home, but i did do some things to prepare him. Like Turi did, I also set out the puppies things ahead of time. That kind of bckfired with the crate though because my cat thought it was for him and started sleeping in it when my kid would leave the door open!

I also cut his claws the night before. He has never scratched us, but i wanted to be safe. When we brought Olive home I decided to not make a big fuss. I just brought her in the house,put her down and let them meet however it was going to occur! My cat instantly came up to Olive. He was very cautious for about 2 days, but very, very curious about her. He became rather obsessed with her! Olive loved the cat from the second she saw him. After about a week they started playing together and now i get nightly entertainment from the 2 of them! The cat chases Olive aroundtv room and kitchen and then pounces on her (not aggressively). then they sort of wrestle and the chasing starts again. This goes on for about 30 minutes. My cat has yet to hiss at Olive and only "hits" her with soft paws during play.

I hope it all works out well for you. Your cat might end up like having another animal in the house!
 
#8 ·
Pixie our cat was almost one when we brought Beau home and although she had been used to dogs as we had our lovely Cavvie when we first got her she hadn't been used to a puppy chasing her! She coped really we as would just jump up out of the way and we did put up a stairgate so that Pixie could escape out of the way of Beau if she wanted to! She would occasionally pin Beau down as a warning but never hurt her and it is quite funny now because if Pixie gives Beau a playful bat with her paw Beau does the same back with hers! We also feed Pixie on a windowsill as she is a snacker and obviously can't trust Beau to leave her food alone! Below is a picture of them of how they are most of the time now and they still love to chase each other but Beau knows when to stop :D

 
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