Puppy And Dominant Cat ...

[hazel]

We have a new little pup ( caviler x poodle ) who is now 10 weeks old ( we have had her for two weeks now ) .

I also have 3 indoor only cats . When they first met the puppy they did not know what she was as they have never met a dog before . They kept their distance and were wary but curious . Two of them essentially remain this way but the dominant female has now started stalking the puppy around . Poppy ( the puppy ) is kept crated in the room and is closely supervised when she is out so the cat was watched very closely when she was out . We started puppy pre school this week and the lady there said that I should let them interact as it is the dominant cats house and always will be and the puppy needs to learn her place . So this morining I did not stop the cat when she got too close and she gave Poppy several good whacks . Her claws are kept well trimmed but she only gave up when Poppy cried . ( Hiding between my legs )

Please help . I only want to do the right thing by all my animals as I love my cats very much but do not want to scar the puppy for life !

By the way the cats are not that old . The dominant female being the eldest at 3.5 years old

[Red Mal]

I wouldn't worry too much. Your pup and cat will learn through interaction to either stay away from eachother or learn to accept one another. Allow them to react, but supervise for a while.

I have known many 'dog hating' cats to end up bonding with a puppy, even when the puppy is a 45k mountain of fluff to cuddle into

[badboyz]

The cat is putting Poppy in her place and letting her know who is boss. It is not a bad thing and will teach poppy to respect the cats, providing your cat does not get too agressive. If my cat gets too rough I will caution her to behave - just a "hiss" or say her name in a growly voice usually stops her going overboard and warns her off. After all you are the dominant one in the house and you decide what is acceptable behaviour.