Socialisation - Puppies And Cats

[maximum]

Help request number 2 for me today, re. my 20 week old puppy, Max!

I have 3 cats at home - 2 Ragdolls (Arnie and Sly) and a Maine Coon (Jordie). The Coon and one of the Raggies will be 11 years old this March; the other Raggie is just 10. Although they've lived indoors all their lives, they've had a pretty varied existence - lots of house moving, including a 2 year stint in the USA and the inevitable quarantine upon return.

All three are extremely affectionate to me and generally everyone who visits my place. One of the Raggies, Arnie, is a bit of a 'mamma's boy' and basically sees me as his reason for living - he won't have much to do with anyone else and is extremely protective of and jealous over me.

Since Max the puppy came to live with us, things have been a little difficult for the cats - I've summed it up as partly genuine fear of the puppy, partly pissed off at the puppy's arrival and partly the fact that he's like a mini tornado who disrupts their peaceful feline existance!

Jordie, the Maine Coon, has been the only cat to socialise with Max. He hisses, growls, clobbers Max on the head etc., but he's never hurt Max and seems happy enough to be in his company. Jordie weighs approximately 12kg and could VERY easily hurt Max if he wanted to, be he seems to practice genuine restraint. They also play 'chasey' around the house together, Max jumps all over Jordie etc., so I think Jordie's hisses/growls etc. are all bluff and an occasional warning to Max when he gets out of hand and starts being really annoying. Or biting him!

It's a different story with the Ragdolls, Arnie and Sly. In the first week I had Max, I bought a baby gate to block off half the house - the bedrooms and bathroom, plus one of the balconies, are off limits to Max. The cats are all fed down that end of the house, their litter trays are in the bathroom, they sleep on my bed and they have a large balcony all to themselves for fresh air and sunshine. At this point, Jordie is the only one to voluntarily venture into the Max's area - the living and dining rooms, the kitchen and the other balcony. We've had 'touching noses through the baby gate' with the Raggies, but that's as far as it goes.

Max means no harm to the cats - he just wants to play. However, when he 'greets' the cats, he charges up to them with his tail wagging, tongue out etc. to say hello. The cats view this as a threat and are NOT interested in playing with him (except for Jordie) or even being in the same room as him. I have a dog trainer for Max and he suggested putting Max on a lead and tying him to a table leg while I bring the Ragdolls into the living room. Max can still see us and be with me, but he can't get near Arnie and Sly. I'm trying to do this once a night, but the Raggies aren't really interested. They hang around for 5 minutes, keeping one eye on the dog and one eye on the nearest exit, then scoot back to the safety of the gated portion of my house.

For those that don't know, Ragdolls are VERY people-oriented and often described as the 'dogs of the cat world' - my two even play 'Fetch'! Before Max arrived, Arnie and Sly were always in the same room as me and, very often, sitting/sleeping on me. They've never really 'grown up' as such and would play with each other and their toys etc. every day. I know that Arnie and Sly miss me a great deal - they often sit on the other side of the baby gate and cry constantly to get my attention, calling me down to that end of the house. Nothing to do with food - they just want cuddles and affection! Prior to Max, Arnie was my substitute dog - he followed me absolutely EVERYWHERE and we had daily 'conversations'. He's a real chatterbox and a very intelligent cat.

Anyway, I'm thinking that it would just be easier to let the dog have the run of the place, 'force' everyone to live together in one big furry family. Except I don't want Max near the litter trays (I've heard all the dog eating cat poo stories!) and I also leave dry food down for my cats all the time. Dry cat food, being all protein, is VERY attractive to Max and I don't want him scoffing all their food. Additionally, my bed is the cats' domain and I don't want Max sleeping up there too. Personally, I don't care, but I know the cats would care VERY much and they were in my life long before Max. The cats also need a place to escape Max when he gets too 'crazy puppy'.

Does anyone have any advice for me? I'm sorry for the long-winded post, but I'm really quite concerned about my two Raggies, Arnie and Sly. They've had my full attention for 11 years and they seem SO hurt that I'm no longer totally accessible to them without them having to put up with Mental Max trying to play with them. Sly in particular is absolutely terrified of Max and cries pitifully every time he comes near.

Many thanks again!

Cheers

Annie

[ellz]

I've got a "multi-cultural" family too. I have been really slack because I've never followed the "usual" advice for introducing cats and dogs. Basically it's just one big free-for-all here.

The cats who don't like dogs quickly learn to keep their distance and choose their moments for human interaction, usually when the dogs are eating or asleep or outside doing "dog stuff". The rest just wander around and take their chances. It isn't unusual to see one of the puppies wander by with a cat in its mouth, literally dragging it along. The cats just flop and let it happen. It's really very funny but as long as nobody is getting hurt, I don't tend to step in because I believe this will interfere with setting a natural pecking order.

The only way I can keep the dogs out of the kitty litter is to make the kitty litter inaccessible by way of a baby gate on the bathroom door. That way the cats can get in but the dogs can't. Of course, it doesn't stop the dogs from digging outside when they know the cats have left a "kitty treat" out there, but we cope by warning the rest of the house not to let "such-and-such" kiss you because they've been eating cat poo! :D

In my old house, I wasn't able to section off the litter so I had a special cupboard modified from an old kitchen cupboard, that had an opening in the side up fairly high so the cats could get in but the dogs couldn't and I could access the trays to clean by the front doors. That was pretty effective too.

This doesn't of course address your issues, but I hope it helps you to understand that you're not alone! :rolleyes:

[frank the tank's mum]

I have a 14 month old staffy called Frank, aka the most excitable, playful and affectionate dog ever, who caused a lot of disruption to my two cats when I first brought him home. As the cats are older and so less tolerant of a young puppy running around the place I decided to let Frank know quick smart that he is not higher up the food chain than them. I was really persistent in telling him no every time he would try to chase a cat or even approach one.

The result of my labour is that he now never chases the cats or goes near them, he let's them approach him and they either avoid him or rub up against him depending on their mood. Some nights the dog and cats even sleep together on our bed. I found that I just had to let the dog know to leave the cats alone and he has actually responded really well.

Unfortunately for him we went away for Christmas, and he had to go and stay with our friends who have a bit of a crazy cat, he knew not to chase her but then didn't know how to respond when she would attack him unprovoked and bite his face, or when she decided it was time to chase him around their backyard. Oops, may have taken the cat above dog thing a little too far. (He wasn't hurt though and my friends assure me it was hilarious to watch!)

[colliepaws]

Ah yes, the stress of bringing a puppy into a 'cat' household! :D

Not sure how much help I'll be but I'll tell you a bit about my situation in hopes you might find it helpful.

I have two one year old ragdoll boys, Dash and Cosmo, and two collies, Molly is 6 years old and Luka is just a pup and is 4 months old.

I was so worried when I made the decision to add a puppy to the family. My ragdolls are my babies and are so sweet and affectionate and I was worried that Luka would try to eat them! Luckily Luka seems to see them as very funny looking puppies and while he does have a habit of trying to play with them (and generally squashing them a bit in the process) he hasn't eaten them yet.

I think you're doing well with the baby gates...I have baby gates to keep the pup out of the second bedroom (which has always been the 'kitten' room) and also out of the living room which is where they are fed (although Luka is allowed in the living room if I'm home). I feed Dash and Cosmo up on a high desk to keep the dogs away from their food. You might want to try feeding Arnie and Sly up on a table in a room where Max is allowed to be...I know my two seem to like eating somewhere high and looking down at Luka and enjoying the fact that he can't get them or their food.

Something I found really helpful for the 'free for all' areas is that I bought 4 or 5 tall scratching posts with platforms at the top and put these in various spots all over the house for Dash and Cosmo to make a quick getaway from Luka if they ever get cornered by the big doofus trying to play with them. This seems to make them feel quite secure knowing that they can get away from him quickly and they aren't so nervous about walking around the house when the puppy is on the loose! Since Max is only little you may be able to get away with leaving chairs/footstools around for Arnie and Sly to use to get up and away from Max although I've found my two boys prefer a fair amount of height between them and the pesky puppy.

I also have a couple of crates for Luka which were very handy in the beginning because I put him in there when he was eating or sometimes just to settle down and sleep and the ragdolls could come and investigate without Luka being able to get to them. From what you said about them not being interested and just running off when you bring them into the living room at night when Max is leashed perhaps if they feel more secure in the 'gated' portion of the house you could try bringing Max down there on leash. This would probably work best if you do it when he's very tired so he's not so playful and therefore not seen so much as a threat but just having him there on the raggies side of the house sleeping might work....

I think all in all it will just take time, after all 11 years is a lot of routine to try and change! Hopefully your raggies will come around eventually but if not then just make sure they get lots of cuddle time too. Cosmo is my fraidy cat and tends to hide away until the puppy is sleeping and then comes out to find us so I try to make sure I seek him out to give him extra cuddles and attention.

*phew*...well, that was all a bit longwinded but hopefully some of it made sense! :rolleyes:

Best of luck with it all.

[ellz]

Thought you'd enjoy these photos. This is my old Stafford bitch who HATES cats!! :D

And my greyhound who wasn't cat-proofed before he came to me....

[maximum]

I've got a "multi-cultural" family too. I have been really slack because I've never followed the "usual" advice for introducing cats and dogs. Basically it's just one big free-for-all here.

The cats who don't like dogs quickly learn to keep their distance and choose their moments for human interaction, usually when the dogs are eating or asleep or outside doing "dog stuff". The rest just wander around and take their chances. It isn't unusual to see one of the puppies wander by with a cat in its mouth, literally dragging it along. The cats just flop and let it happen. It's really very funny but as long as nobody is getting hurt, I don't tend to step in because I believe this will interfere with setting a natural pecking order.

The only way I can keep the dogs out of the kitty litter is to make the kitty litter inaccessible by way of a baby gate on the bathroom door. That way the cats can get in but the dogs can't. Of course, it doesn't stop the dogs from digging outside when they know the cats have left a "kitty treat" out there, but we cope by warning the rest of the house not to let "such-and-such" kiss you because they've been eating cat poo!

In my old house, I wasn't able to section off the litter so I had a special cupboard modified from an old kitchen cupboard, that had an opening in the side up fairly high so the cats could get in but the dogs couldn't and I could access the trays to clean by the front doors. That was pretty effective too.

This doesn't of course address your issues, but I hope it helps you to understand that you're not alone!

Hi Ellz and thanks for the response. It's SO great to know that I'm not the only one with 'multi-cultural' issues! And LOL at 'multi-cultural family' - that truly hits the nail on the head in my place!

I love all animals, but if I could have one animal and no other, it would be a cat. So, I've learned to speak 'fluent cat' over the years and at the moment, it seems like I know what the cats are thinking/saying, they know what I'm saying and NONE of us know what the dog is saying!!! Max's trainer is trying to teach me to speak dog, but it's a slow process. Such a different psychology than cats, in terms of the pack mentality thing, and it's taking me a while to get the hang of it.

It's almost like dogs need to be treated like children - they need a lot of boundaries in their behaviour. Something that's totally foreign to cats - they just do what the bloody hell they like! LOL! My cats know what "NO!" means and they do as I tell them in that respect, but they actually don't have any bad habits (apart from the Coon destroying my wicker furniture). Unlike Max, who is just doing what puppies do.

Loved the photos of your doggies with the kitten! One of my Raggies isn't too keen on the Maine Coon ('swears' at him every time they meet in the house and is incredibly jealous over me), but I often catch them cuddled up together in the winter time. Very sweet - the Jordie the Coon is 12kg and Arnie the Raggie is a very runty 3.5kg. For Arnie, it must be like sleeping on a big, furry bed!

[Kirra_Bomber_Zeus]

I've basically done the 'free for all' approach each time with mine too. My new puppy keeps attempting to get the cats to play with him (play bowing and occasionally barking to get their attention) but gives up after a few tries when they stalk off in a huff

One of our cats is a 'no-go' zone with all of our dogs (she makes that rule not us!) and they know that she will never be interested in playing with them in any way. I watched on the first day as the new pup approached her and one of my other dogs bolted around and stood infront of the pup - kind of body blocking him and edging him away - it was really quite funny, I could just imagine her saying "no no no, you dont want to do that!!"

I do know how you feel though, our oldest cat was with us before we had any dogs and she used to follow me everywhere too. She was very unimpressed when we got our first dog but she did get over it and I made sure I still made time to sit her on my lap and pay attention to her too

One of my dogs with a kitten we had:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34919246@N08/...57613065294121/

[shoemonster]

We introd a puppy to our existing cats, when Ed was a pup, and then later we introduced Molly as a 8 month old pup

I agree with the no dog zones, a baby gate to a room, we use the laundry because the catflap to the cat run is in the laundry too

The cats know they can get away, and the dogs know they cant go in there

Always supervise and even now years later, even though neither of the dogs has ever tried to hurt the cats (cant say the same for the cats attacking the dogs though!), I will leave them unsupervised when Im home, but I seperate while at work or going out for longer periods of time.

Now

When they were little

Oh I reccomend clipping the cats claws too, just incase the puppy gets a claw in the eye

Edited January 29, 2009 by shoemonster

[maximum]

Ah yes, the stress of bringing a puppy into a 'cat' household!

Not sure how much help I'll be but I'll tell you a bit about my situation in hopes you might find it helpful.

I have two one year old ragdoll boys, Dash and Cosmo, and two collies, Molly is 6 years old and Luka is just a pup and is 4 months old.

I was so worried when I made the decision to add a puppy to the family. My ragdolls are my babies and are so sweet and affectionate and I was worried that Luka would try to eat them! Luckily Luka seems to see them as very funny looking puppies and while he does have a habit of trying to play with them (and generally squashing them a bit in the process) he hasn't eaten them yet.

I think you're doing well with the baby gates...I have baby gates to keep the pup out of the second bedroom (which has always been the 'kitten' room) and also out of the living room which is where they are fed (although Luka is allowed in the living room if I'm home). I feed Dash and Cosmo up on a high desk to keep the dogs away from their food. You might want to try feeding Arnie and Sly up on a table in a room where Max is allowed to be...I know my two seem to like eating somewhere high and looking down at Luka and enjoying the fact that he can't get them or their food.

Something I found really helpful for the 'free for all' areas is that I bought 4 or 5 tall scratching posts with platforms at the top and put these in various spots all over the house for Dash and Cosmo to make a quick getaway from Luka if they ever get cornered by the big doofus trying to play with them. This seems to make them feel quite secure knowing that they can get away from him quickly and they aren't so nervous about walking around the house when the puppy is on the loose! Since Max is only little you may be able to get away with leaving chairs/footstools around for Arnie and Sly to use to get up and away from Max although I've found my two boys prefer a fair amount of height between them and the pesky puppy.

I also have a couple of crates for Luka which were very handy in the beginning because I put him in there when he was eating or sometimes just to settle down and sleep and the ragdolls could come and investigate without Luka being able to get to them. From what you said about them not being interested and just running off when you bring them into the living room at night when Max is leashed perhaps if they feel more secure in the 'gated' portion of the house you could try bringing Max down there on leash. This would probably work best if you do it when he's very tired so he's not so playful and therefore not seen so much as a threat but just having him there on the raggies side of the house sleeping might work....

I think all in all it will just take time, after all 11 years is a lot of routine to try and change! Hopefully your raggies will come around eventually but if not then just make sure they get lots of cuddle time too. Cosmo is my fraidy cat and tends to hide away until the puppy is sleeping and then comes out to find us so I try to make sure I seek him out to give him extra cuddles and attention.

*phew*...well, that was all a bit longwinded but hopefully some of it made sense!

Best of luck with it all.

Fluffy, thank God you understand!!! You're very familiar with the sort of cats Ragdolls are and I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Thanks SO much for all your advice - you've actually given me several ideas to try to coax the Rags out into the open.

Sly in particular is EXTREMELY food-motivated (his nickname is "Slug" coz he's a bit porky!), so feeding them up high where Max can't get them but where they can all see each other really makes sense. Arnie really couldn't care less about food, but he's less frightened by the dog - actually, I think he's not frightened at all, but just miffed that there's yet another furry thing in the house that competes for my attention.

My flat only has 3 doors in it (aside from the front door and three balcony doors) - the two bedrooms and the bathroom. Every other room is divided from the next by an archway, which makes it hard to shut areas off. Ideally, I'd love to give the cats safe access to the kitchen and dining room, because they're both closer to where I spend most of my time, but I couldn't give Max just the living room and front balcony. I feed him in the kitchen and he uses puppy training pads in the laundry for his toilet, and both the kitchen and living room connect by archways to the dining room, which then connects by archway to a hallway off which are the bedrooms and bathroom. If that makes sense!!! LOL!

I really don't want to buy another baby gate, because they're pretty expensive and I really am hoping this is a temporary situation, although I'll probably leave the existing one up permanently, so I can keep Max away from the bedroom and litter trays. I've tried gating things off with the puppy pen I bought for Max - it's one of those folding metal ones - but Max just climbs over it. That's the reason I got the initial baby gate.

First day I went to work after I got Max, I left him in the kitchen with the pen across the archway. I came home to find him running all over the house and the cats hiding on my bed to get away from him. This happened 3 days in a row. I finally put him in the kitchen and hid somewhere where I could see him, and watched him calmly use all four feet to climb up and over the gate, into the rest of the house!!! At 8.5 weeks old! Cheeky bugger. So, I can't have anything that gives him a foothold. That's why the metal baby gates with vertical bars are so great - no way for him to climb over. And doesn't he hate it!!!! *LOL*

You've now got me really thinking about how I can get the Raggies to come over the baby gate into the dining room, and I'll feed them on the dining room table.

The taking Max into the cats' area on a leash idea is also an excellent one. Except Max NEVER gets sleepy enough to leave the cats alone! Not while I'm home, anyway - as I work, I'm pretty sure Max sleeps all day and then goes mental all night! Well, not ALL night - he's very good with bed time, seems to know that when all the lights go off and I'm through the baby gate, I ain't coming out til morning! I don't hear a peep out of him all night. Anyway, I might just try taking him down their end on a lead, whether he's being mental or not. At least I'll have some control over him!!

Thank you again for your advice and your understanding - it's SO nice to know that there's others out there in a very similar situation!

[maximum]

I've basically done the 'free for all' approach each time with mine too. My new puppy keeps attempting to get the cats to play with him (play bowing and occasionally barking to get their attention) but gives up after a few tries when they stalk off in a huff

One of our cats is a 'no-go' zone with all of our dogs (she makes that rule not us!) and they know that she will never be interested in playing with them in any way. I watched on the first day as the new pup approached her and one of my other dogs bolted around and stood infront of the pup - kind of body blocking him and edging him away - it was really quite funny, I could just imagine her saying "no no no, you dont want to do that!!"

I do know how you feel though, our oldest cat was with us before we had any dogs and she used to follow me everywhere too. She was very unimpressed when we got our first dog but she did get over it and I made sure I still made time to sit her on my lap and pay attention to her too

One of my dogs with a kitten we had:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34919246@N08/...57613065294121/

Awww, that's SUCH a sweet photo! You know, I was hoping that the cats would accept Max because he's a baby - cats tend to accept kittens much more easily than they accept grown cats. I was hoping it would work with dogs too!

I wish I could get Arnie and Sly to come near Max. He knows what the 'deal' is with Jordie, because Jordie has never run away from him since day one. Probably because Max was about 1.4kg when I bought him and Jordie is a good 12kg! But if Max gets out of hand, Jordie will whop him on the head with one of his big paws and Max knows that he'd better give the cat a 'time out' or else. If Jordie seems to be getting totally harassed and 'over it', I'll chase him over the baby gate myself! *LOL*

With the Raggies, I'm doing as you've said in making time to cuddle them etc. and just 'be' with them. I think that's what they miss the most - just being with me. I sure miss them! They hang out by the baby gate and wait for me to go to the loo, where they follow me of course! *LOL* And they'll howl when they think it's time for me to go to bed...

I've attached a picture of Max - hope it comes up!

[maximum]

We introd a puppy to our existing cats, when Ed was a pup, and then later we introduced Molly as a 8 month old pup

I agree with the no dog zones, a baby gate to a room, we use the laundry because the catflap to the cat run is in the laundry too

The cats know they can get away, and the dogs know they cant go in there

Always supervise and even now years later, even though neither of the dogs has ever tried to hurt the cats (cant say the same for the cats attacking the dogs though!), I will leave them unsupervised when Im home, but I seperate while at work or going out for longer periods of time.

Now

When they were little

Oh I reccomend clipping the cats claws too, just incase the puppy gets a claw in the eye

Hey there, Shoemonster!

I always clip all my cats' claws - totally agree about the claw in the pup's eye. I'm particularly vigilant with Jordie's, even though he tends to smack Max directly on the top of his head. Was hilarious when Max was really little - Jordie would whomp him on the head and all four of Max's legs would shoot out sideways, splatting him on the carpet! *LOL* Max LOVES it, unfortunately. His mission in life is to torture poor Jordie.

I'm don't separate Jordie while I'm out, but I'm pretty sure he separates himself. All three cats have always hung out on my bed all day while I'm at work and I don't think that's changed - Jordie always emerges from my bedroom when I come home. I do keep an eye on them when Max is being particularly mental and I'll yell at one or the other (usually Max!) to calm things down.

This is big Jordie...

[shoemonster]

Jordie is lovely! I had a big ginger tom when I was growing up

[Christina]

I breed cats & dogs so often have kittens & puppies together. Introductions are done slowly & carefully & I never leave baby anything with adults alone until around 4 to 6 months when I am out. Cats are usually ok with pups once they know them & will just give them a warning whack if they push the limit & jump up out of the way. Here is your problem I think.

Ragdolls cant really jump very well & quickly usually. Most cats wont attack first they would rather move. Maybe its just more time that is needed.

Re litter tray. I keep a large deep one in the laundry. Stood it on top of a big wooden box so cats can jump in but little dogs cant reach for smelly munchies. Maybe use an old coffee table etc.

[maximum]

Jordie is lovely! I had a big ginger tom when I was growing up

Thank you! I think he's a handsome boy too...although he's currently going through a huge moult and has chronic 'bed head'...

Maine Coons are awesome cats. But they can be almost as destructive as dogs - particularly given their size. Jordie has systematically destroyed my $3,500 wicker lounge suite that I scrimped and saved for - mind you, how dumb was I getting a wicker suite when I own three cats???

[seashell]

Hi Maximum,

I just wanted to reply and say you're a lot like me, i read your worming post too and I too thought "how hard can a puppy be, just like a kitten huh" how wrong we were!! They are sooo different! I also love cats and am more of a cat person, but decided I'd give a puppy a shot, lol.

I have a 1yo singapura Chimpy but he is very bold and playful, so he didn't take long to get used to toffee (our 14wk old cavalier), and he is very curious so never just ran and hid away from him. I don't leave them alone when we aren't home, they are seperated. While we are home, they chase each other like crazy, toffee keeps biting and jumping on chimpy but chimpy always wins the fight. Toffee also licks chimpy's bum a lot, I've been told it might be a sign of submission, not sure, but it looks gross!

So yeah, I don't have any more experience than that so not sure how'd you introduce your two raggies, sorry... but as other posters have said, I've read as long as the cats have high places to jump when they've had enough, they should feel safe? Also at the start, chimpy was much less afraid/annoyed at toffee when he was asleep, it might be a good chance to let your cats go up for a sniff or to get used to being around max when max is sleeping?

Shoemonster - you have a scottish fold, I LOVE folds! I have one, Teara, but she lives with my parents cos she didn't get along with chimpy But she loves it at my parents place so I'm glad she's happy even though I miss her heaps...

[shoemonster]

Hamish gets along with everyone, they just get sick of him! Even my completely antisocial emo i hate the world cat Mort puts up with him jumping on her every chance he gets with only the occasional telling off!

Edited January 29, 2009 by shoemonster

[maximum]

Hi Maximum,

I just wanted to reply and say you're a lot like me, i read your worming post too and I too thought "how hard can a puppy be, just like a kitten huh" how wrong we were!! They are sooo different! I also love cats and am more of a cat person, but decided I'd give a puppy a shot, lol.

I have a 1yo singapura Chimpy but he is very bold and playful, so he didn't take long to get used to toffee (our 14wk old cavalier), and he is very curious so never just ran and hid away from him. I don't leave them alone when we aren't home, they are seperated. While we are home, they chase each other like crazy, toffee keeps biting and jumping on chimpy but chimpy always wins the fight. Toffee also licks chimpy's bum a lot, I've been told it might be a sign of submission, not sure, but it looks gross!

So yeah, I don't have any more experience than that so not sure how'd you introduce your two raggies, sorry... but as other posters have said, I've read as long as the cats have high places to jump when they've had enough, they should feel safe? Also at the start, chimpy was much less afraid/annoyed at toffee when he was asleep, it might be a good chance to let your cats go up for a sniff or to get used to being around max when max is sleeping?

Shoemonster - you have a scottish fold, I LOVE folds! I have one, Teara, but she lives with my parents cos she didn't get along with chimpy But she loves it at my parents place so I'm glad she's happy even though I miss her heaps...

Hi Seashell

It's amazing how much work is involved in owning a puppy, isn't it? First couple of months I had Max, I felt like I had a human baby in the house!!!

I love Singapuras...they have such cheeky personalities! I used to show all my cats and Singapuras were one of the breeds I coveted...So many cats, so little money! *LOL*

The problem with the Raggies is that they can be real wuss bags - Sly, my younger Raggie (he's 10) is a huge, boofy boy, but he's such a big girl's blouse!! Loves every human he comes in contact with, but he's absolutely deathly afraid of fireworks, thunderstorms and now dogs. And unfortunately, once one cat panics, the rest tend to follow suit. Arnie, a tiny boy for a ragdoll at only 3.5kg, is WAY more confident and adventurous than Sly, but Sly now has him terrified of storms. Drives me crazy, because it's SOOOO hard not to comfort them and fuss over them when they're crying and scared. But it just makes it worse if I do anything other than act like there's absolutely nothing wrong. The only concession I make is to let Sly into the wardrobe to hide, or let him get under my doona.

I'll just persevere with the getting the cats to adjust to Max, I guess. If know that if he'd stop charging up to Arnie at a million miles an hour, Arnie would be fine. And once Arnie's fine, Sly will follow him. When Max isn't in sight, Arnie will jump over the baby gate and start to suss things out. Trouble is, he's a 'chatty cat' and always announces his presence - Max then chases him back over the gate! *sigh*

Oh well, it can only get better!

[Kirra_Bomber_Zeus]

Awww, that's SUCH a sweet photo! You know, I was hoping that the cats would accept Max because he's a baby - cats tend to accept kittens much more easily than they accept grown cats. I was hoping it would work with dogs too!

I wish I could get Arnie and Sly to come near Max. He knows what the 'deal' is with Jordie, because Jordie has never run away from him since day one. Probably because Max was about 1.4kg when I bought him and Jordie is a good 12kg! But if Max gets out of hand, Jordie will whop him on the head with one of his big paws and Max knows that he'd better give the cat a 'time out' or else. If Jordie seems to be getting totally harassed and 'over it', I'll chase him over the baby gate myself! *LOL*

With the Raggies, I'm doing as you've said in making time to cuddle them etc. and just 'be' with them. I think that's what they miss the most - just being with me. I sure miss them! They hang out by the baby gate and wait for me to go to the loo, where they follow me of course! *LOL* And they'll howl when they think it's time for me to go to bed...

I've attached a picture of Max - hope it comes up!

Max looks so sweet! I think my cats are more 'tolerant' of our new pup because he's a baby - but that may just be the 'what the hell is that?' look instead

Awww, Im sure the Raggies will come back to being around you all the time - they probably just need a little bit of time to get used to the new 'arrangements' in the house Im loving that they 'howl' for you to go to bed though - I havent met any Raggies before, they sound like they have good personalities. We have one Bengal cat and she is rather different too!

[maximum]

Max looks so sweet! I think my cats are more 'tolerant' of our new pup because he's a baby - but that may just be the 'what the hell is that?' look instead

Awww, Im sure the Raggies will come back to being around you all the time - they probably just need a little bit of time to get used to the new 'arrangements' in the house Im loving that they 'howl' for you to go to bed though - I havent met any Raggies before, they sound like they have good personalities. We have one Bengal cat and she is rather different too!

Oooo, a Bengal! I'm jealous!! I'd love to see a pic of her, if you have one. I haven't seen a Bengal in years, since I used to show my boys when they were younger. Back then, the Bengal didn't have the best reputation in terms of temperament, but they are a magnificent looking animal!

Ragdolls are beautiful cats, both in looks and personality. In my experience, the boys tend to be sweeter and more affectionate than the girls. I've always had cats (moggies) growing up and I love each and every cat I meet. But since owning Ragdolls, I'll never again be without one. They really are the dogs of the cat world!

Yes, Max looks very sweet - until you notice that little gleam in his eye...Then you realise he really should be called Mad Max! *LOL* But seriously, he's a lovely dog - full of confidence and personality, which is what I look for in any animal. The 'shrinking violets' are not for me, which is why I probably have the occasional socialisation problem, as I did when Jordie entered the furry family. Arnie still hates him and will 'swear' at him every time he dares walk by, but they tolerate each other well. I'm going to try the idea of feeding the boys somewhere that Max can see them and they can see him. Both Sly and Jordie are totally food-motivated and Arnie, well, he's totally 'me motivated'! I just have to work out how to build a ramp from the baby gate to the dining table that's stable enough for a 12kg Maine Coon and an 8.5kg Ragdoll!

It's funny how they howl me to bed - before Max arrived, they used to jump on me and try to sit on my face to get me to come to bed with them! That's their 'last resort' way of getting my attention! Arnie sits on my head during the night and pats my cheek with his paw, waking me up periodically all through the night for his cuddles. Annoying, yes, but I love him to death and I'm used to it after all these years. Sly just yells in my ear when I'm asleep and he wants my attention!

Can you tell that my life is ruled by creatures with more legs than me? Even the fish get special treatment at my place! *LOL* I'm going to be one of those mad, old women with far too many animals that little kids down the street think is a witch...

[colliepaws]

Hi maximum! I'm so glad you found some of my advice useful...please keep us posted with your situation - I would love to hear that it's improved down the track. ;)

Bit off topic I know - but I just have to say that I think you have summed up Ragdolls really well! I've never had cats before but since I got my two boys I think I'll always have a ragdoll in my life. They are such sweet affectionate cats always following me around the house and watching whatever I'm doing. Like you said they are very dog like in a lot of ways...and it sounds like Arnie is just like my boy Dash! Dash will often hop up on the bed several times in the night and miaow and miaow until I stick a hand out to pat him. Then when I fall asleep again he'll sit right by my head and I too get the soft paddy paw patting me on the face to wake me up! *sigh* I'm like you though - I love him far to much to find it annoying. Although if I'm really deeply asleep sometimes I'll feel him patting my face but not wake up right away and then I'll feel whiskers on my face and wake up to see him about 1cm away staring into my eyes like he's saying 'Hello in there!' Raggies are such great cats....

ETA: I love the pic of Max - he looks so cute and harmless. And Jordie looks so gorgeous! I love the look of Maine Coons but don't know much about them personality wise....

Edited January 30, 2009 by Fluffypaws