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Puppy Afraid Of Cat?


Mandy L
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Ok. I have a 8 month and two week old puppy, who's adorable most of the time. He spends most of his time as an inside dog, but recently we've started letting him out, however the next-door neighbour's cat frequently visits our garden and sleeps here (I think the cat thinks that our backyard is his territory). I think that behavior was encouraged from ages ago, before we got Ferrari. When Ferrari finds the cat in the back yard, he starts to whine and tries to approach it, jumps back, whines and tries to approach it again. The cat I'm presuming is hissing (I've never owned a cat and I'm not quite sure what hissing sounds like, but I can tell the cat doesn't sound to happy, 'cause I've heard it purr) and I'm afraid that one day, when we let the dog out there's going to be an altercation. Normally, when I find out that Ferrari's found the cat, I try and call him to me and hold on to him. Then I sit with him for a while staring at the cat, which by this stage settles down, but I still don't trust the cat not to suddenly pounce on Ferrari, so I end up taking him back in... What should I do? I really want Ferrari to be able to roam our backyard without getting attacked by the cat.

Help!!!

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Both of our cats growl, hiss, spit, and swipe at Pepper when she gets too close. So socialising is not just about Pepper behaving nicely, but also our cats! Constant supervision required.

When you call Ferrari to you and hold him, the cat's settling down because your pup is no longer near it, not because you're staring at it. Be cautious not to molly-coddle Ferrari if he is showing signs of being afraid of the cat, as you are rewarding his behaviour.

How big is your pup compared to the cat? I know it's not the be all and end all of how they interact, but I'm curious.

Cosmolo is absolutely right, but the reality is that if the owner refuses or is unable to do so, you might not be able to take things further. Rightly or wrongly, many Councils do not take action against nuisance cats.

Perhaps you can ask the neighbours if they would be willing to trim kitty's claws, to reduce the possibility of injury to Ferrari if there was an altercation. (Though this wont help the emotional impact of the experience).

Otherwise, see what you can do to keep kitty out of your yard. Consider installing fencing that will keep the cat out (such as roller type things on the top of the fence that prevent them getting up on to it). Get the hose out and squirt the cat whenever you see it on your side of the fence. There is a wealth of information on the web about what people have had success with. Sorry you have to deal with this. I guess it's part of living near other people. :rofl:

ETA: let the neighbours know. They might not realise there is a problem.

Edited by MissPepper
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You pup should be able to enjoy his own yard without being intimidated, annoyed etc by anybody. Regardless of whether the 'body' is another dog, a person or the neighbour's cat/s. Do you have any friends with other pups or bigger dogs? It would be great if your pup is socialised with other dogs and even better if they were to come to your house to have a puppy picnic. Not nice to suggest I know but once your neighbour's cat has been chased by a couple of bigger doggy friends it wont annoy your pup again.

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its your yard, and your dogs yard,

approach the neighbours and get them to keep there cat on the property, try to discourage the cat from coming onto your property (apparently putting crushed egg shells in your garden bed is meant to deter them as its uncomfortable), if it continues approach the neighbours again and then go borrow a cat trap and take it to the pound (the owners will eventually learn - i know some people would not agree but its just my opinion)

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MissPepper: My dog's an 8 month old J spitz and looks alot bigger than he actually is due to fluff. The cat'd be roughly the same size, just alot longer and slightly skinner, so technically bigger than my pup.

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*cough cat-trap cough*

:)

Tell neighbours that you are having a stray cat problem, and you will be setting traps in one week time to sort them out, all cats will be going to the pound

i LOVE cats, have 3 of my own, but i would never let them roam and sit in someone elses yard.

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The cat shouldnt be in your yard full stop.You could try turning the hose on it every time you see it but if it still keeps coming in then get a cat trap from the council.I bet your neighbor wouldnt be to pleased if your dog kept getting in her yard.

I like cats to but they should be kept on their own property and not let roam

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If anyone has some suggestions for how to keep a cat on their property, please advise. Not only could this help Mandy when talking to her neighbour, but it would assist me too.

House is too small to shut them in and they go a bit barmy when confined all day (this is product of letting them have access to the great outdoors for the first years of their lives). Can't keep them in the backyard because Pepper chases them. Have considered a cat run but can't find suppliers in Perth, despite researching online, and I'm not handy enough to knock something up myself... I agree with the sentiment that cats should remain on their own property, but am having great difficulties making it happen. So any supplier recommendations for a cat run or other suggestions would be welcome.

Re the dog to cat size ratio... refer to a previous comment about inviting big doggy friends over for a visit!

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My neighbours cat comes across and even comes inside, I dont mind as she is a sweet thing, when I got Mason she came over a few times and he licked her and played with her... however he got too rough one day and she slapped him with her paw, she never hurt him though but I am glad she put him in his place as he must learn not to chase cats and not to hurt them.

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If anyone has some suggestions for how to keep a cat on their property, please advise. Not only could this help Mandy when talking to her neighbour, but it would assist me too.

House is too small to shut them in and they go a bit barmy when confined all day (this is product of letting them have access to the great outdoors for the first years of their lives). Can't keep them in the backyard because Pepper chases them. Have considered a cat run but can't find suppliers in Perth, despite researching online, and I'm not handy enough to knock something up myself... I agree with the sentiment that cats should remain on their own property, but am having great difficulties making it happen. So any supplier recommendations for a cat run or other suggestions would be welcome.

Re the dog to cat size ratio... refer to a previous comment about inviting big doggy friends over for a visit!

If you can afford it why not buy a nice big aviary? Use that as your cat run.

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15062009001.jpg

this is mine, not big, but i am in a unit so cant do what i really wanted to do, but enough for the cats to go and sit outside if they like, when i get the roof fixed and sort it out, i will be putting their litter out there

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If anyone has some suggestions for how to keep a cat on their property, please advise. Not only could this help Mandy when talking to her neighbour, but it would assist me too.

House is too small to shut them in and they go a bit barmy when confined all day (this is product of letting them have access to the great outdoors for the first years of their lives). Can't keep them in the backyard because Pepper chases them. Have considered a cat run but can't find suppliers in Perth, despite researching online, and I'm not handy enough to knock something up myself... I agree with the sentiment that cats should remain on their own property, but am having great difficulties making it happen. So any supplier recommendations for a cat run or other suggestions would be welcome.

Re the dog to cat size ratio... refer to a previous comment about inviting big doggy friends over for a visit!

Go through the Quokka and find a reasonable priced second hand aviary - some are advertised for free if you take them a part yourself. You can then deck it out full of kitty things like cat scratchers and toys. I let my cat outside during the day and he was hit by a car a few weeks ago. He's minus a hip joint but is going to be ok. He's inside all the time now but getting very frustrated. I'm hoping to move to a bigger house soon which should make things a hell of a lot easier.

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