{"id":3954,"date":"2015-02-07T11:15:45","date_gmt":"2015-02-07T15:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/?p=3954"},"modified":"2015-02-07T17:27:09","modified_gmt":"2015-02-07T21:27:09","slug":"dogs-and-cats-living-together-or-making-cat-workable-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/dogs-and-cats-living-together-or-making-cat-workable-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Dogs and Cats Living Together . . . Or Making Cat Workable Work"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>John is the resident \"nanny\" at SHUG HQ and has put up with everything from puppies to baby chicks. The cats--quite literally--walk all over him. But even if your dog isn't quite a St. John, chances are they still have the potential to live comfortably with small animals. We asked one of our adopters, Erin Comaskey, to talk about what has worked for her. It also gave us a great excuse to run some adorable photos.<\/p>\n<p>In our house, the cats came first.\u00a0 Then we successfully adopted three Sighthounds: Rosie, a Galga, Jerome, a former track Greyhound, and Joe, a Galgo. Each was slightly different in how they reacted to the cats, but our approach was the same.<\/p>\n<p>Here is what we have learned:<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Before<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>It\u2019s as much about the cat(s) as it is the dog: <\/strong>Assess your cats just as you would your dog. Have your cats ever been around dogs before? What was the response?\u00a0 Walking or moving away to another part of the house or ignoring is what you are hoping for OR complete confidence. Is <a href=\"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/badcatdog1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-3965\" src=\"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/badcatdog1-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"badcatdog\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/badcatdog1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/badcatdog1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/badcatdog1.jpg 314w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>your cat ever aggressive or extremely territorial? Is your cat elderly or sick? Set yourself up for success by being honest about your current animal residents.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cat tested and Cat safe: <\/strong>Rescue organizations have various ways to test Sighthounds to deem them cat safe. Ask outright what has been done or observed to label your dog \u2018cat-safe\u2019.\u00a0 The gold star is if the dog has been fostered with cats. If this isn\u2019t the case, find out what exposure your dog has had to cats and create a plan. Even if your new dog has been living with cats, he hasn\u2019t been living with <em>your<\/em> cats, so you will need to introduce them slowly. You can start by bringing home the scent of the dog and placing the item somewhere central in the house. Give your cats a \u2018heads up\u2019 there will be a new friend.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Create the right environment: <\/strong>Make sure your cats have safe havens in the house where they can be away from the dog. This can be achieved by using baby gates or even cat condos that allow the cat to climb up and hide. Make sure your cat\u2019s litter and food are in a place that is inaccessible to your dog. Purchase and prepare your separation items: baby gate and dog crate <em>prior <\/em>to bringing your dog home.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">During<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tools are cool, not cruel: <\/strong>The muzzle, the leash, the crate. You need to use them, so your dog can become part of your family. It is much worse to <a href=\"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/catsafe1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3962\" src=\"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/catsafe1-282x300.jpg\" alt=\"catsafe1\" width=\"282\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/catsafe1-282x300.jpg 282w, https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/catsafe1.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 282px) 100vw, 282px\" \/><\/a>have an accident of aggression, then to muzzle your dog. These tools allow you to observe your animals safely and provide the dog with clear understandings of boundaries. It is recommended to have your dog muzzled for \u00a0at least the first week in your house when around your other animals. Use your leash to show your dog where it can and cannot go. When you are not at home, crate your dog (or confine in a room away from the cat) until you are 100 percent certain your animals are getting along.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Observe and Correct:<\/strong> It took my cats an hour before they felt ready to come out and \u2018meet\u2019 the dog. This was true each time we brought a dog home, so treat each time you bring a dog home, as the first time. Our Jerome, was completely indifferent to the cats. He did not notice them, did not care. Our cats quickly assessed him as friend and life moved on. Joe was different. Joe gave chase as soon as he laid eyes on Molly (even though he\u2019d been fostered with cats for months). He was muzzled and leashed, so we were able to correct. In our house, a loud, \u201cNo\u201d and a tug on the leash was adequate. Over the next few weeks, the chasing stopped, but he continued to whimper and be hyper alert when the cats were around. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">This was also corrected<\/span>. Your goal is to diminish the alert around your house cats and get your dog to eventually ignore them. Do NOT take anything for granted. Correct your dog (with a verbal \u201cNo\u201d or squirt bottle or canned air whatever you will do consistently) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">every time<\/span>. Until you achieve this, continue to use your tools.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">After and Forever<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Inside vs. Outside: <\/strong>Our two Sighthounds and two cats live in harmony inside the house. However, Joe still has a very active prey drive outside <a href=\"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/dogandcat.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-3966\" src=\"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/dogandcat-300x278.jpg\" alt=\"dogandcat\" width=\"300\" height=\"278\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/dogandcat-300x278.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/dogandcat.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>the house and this extends to cats. We take care of a feral colony and so this is a work in progress. Be aware that your Sighthound\u2019s prey-drive is both nature and nurture. You may never get him to completely give up the squirrel hunt, but I highly recommend using your leash to correct when out for a walk. Leash walking is a great opportunity to teach good manners and bond with your dog. While Joe used to charge at any small furry animal outside, while on the leash now he\u2019ll simply raise his ears. Progress!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Patience and perception are critical to helping your Sighthound and your cats make one happy furry family.\u00a0 It is so worth it!\u00a0 Good luck!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John is the resident \"nanny\" at SHUG HQ and has put up with everything from puppies to baby chicks. The cats--quite literally--walk all over him. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[261,260,259],"class_list":["post-3954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-sighthound","tag-cat-safe","tag-cat-workable","tag-cats-and-dogs"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/catsafelucciano.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p52ryM-11M","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3954"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3954"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3970,"href":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3954\/revisions\/3970"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sighthoundunderground.com\/http\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}