Hi
And before everyone jumps down my throat i did try and some research on this before buying .We have just got an 8 week old cavalier you know at the barmy stage :-) .We have 2 cats one male around 4 yr old and female around 7 ish mark .This is only the 2nd day by the way ,but the problem is the cats are taking this quite badly the young male worse than the female .The female will actually sit and watch from a distance on the floor and get quite close but the young male just hides now upstairs and hes quite jumpy ,we are feeling awful about this as getting rid of the puppy would break our young daughters heart (4 yrs old ).
We got the puppy chiefly for her because she's just at right age to enjoy there lives together ,and we did do research on the cavalier and it said they were really good with pets and other animals ,so our thinking was if we get her young then the cats will see her as no threat and the cavalier will be use to seeing them .But alas the cats seem quite badly put out and im think the only way to introduce cats and dogs are when they are both very very young together so they actually play with each other .
Has anyone gone through similiar problems and how did it end (even if it was badly ) is there anything that anyone can suggest or will things prob settle down in time .But if you carry the young male downstairs once he gets half way the claws come out and he jumps vertical leaving you with nasty cuts ,he just wont go anywhere near ?? .
The cats are both eating and i dont think theres any chance of them running off ,but they have had there noses put of joint very badly .Have we just been stupid and expected too much but like i say we did try and do research on breeds and i thought the cavalier would be young enough for this not to happen .

anyone with any ideas thanks in advance .

Hi

Sorry to hear of your probs. We have an 8 week old beagle and an 7 yr old long haired female torti who likes to come in the house and was born here. She wont come in now and sits on the shed roof and watches him play in the garden, she will come to the front door to get food but wont come anywhere near him and will eat outside. I think it will take time cos they need to weigh each other up.

Hi,
Its early days yet, especially if you've only had the pup a day or 2. The main thing is not to force the situation by bringing the cats to the puppy, let them investigate on their own when they are feeling more confident. I don't think the puppies age is really the issue, its more the cats ages as if they have been in a dog free environment for 4 and 7 years it is a big change for them. My cavalier pup plays with one of my cats, but she was bred in a house filled with dogs, while the other cat just ignores him. Hope things start to improve soon!

Erin

I am just about to do the same thing!! Eeek! I also read that cavaliers are supposed to get along with cats really well... We rescued a young adult dog last spring and tried so hard for six months but eventually had to give up when he hurt my youngest cat quite badly. It was a very traumatic experience for all of us. I do know that it CAN work however. We had a Golden retriever rescue who had never lived with cats before, in fact she had been trained to chase them. She was four when she came to live with us. First she chased them and we kept a lead on her so we could grab it when she made a move. Then she would stare them out whenever they were in the same room. My cats at the time were 11, 11, and 8 and had never lived with dogs. they went upstairs and didn;t come down for a few days but eventually they did and within three weeks Sally had stopped chasing. None of them ever played together or snuggled up together but I never had any concerns after this period. She would still chase cats who weren;t in her family if she saw them in the garden but I trusted her completely with my cats. (she lived iwth us happily until she died of old age) I wish you the best of luck. I am picking up my puppy on Sunday - do let me know how you get along

Hi,
I would give it a lot more time to settle down before you start making any decisions about rehoming. If the cats haven't lived with a dog before, then yes, they will be miffed for a while! That's only to be expected. I always found it easier to introduce a puppy to established cats (rather than a kitten to dogs) because cats can much more easily get themselves out of harms way. A clumsy little pup doesn't stand a chance, and a well-timed swipe from a cat's paw can teach a puppy all it needs to know!

Try putting the puppy in a crate and feed the cats nearby, so that the cats can move about freely and the pup can't get to them. Expect the pup to be very curious - dogs are social creatures and want to investigate everything, whereas cats are much more aloof and like to do their own thing.

Don't rush it, and don't put pressure on the cats to 'make friends' - I'm sure they'll all learn to get along in their own time. Make sure the cats have places to go to (upstairs etc) where the pup isn't allowed, and then they'll feel less put out.

Good luck!
:)

Talking about cats, my two still haven't realised that they aren't toys. My collie has seen them everyday since she was 8 weeks old (she is now nearly two) but she goes bananas about them. One now lives on the garage roof which sends her into a frenzy whenever she goes outside. (I know that a collie is bred for chasing though, so it is not surprising but i would've thought she would have realised that it is a pointless game!)
Now my 7 1/2 month old retriver is aboslutely fixated by them, giving chase (probably learnt off the collie) and tries to pick them up. They have both been swiped on the nose many many times but it hasn't detered them at all. I don't think they will ever get used to them at this rate. I thought that they eventually got used to each other but that doesn't seem to be happening!

CHILL! ;)
I introduced an 8 week old Cocker to my cats (3 and 6 years old) and they were not amused................. however after i started to 'ignore' the behaviour they were displaying to each other, therefore not fussing around them etc....... i noticed that they started to tolerate each other. Their relationship with each other has grown over the past few months, my little birman girl can still be a bit sniffy with him, but my moggie gets into bed with him and they lick each other for hours! :rolleyes:
It can work, just give it time and try to ignore the squabbles as much as possible, seeing your dog get on with your cats and vice versa is pretty amazing.
P.S My dog in now 10 months old..................

2 days is too early to worry. my cat was miffed when i got Delilah, but after a few weeks it got better. After a few months they were pals. Just dont expect things to change overnight!

Two days is far too early to make any decisions. Just let them sort it out! An 8 week old Cav isn't going to hurt 2 fully grown cats. They are just very put out. They will be - they are cats!!! They'll survive & put the puppy in its place.

:D

Welcome to the world of dogs & cats

Alithough I don't currently have any cats I have always hd the two together & your cats will get used to the puppy. As long as they have somewhere to escape to that the puppy cannot access they will be fine

Cavaliers are fine with cats & the cats will accept the puppy in the end. They wwill be the bosses :) as cats always are in such relationships

I have introduced adult cavaliers to my cats in the past before I got my own & yes we have a hissing session or two & disgusted looks off the cats but in the end they were ok

As long as your cats are eating etc they will be fine

Hi guys,
I've got 3 cats, a female (she's the boss) who's now 14 yrs and 2 male brothers, both 13yrs old. When I got my first dog 5 1/2 years ago, they were all very put out, didn't speak to us for weeks. They survived however and while I have to say that they're not exactly best pals with Isla, they have a mutual respect for each other. I've now got a new pup Kester who's now nearly 7 months old (where did all the time go?:) ). They made sure that he knew straight away who the boss is-the female cat (Spooky-and she is)cornered him and boxed his ears, even now she only has to look at him and he 'slinks' away from her-she-s about 2 kgs and he weighs over 26 kg now. As long as they have somewhere to escape to, I've found that hey work it out in their own time, just don't press the issue. My wonderfull vet says that apart from a few notable exceptions, all puppy versus dominant cat battles are likely to be won by the cat.
Anyway-persevere, it took my cats MONTHS to learn to accept my new dog.
Cheers
Ali :)

Sounds like everyone agrees - let them find their own feet. When I first got my cavaliers I had 3 cats none of whom were used to dogs and left to it they all eventually found their own feet. They all got on really well after a few weeks. I then went through a spell of fostering cats. We were the only foster home with dogs but whilst they often took a while to get used to each other they all did eventually and I had quite a few cats over the months!!! We have now introduced a new bigger puppy (WH Vizsla) to the clan and after the initial "worry" they have all found their level again. Try to step back and let them get on with it-my cavs love cats and visa versa.

Hi All
Thanks for the help and replies suppose it just needs time .I cant help feeling though we must have the daftest and most feeble cats going .Just this morning the female came down poked her head round the kitchen cabinet (think she knew the cav was there ) and just stared .Then the cav got interested as pups do she turns tail and runs off and the cav thinks great this its a chase game and tares off after her .If this isnt teaching the cav to chase and make matters worse i dont know what is !! ggrrrr ,i couldnt stop the cav as im dealing with getting our daughter to school on time and was making breakfast u can imagine the scene doing 5 jobs at once and one eye on the pets lol .The thing is neither of them will stand ground yet and box his ears thats all it will take ,but the male just doesnt come down at all have to physically put him out at night ,the female comes down the cav gets right up to her but she wont go the extra step of making him know she just turns and then runs gggrrr .
The cats way into the house is thru the conservatory (catflap) ,but because this is tiled we are keeping the cav in there until he is properly toilet trained as it keeps the smell at bay a little :s and its easier to clean up in there .So unless the cats pluck up courage to go by him they cant get out .So at moment we are opening doors for them as i think there sitting upstairs with there back legs crossed .Think i might put a little whiskey in there food give em some dutch courage ggggrrrrrrrrr i wished theyed get on with it and box his ears then we all be back as normal lol .

I just read your post and I wanted to reassure you that it all takes time. When I got my dog about 2 or 3 months ago I was warned he hated cats (and I thought "oh he'll cope") but when I got him home he did really HATE cats. My 18 month old cat didn't care about the dog and actually winds him up constantly. I thought it would never work and had kept them separate. I worried the cat would run away etc but he isn't bothered, it was just the dog had a problem.

However, just the past few weeks the cat has been strutting out of the kitchen straight past the dog and he has sat and grumbled but not made any move to spring or snap. I still don't trust the dog at all and would never leave them alone and not separated but I think they are slowly slowly learning to live with each other. I expected it to take a year or so but maybe it will happen earlier than I think! The downside is when he sees any OTHER cats outside he takes himself (and me) off like a rocket. Can't have it all ways I suppose!

CG

They'll be fine, just give them time. It's in a cat's job description to be disgusted with any change from the status quo. My 2 were far from impressed when we got a pup, but they're ok now. Just make sure cats can escape if necc. Have lots of fun and relax !!
Jane

Hi All
Well it happened other day lol.Oscar (male cat) just came downstairs seeing that the Cav was at the bottom there was an almighty noise :-s hairs stood on end at back of his neck etc but he just kept coming .The Cav just sat there not knowing what was about to happen lol.Then he got to the botttom step right next to the Cav (Gemma),she poked her nose at him then yelp yelp yelp :) .She was taught a valuable lesson couldnt believe how brave the cat was :) must have got fed up sitting upstairs .Only problem is he now knows hes boss but he still goes upstairs gggrrrr .

LOL Cats rule then :D

I'm sure they will sort it out soon

Hi,

Like everyone has already said you need to give it time. I have two 1 year old cavaliers and 5 cats from 6 down to 4 months. When I first brought the pups home all the cats hissed and ran. They need to find their courage (and they will) and then they'll be fine. Just keep an eye on them when they're together as cat claws can give a curious puppy a nasty scratch.

By the way, I now have 5 cats and two cavvies that partake in the "cavvie cuddle" (they all pile on to the sofa and snuggle in for a nap together).

Please be patient, and remember supervise, especially if your daughter is around as cats aren't bothered who they swipe at!

Good luck they'll all be fine!

MN

hI

   anyone with cat and dog problems im just writing this a few months later :) ,to say that there all fine now cant say they cuddle up but they will sniff each other nose to nose and get on in a sort of respectful way .The cats are not put out and the dog loves to tease em a bit lol .WE GOT THERE IN THE END ,like everyone says its just time but give the cats somewhere that is only theres in the house first off is a good idea .We stopped Gemma from going upstairs as that was the cats area until they all got on .