Dear All,

I am quite new to this site and I am hoping that you will be able to put my mind at rest regarding introducing a puppy to a household with 3 established cats.  I know in my own head that everythign should be fine, but need some reassurance and examples of this working before!!

Our puppy will hopefully arrive later this year (Spet/Oct) so plenty of time for planning!  The pup will have a someone to look after him/her during the day while we are at work and we are planning to buy a large kennel and run so he/she never has to be cooped up in the house in the better weather if we are out - so we've thought of a few things already!  and we live adjacent to woods so perfect for walking!!

I have two main concerns, one is house-training (this will be my first dog, I've bought a couple of books to read but some 'real' advice would be useful) I'm thinking about using a 'crate' so the pup has a den indoors and will be safe at night (and acidents will be confined). Any advice welcomed please.

My other concern, which is actually more important to me is my cats, I've always had cats and now I have 3, two moggies aged 11 and 7 and a British Shorthair aged 2.  My older cats weren't very impressed when I introduced them to Bertie (he's the shorthair) but they soon got over it and now they are big buddies!  Will they move out when the pup moves in?  Will they run off, never to be seen again, or are my friends right - the cats know where they live/eat and will stand their ground and all will be well in the end?  My cats are really fussy (lapcats) - will this change for good when the pup arrives?

We are planning to get a Labrador Retriever, not sure yet whether it will be a boy/girl black or brown - the breeder has 1 or 2 litters a year from 2 different bitches and has children, cat, rabbits, etc.  the pups are house reared adn yes we are going to meet her before the pups are even conceived so I'm sure she will answer my questions, a bit of advanced help to put my mind at rest would be appreciated though.

Sorry for the long post!
Nx

Good luck with the pup!

A crate is a good idea, not only for house training but to give the cats some time out.

The cats should be fine, they may sulk for a while but as long as they dont feel left out, or are harrased by the pup they should come around quickly.

I hope someone else is along soon to give you better advice!

Jo
xxx

Thanks Jo - reassuring to hear the cats should be okay from a dog owner rather than just from a book!
Nicky x

I agree with Tenno that the cats will be fine. I have 3 cats and brought a dog into the house followed by another dog, and although it was a little tough at first and the cats were hiding on kitchen cabinets, 2 of them did come round after a couple of months. One of my cats now comes for a walk with us and loves sleeping on the dogs bed.
One of my cats now hates both the dog and the other cats, but you can't please everyone all of the time though.
Good luck with your puppy.

Thanks Sarah,

My cats are used to being fed in the kitchen on the floor, did you move your cat food up on to a side board to stop the dogs eating their food?  My cats are on a dry 'feed at will' food so it's on the floor the whole time, they all share a big dinner plate - I HATE the idea of feeding them up on the kitchen surfaces.  Do you think it's possible to train a puppy not to eat the cats food?  I plan to get the pup used to feeding outside in her kennel so she associates the kennel with nice things (she'll only be in there a couple of hours a day and it will have a run and everything).  And we're planning for her to only have her own food adn treats - no human left overs etc from day one. 

Do you think it's mean to feed her in her kennel from day one, or is it best to start as you mean to go on?  It's a minefield this puppy owning lark and we haven't even got him/her yet. (Looks like I'm erring on the side of 'her' doesn't it? LOL).

Thanks again
Nx

Dont know anything about feeding in the kennel, but as to the cat food I would say it would be near impossable to train the pup not to eat it!

I have to feed the cats on the work surfaces as there is nowhere else to put their food without it being eaten.

Jo
xxx

Thought you'd say that LOL! Not sure my old boy will be very impressed at being asked to go elsewhere to dine -perhaps we should make a start on that task now! 
Cheers
Nx

If you leave cat food on the floor, I promise you that there will be nothing left for the cats.... I got one of those 2 level scratching posts so it doubles up  as a feeding stand and obviously a scratching post and the dog can't get their food. Its in the corner of the kitchen. One of my cats does a high jump over the dog to get to his food, its quite sweet.
Give your cats lots of attention when you pup arrives. I need to rehome one of my cats because of the dog, she has now become a bully and aggressive towards the dog and my other cats. I wish I gave her more attention when I got my dog. Guess it didn't help that my partner moved his dog on. She got even worse once my dog died, its all a bit odd.
I get my puppy in 8 weeks so i will have the problem of where to feed her so the other greedy guts dog can't get to the puppy food so I was planning of borrowing my friends crate, but I believe its a big one, I will need if for a Rottie.
Good luck and let me know how you get on.

I've started trying to re-train my cats today, they are not impressed at being expected to jump on the work tops to eat.  To be fair I think they are a bit confused, they usually got a real telling of for jumping onto the kitchen surfaces.  I guess we are lucky to have a utility room so at least I don't have to prepare food where they've been eating!!

I'm still really up worried that they will really get the hump when the puppy moves in!  At least we have about six months to prepare!!

And the cats might loose some weight if they can't be bothered to jump up for their food, hee hee - they could definitely do with it!!

Nx

My aunt has the greediest beagle in the world. We are quite convinced that if given the chance she would eat until she popped!
Anyway they did have a cat until very recently (PTS because of tumour on her chin and she was 18 too old for treatment really) so she used to keep the cat's dinner on the kitchen side out of reach of greedy guts and used to put it down as and when the cat asked while locking the dog out!
It seemed to work ok and meant the cat didn't eat on the side if this isn't what you are wanting.

The cats will get the hump, no disputing that, be prepared for some hissing from them as a minimum, but as soon as the cats get used to the dog, all will be fine.

Don't know if you got a cat litterbox around on groundlevel where the pup will be running around but you better move that somewhere else aswell.....pups love! to have a late night snack there :D

My parents just got their puppy and have 2 cats (8 and 6 yr). When I visit them for the weekend I also bring my 2 cats (2,5 yr) with me(they live 250km away from me).
There was some hissing, they ran away, he chases them, he tries toe play with them in the same way he did with his brothers and sisters. Only 1 of my parents cats actually tolerates this. He will end up on the floor with a pup standing over him trying to play-bite and he will just look a bit disturbed. He will not hit the dog or hiss...he will just try and stand up again and walk away.

I have to say that they were used to an adult dog already. But a pup is something soooo different for them!
The pup will chase and they will run, they know within 1 minute that if they jump up on the sofa or some place high that they are safe. And within 2 days will actually challange the pup (they know they are faster or just jump up :D )

Pay enough attention to the cats. Of course you have to correct the pup when he starts chasing them, Make sure that cats have a way to 'escape' from the pup, watch out so that the dog won't hurt the cats but also make sure you supervise your cats. The combination cats-claw and dog-eye is not a good one!

Some cats will end up crazy about the dog, others will 'accept' them (ignore the dog most of the time) and some will hate the dog (that could cause a problem).
There is not a whole lot you can do about it. Pay everybody attention. Make sure both cats and dog have a place where they can be away from eatchother if they want to. Don't force the pup onto the cats or the other way around.

P.S. Please make sure all the small cat-toys are out of reach of the puppy. He will eat them since they are sooo small and could be a chocking hazard for him/her

Thanks for replying.  We don't have a litterbox as the cats have a cat flap so they can come and go as they please (we will have to be careful that the puppy can't get through or get it's head stuck!).  We have the first week off work with the puppy so it will be some intensive work on trying to get to grips with toilet training and house rules, fortunately the breeder we've chosen is having an indoor litter and she has 2 cats so with a bit of luck the puppy will already have a few good manners at least! (either that or he/she will already think it's a great wheeze to chase them!!)

During this first week we will also be getting him/her used to the car as I am dropping pup off for a few hours a day with my partners mum.  we're also having an outdoor kennel and run so that if she needs to bring the pup home he/she will be safely locked up out of harms way until I get home.  Fortunately I can work from home some of the time so I can be a bit flexible in the first few weeks.

It's a good point about the cat toys - thanks for that, it hadn't occurred to me!  I think I'll probably just throw them away as they never play with them anyway.

I think I'm going to have my hands full for a while!!!  Can't wait!

Hi Nicky,
I to am new to this sight and am going through the problem of new pup with resident cats, I feed my cats on the kitchen side and have to put a small stool there for my older fat cat to jump quickly onto the surface.However they all share the same water bowl on the floor.
My 2 year old flattie has become great friends with my bengal cat they often lie together while the cat grooms the dog ,they also love playing chase in the garden where the cat usually chases the dog.
At present because we have only had the pup a week both cats keep out of sight but I know it won't be long before get on okay .
Ros.

Hi Ros,

Sounds like you have your hands full!  How's the toilet training going with the new arrival?  Do you work, if so how is pup coping with being left?

Thanks for the reassurance over the cats - we've tried feedign them on the side but it's not working at the moment as they refuse to eat up there, not a problem at the moment as we don't have a dog - perhaps that will be the motivation they need!!
Nx

Hi Nickyxh, I'm in a similar situation as I'm getting  pup hopefully in July and I have at home a 17 year old male moggie who rules out house. Hes a sweety round me and my mum but bring a dog near him and he runs a mile or he will go for them and I've been worried about getting the pup. I'm not 100% sure that there will be a pup for me in fact I'm not even 50% sure as there were only 3 pups showing up on the scan, but from reading the other threads it looks like this number could grow or decrease. So I do have a little time to plan :) I'm going to crate train so that the cat can get used to haveing that puppy small around lol so hopefully it will turn out ok, if I get a dog lol :)

Good luck with your cats Nicky :)

Hi Nicky
dont worry too much about the cats they all settle in the end, I have 3 dogs 15yrs 22m and 20wks  and 4 cats varying in age oldest cat being 15yrs youngest 3yrs and of course there are the visiting cats who dont mind being chased by the dogs because they like to snack on my cats food the cats are fed on the end of the worktop.
I often find the cats asleep in the dogs crates and not prepared to move for anyone!!!!

Roni

Dont ask my pup what he thinks of my cat as you could be shocked.

All I can say is just watch them as my 8 week old pup got scratched by my cat (very timid, friendly house cat) on the eyeball. Terrible to watch him go through so much pain, he ended up having an operation to close his cuts in the eye, 8 stitches in total. He was no where near the cat at the time. The advise I had from the eye specialist was to cut the cats claws straight, so god forbid it did happen again the injury would not be quite so serious and to seperate tham until Douglas is at least 7 months old.

Hi al, Just thought that I'd add a few more ideas into the melting pot.

I have two labs , 7 years and 2 years, and 3 cats, 16 years, and 2 x 14 years old. My new pup will be arriving in about 5 weeks, so you can see that I've gone through this a few times!

What I would suggest is that you move your cat food to on high, don't worry, they will adjust! My 3 cats have had to jump onto the side for their food for about 6 years now, it keeps them fit and active, although there is a stool there if they need it.

Using a crate is a good idea, best thing since sliced bread as long as you use it correctly!

When you do the first introductions, make sure that the cats have somewhere to escape to, preferably up high, or even up stairs, they need to adjust slowly and in their own time.

Lastly, and I think most importantly, when they do have a confrontation, which is sure to happen at some time, make sure that the pup is not cornered by the cat!  I know that this seems a bit strange, but cats have a much better range of weaponry than a young puppy!

My vet has always said that some of the worst facial injuries he sees are from cats beating up puppies.

Good luck, enjoy your puppy when you get it, and don't worry, your cats won't leave home, or if they do, it won't be for very long!!

Ali :)

Hi Nicky,
Sorry took a while to reply not been on the board for a few days, Braken is doing just fine and getting more lively everyday, After two weeks I have noticed the cats are more relaxed with her, they still come in for their food but spend all day up stairs on the beds.
                         The dogs are kept downstairs in the kitchen and adjoining room which have tiled floors easy for the odd accident I have baby gates up at the doors to help confine her can be a problem as I constantly have a crying dog wanting to come in or out , having 2 other dogs.The pup is not left on her own for very long as I don't work so toilet training is going well I have the back door open when weather good enough.
A new pup is a bit like a new baby they take up all your time but they do sleep a lot of the day.
Ros