I'm a Dog Person but I think I want a Cat...

[1GirlTwinBoys]

Remember the calico kitten we found last week?  Well, we love her and want to keep her but we really can't.  Here is a list of reasons why we can't/shouldn't...

 

1. Our German Shepherd has insane prey drive and that relationship just won't work.  Our dog doesn't go up or downstairs, so I wondered if she'd stay upstairs if she knew our GS is on the main floor.

2. We have allergies.

3. I've never had an indoor cat.  We have an outdoor cat that roams our acreage and the property next door.

4. Cats scare me. :huh:

 

She is the sweetest little thing I've ever seen.  I think she's about 10 weeks old and we've been trying to take care of her outside until we can find a home.  I've treated her for fleas and will be letting her stay in our powder room in a crate at night.  She LOVES us and if we're outside she follows us around and wants to be in our laps constantly.  She seems so calm and lovable.  

 

Is this just a kitten thing or would she stay like this as an adult cat?  I thought cats liked to be left alone, but she doesn't at all.  She wants to be with us every minute.

[Gil]

I don't know much about cats--my 7yo is the resident feline expert. He's responsible for reading the cat care books and looking up answers to questions we have online.

My son said...

10 weeks is too young for (most) flea treatments, so you might want to hold of a couple more weeks on that.

Get the kitten fixed ASAP.

If you have another pet cat roaming, there may be territory issues between the cat and the kitten, there may not be. If both have been outside together, has the cat bullied or attacked the kitten?

At 10 weeks, the kitten needs playmates and stimulation. Our kittens are sometimes left for hours and hours on end but there are a bunch of them, so they play with and entertain one another. That is probably why your kitten is following you.

 

My tip? Keep the little furry bastard out of your bathroom at all costs...

 

[1GirlTwinBoys]

10 weeks is too young for (most) flea treatments, so you might want to hold of a couple more weeks on that.

 

What I used said safe for 8 weeks and older.

 

 

[Storygirl]

I wouldn't expect a drastic personality change in your kitty as she grows. Although her behavior will change as she matures and becomes more cat-like and less kittenish, she's likely to retain her sweetness. My spunky cat was spunky from the beginning, for example.  Many cats are very affectionate.

 

The cat we have now is the opposite -- she is sweet and gentle. She did not like the dog when she lived with my parents (she started out as their cat) and spent her days under their bed, only emerging at night when the dog was in her crate. We thought she might change that habit when she moved in with us, but it turns out that she still spends her days under the bed. At our home, she avoids the noisy kids during the day and comes out at night to hang with the adults. So it is possible that your kitty will choose to stay on a different level of the house than your dog, but there are not guarantees. If you actually think your dog may harm her, I wouldn't keep her as an indoor pet. If you think the dog would just want to chase her out of interest and curiosity, she will probably learn to avoid the GS.

 

 

[BlueTaelon]

I don't know much about cats--my 7yo is the resident feline expert. He's responsible for reading the cat care books and looking up answers to questions we have online.

My son said...

10 weeks is too young for (most) flea treatments, so you might want to hold of a couple more weeks on that.

Get the kitten fixed ASAP.

If you have another pet cat roaming, there may be territory issues between the cat and the kitten, there may not be. If both have been outside together, has the cat bullied or attacked the kitten?

At 10 weeks, the kitten needs playmates and stimulation. Our kittens are sometimes left for hours and hours on end but there are a bunch of them, so they play with and entertain one another. That is probably why your kitten is following you.

 

My tip? Keep the little furry bastard out of your bathroom at all costs...

Lamo, or at least lock any cabinets, the toilet seat unless you remove the water and if you have handles on the tub make sure they are locked in place. Better yet turn off the water to the bathroom period, yes, kittens can and will turn on water being little monkeys. Hide the TP, that is like the best toy to them and they will shred the entire roll. The cat will not stay upstairs, if your dog will harm the cat you will need to rehome the cat. Kittens are extreamly social, they need a lot of attention which is why people often get 2 kittens so they keep each other company. That said kittens are nuts and will keep you all ALL FRIGGIN NIGHT wanting to play and closing your door will make them scratch at it and cry for you. Im not crazy enough to adopt another kitten, teens or older only lol. At least by then they are happy to go crazy at 2am without you.

[BlsdMama]

I'm a dog person. I vote it's a kitten thing.

 

Do you want reasons to keep her or reasons to get rid of her? Because we just bought the home of a cat person and I could come up with more than a couple reasons on why to find her a kitty home..... ;)

[Ali in OR]

We chose our kitten from a shelter when he was 2.5 months old. He purred whenever we held him--that's why we chose him. He's been the most snuggly, lovable cat I've ever known. Definitely a people cat--wants to be where we are when he's awake. If I lie down or sit down (not often enough), he will come and join me. I would say we saw a disposition to like people and be around them when he was 2 months old and that has basically stayed the same.

[RoughCollie]

My dog has a very high prey drive.  We've had people dump a cat and a kitten in our yard, and I found homes for both of them because two of my kids are allergic to cats, and the dog would kill a cat in a jiffy. My husband and I like cats very much, but ours would not be a good home for a cat.

 

My advice is to find a home for the kitten or take it to a no-kill shelter.

[Aiden]

If your dog is a danger to her, and your family is allergic to her--either of the two, actually, but both together seals the deal in my mind--you're probably better off finding her another home. I'd contact a local animal rescue organization, explain the situation, and ask for their advice. They may ask you to continue fostering the kitten until they find a home, or they may have a foster home to which the cat could move immediately.

 

In any case, if you rehome her, I'd do it soon. Kittens are so adorable ... just like older children may have a harder time finding a placement because so many families want a baby, older cats sometimes are overlooked in favor of the cute little bouncy kitten.

 

But yes, I'd say the sweet, friendly kitten is likely to grow into a sweet, friendly adult cat, unless something happens to change her personality (such as repeated attacks from a larger, possibly territorial cat or a dog with a strong hunting instinct). It's really best all around for this kitten to move to a new home.

[Pawz4me]

Remember the calico kitten we found last week?  Well, we love her and want to keep her but we really can't.  Here is a list of reasons why we can't/shouldn't...

 

1. Our German Shepherd has insane prey drive and that relationship just won't work.  Our dog doesn't go up or downstairs, so I wondered if she'd stay upstairs if she knew our GS is on the main floor.

2. We have allergies.

3. I've never had an indoor cat.  We have an outdoor cat that roams our acreage and the property next door.

4. Cats scare me. :huh:

 

She is the sweetest little thing I've ever seen.  I think she's about 10 weeks old and we've been trying to take care of her outside until we can find a home.  I've treated her for fleas and will be letting her stay in our powder room in a crate at night.  She LOVES us and if we're outside she follows us around and wants to be in our laps constantly.  She seems so calm and lovable.  

 

Is this just a kitten thing or would she stay like this as an adult cat?  I thought cats liked to be left alone, but she doesn't at all.  She wants to be with us every minute.

 

Calm, sweet kittens almost always turn out to be calm, sweet adult cats.  Many cats are very dog-like in their behavior (following their humans around, seeking attention, etc.).  Adult cats do tend to like to be left alone in that they sleep many hours a day.  But the ones who really enjoy their people tend to like to sleep in the same vicinity.

 

I wouldn't rule out having a cat because your dog is high prey drive.  Most dogs are smart enough to quickly learn that "their" cat is a member of the pack.  I've always had multiple dogs and have had multiple cats for over ten years.  The dogs know "their" cats rule the house.  Any cat they see outside they think is fair game, though.  That doesn't mean you won't have to put a lot of work (training) into getting the dog to that point.  And you'll have to be extremely careful of their interactions until you're absolutely positive you're at that point.  That means one of them crated or locked away in a room any time you leave the house.  Once kitten is fully grown and fully loaded with weapons (claws) she'll likely have no problem putting the dog in his place.

 

Why do cats scare you?

 

Having said all that -- the allergy thing could be a really big issue.  None of us deal with that, so I can't give good advice.  From what I understand, though, it can really vary.  Some allergic people can't be anywhere at all near any cat w/o being miserable, while others eventually get used to "their" cat and can tolerate it okay but can't tolerate being around others.

[Cera]

Our cat acts more like a dog than a cat.  She meows to go in and out (no litter box in the house), doesn't climb on any furniture except the couch, will seek out her people and sit right next to us, etc.  

 

Does your dog try to harm the outdoor cat?  If not I would bet it could be taught to leave the kitten alone.  Introduce them slowly and always supervised (possibly with a muzzle on the dog), praising or correcting the dog as necessary.  As the kitten gets larger the dog should start to see it as a cat instead of a snack.  It took our high prey drive dog about 2 months to get that the kitten was to be left alone but she did finally learn and they became friends (at least from the kitten's perspective).

 

As far as the allergies, one of our kids is allergic to cats.  It is a very mild allergy so not a huge deal.  The cat is not allowed in his room (we kept the bedroom door shut but she has since learned to stay out) and we keep the hair vacuumed up (hardwood makes this fairly easy).

[1GirlTwinBoys]

Why do cats scare you?

 

 

Not sure but they do.  I think it's their quick movements and just their strange ways.  For example, I was sitting on the swing and she kept jumping in my lap, staring at me and meowing.  She had food and water so I have no idea what she was trying to tell me.  It creeps me out when she stares at me and meows like that.  Also, DH works with a facial plastic surgeon and was telling me about a woman that just came in last week, and her friends cat swiped at her face and split her nose open right down the middle.  She had to go to ER and will now need plastic surgery in a year.  All she did was sit down in a chair, the cat sat next to her, looked at her, and then swiped.  Crazy!!!  Cats can be vicious.  Yes, I know dogs can be too, but cats take it to a whole new level.  :huh:

 

Does your dog try to harm the outdoor cat?

 

Our outdoor cat has woods to go in and can take care of himself.  Also, he does hang out a lot on the property next to ours probably because of our GS.

[Pawz4me]

 

Not sure but they do.  I think it's their quick movements and just their strange ways.  For example, I was sitting on the swing and she kept jumping in my lap, staring at me and meowing.  She had food and water so I have no idea what she was trying to tell me.  It creeps me out when she stares at me and meows like that.  Also, DH works with a facial plastic surgeon and was telling me about a woman that just came in last week, and her friends cat swiped at her face and split her nose open right down the middle.  She had to go to ER and will now need plastic surgery in a year.  All she did was sit down in a chair, the cat sat next to her, looked at her, and then swiped.  Crazy!!!  Cats can be vicious.  Yes, I know dogs can be too, but cats take it to a whole new level.  :huh:

 

 

Cats (of any kind/size) are pretty much nature's perfect predators.  They certainly can do a lot of damage.  My guess is that it's very rare for a cat to intentionally do serious harm to one of their humans, though.

 

As far as body language and what a cat is "saying" -- that's something you can learn.  Just like most dog people learn at least a bit about canine body language.  I suspect what your kitten was doing was simply asking for some petting.  Or possibly telling you that you're pretty great for a mere human. ;)

 

But your quote above is pretty much why I don't worry overmuch about an inside dog harming an inside adult cat.  In fact, my money's almost always going to be on the cat.  I've known or heard of way more dogs having eye injuries from a cat swipe than I've known of cats being seriously injured or killed by dogs.  Again, that's for inside pets.  All bets are off outside.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I suspect what your kitten was doing was simply asking for some petting.  Or possibly telling you that you're pretty great for a mere human.  ;)

 

Yeah, and I was trying to stroke her back and just wanted her to lay in my lap.  She just kept wanting to stare at me and crawl up near my face.  What's that about?  She just wanted to get right in my face.  No matter how many times I'd turn her around, she would just keep doing it.  Cats are persistent!

[Pawz4me]

Cats have scent glands in their cheeks.  They'll rub things to "mark" them as theirs.  And many cats like to "headbutt" the people they love.  If you don't want her rubbing your face or trying to headbutt you, then the next time she does it take a finger and stroke her cheek.  A lot of cats will be appeased with that.

[Jann in TX]

It could work out...

 

We have German Shepherds with high prey drives.  Our cat ownes them.

 

We had our first 2 GS dogs when we brought said cat home from the shelter.  Both dogs were insanely prey driven-- "Squirrel' and they went insane (think dogs from movie Up).  Cat was young and VERY affectionate--softest fur ever!)-- dds wanted a cat so we were willing to give it a try-- even though we knew it may have to be confined to half of the house (dogs were not allowed in the bedroom wing of house).

 

Said cat stayed in our master bedroom for 3 days.  Dogs were curious about the new scent.  One day we accidentally left the door open and the cat joined us in the living room-- whole family including the dogs.  We thought it was going to be a disaster, but the cat calmly walked up to a lounging dog, turned around and put his rear in the dog's face (then he closed his eyes-- accept me or eat me, just get it over with!).  Dogs took a sniff then went back to lounging.  Cat became best friends with the dog that had the highest prey drive (so bad we had major vet bills from him trying to climb trees to get the squirrels!). 

 

Fast forward 10 years and we bring home an adult  rescue dog (shepherd/lab) who had been in a fighting ring (we did not know that at the time or we would never have taken her...).  She had attacked every dog in the shelter that was smaller than her and went insane if she saw a cat or squirrel (again we did not know that-- terrible disclosure at this shelter!).   Cat came outside to greet the new dog-- we prepared for the worse--cat just sat there while dog ran up to him--sniffed him then turned around and went back to play with our other dog (who was larger than her).  You can tell that she WANTS to chase the kitty--but she knows that is 'not nice' and leaves him alone-- the neighbor cats do not enter our yard though!

 

We have been 'ruled' (yes he lords over us mere humans too) but said cat for 14 years now.  He is still just as soft and affectionate as ever.

 

--

I say keep looking for a new home for your sweet kitty--but until then (or if it does not happen) try slow introductions--put cat in crate (cover crate with blanket then let dogs sniff crate (keep dogs on leash just in case)... slowly progress to no blanket.  If dogs relax around the cat (when it is safely in the crate) then you might have a chance of them getting along.  I'd still keep them apart until your kitten is a bit older.

 

--

Kittens are little ninjas on steroids-- If you keep the kitty in a bathroom at night or when you are not home remove EVERYTHING of value.  Remove shower curtain (unless you want it shredded-- experience talking here!), TP is a kitty's best friend!  The faucet-- well it is an endless supply of fun-- turn off water supply or said kitty WILL find a way to plug the drain and flood the room...