[Amaya-Mazie-Marley]

Okay, so I already posted about this once, but its getting way too out of hand. If you read it before you know that last week or so I brought home a cat named Lily. We had previously owned Lily but the lady couldn't take care of her anymore, so we took her back ( in the breeding contract). Well my dogs wanted to play with her and say hi until Lily hissed and swatted at them. That immediately made Mazie mad and Mazie was very agressive with her. Growling, trying to charge at her etc. Well today I was asleep, and I heard Mazie going on and on like she was dying, so I immediately jumped out and bed and ran into the living room and Mazie was freaking out, worse than ever, and literally jumped into my arms. From what my mom told me, Mazie was just walking by the couch, and Lily was behind it and attacked Mazie. Thanks to Lily, Mazie has a huge gash on the inside of her ear, got blood all over herself. Mom is a tech so she looked at it and said it was okay. The problem is though, now that mazie sees any white cat of ours (we have 3) she does submissive peeing. Lily really scared her good, and she won't even leave my lap. If a cat even walks past us, she gets scared and pees all over whatever or whoever she's sitting on. I need some serious help!!!!!!!

[puzzledbypets]

i heard once that your sposed to force them together no keep them apart..maybe get the cat declawed in the front and then show your dog that she can hurt her anymore...sorry bout your situation thats awful

[xoxluvablexox]

That's so sad, poor dog.
Are your cats indoor cats or can you keep them outside?
I wouldn't get them declawed unless it's as a last option because if you ever leave the cats alone with the dog they'll have nothing to protect themselves with.

[blackrose]

I agree, don't declaw them. A lot of declawed cats, that were declawed for aggressivly scratching purposes, turned into biters when they learned they could no longer cause damage with their paws.

Is there anyway that you can get her used to white cats again? Go a distance away from one of your white cats and give her treats. Gradually get closer while still feeding her treats.

It sounds like she just needs to be taught that white cats aren't evil, and I'd go about that the same way you'd teach a dog that other dogs, drainpipes, or lawnmowers aren't evil.

[Amaya-Mazie-Marley]

Our cats are purebred Devon Rex showcats, so declawing isn't an option, but no they don't go outside. Mazie is still terrified, she hasn't left my lap at all. I've tried introducing her to the sweetest white cat we have, and she is still freaking out so bad. The cat was even rubbing her face against Mazie and giving Mazie kitty kisses but Mazie was so scared. IMHO Lily needs to hit the road. She is mean to both of my dogs, and they just want to be friendly and say hello. She's not going to sit around and bully my dogs. If she can gash open my dogs ear with claws that aren't sharp at all, think of what she could do to an eye. Thats just the problem though. My mom is a huge cat lover, and I am a huge dog lover, there would be no middle ground, we would argue that point until our faces were blue. I have no clue what to do, someone mentioned forcing them together. If we did that, somebody would end up seriously hurt, I can all ready forsee that.

[DogAdvocat]

Originally Posted by Amaya-Mazie-Marley

Our cats are purebred Devon Rex showcats, so declawing isn't an option, but no they don't go outside. Mazie is still terrified, she hasn't left my lap at all. I've tried introducing her to the sweetest white cat we have, and she is still freaking out so bad. The cat was even rubbing her face against Mazie and giving Mazie kitty kisses but Mazie was so scared. IMHO Lily needs to hit the road. She is mean to both of my dogs, and they just want to be friendly and say hello. She's not going to sit around and bully my dogs. If she can gash open my dogs ear with claws that aren't sharp at all, think of what she could do to an eye. Thats just the problem though. My mom is a huge cat lover, and I am a huge dog lover, there would be no middle ground, we would argue that point until our faces were blue. I have no clue what to do, someone mentioned forcing them together. If we did that, somebody would end up seriously hurt, I can all ready forsee that.

What about separating them? The cat(s) can have one side of the house, and the dog(s) can have the other side. I've done that with warring dogs successfully. If your dog never sees a white cat, she won't be afraid. I'd suggest that if it's possible, you have a double-door system - maybe a hallway between the two sides of the house, so that you can go through and make sure that nothing is slipping past the doorway.

[xoxluvablexox]

If it comes down to it and there's no other way to seperate them or keep them both happy then getting rid of the cat might be your only option. I'm a cat lover so I can understand how your mom would react but the cat is obviously unhappy with dogs so any true cat lover would do what is best and find a home without dogs for the poor thing.
Not saying your dog isn't a "poor thing" obviously it's more traumatized right now then the cat is. It's probably not an option to get rid of your dog so that would probably be the best thing you could do for both of them if there was no way to seperate them for good.

After the cat that is unhappy with dogs is gone the dog should probably get used to the other cats again over time.

[Amaya-Mazie-Marley]

We have the perfect spot to seperate the dogs and the cats, but the thing is, the cats would need the opposite end from their cat room. Since I am constantly taking my dogs outside, they would need the side of the house with the door. I've already made it clear to my mom that Mazie is NOT going period. She came from a ****hole and I am not giving her out and subjecting her to that. Sure Mazie is still a P.I.T. but she will come out an amazing dog. I just can't handle this cat bullying my dogs like that. My dogs are just about the size she is anyways, I see no reason for this cat to be threatned. When we had Lily before she was a very tempremental cat, sometimes even biting a human if she felt like it. IMO she would be very hard to place, and so we are pretty much stuck with her now.

[Lorina]

I don't know how old you are, but when my parents and I had very different views on keeping pets, I got my own place and took my cat with me.

(Different circumstances... my cat and I were both very allergic to flea bites, and it was before products like Advantage were around. Since the dog was getting fleas and Sheba and I were suffering, they wanted to get rid of the dog. I couldn't let them do that, so I got my own place. Their dog is now 14 and still lives at home, and Sheba lived a long happy 18 years.)

[Amaya-Mazie-Marley]

I am 18, and if I could I would leave. I would need alot of money to buy a place that was at least decent for 3 dogs. I barely even have enough money for gas to get to and from college. Amaya and Mazie are fairly small but I also have an APBT. So if I had enough money, and could find a decent place with enough land for my dogs I would leave, but it just can't happen now.

[sillylilykitty]

If Lily is dog aggressive, get her into a home that wont get a dog. Is that possible? But if she is people aggressive?? Now that is bad. It sounds like she would be a good outdoor cat, if that was possible to find a home like that.

In my opinion, a cat like that, if I couldnt find a home for it, would be put to sleep.

[Amaya-Mazie-Marley]

She's not people agressive at all, she loves people and gets along great with our cats and tolerates Amaya, but she aboslutely hates Mazie. I would love to place her in another home, but my mom doesn't want to. She said give them time and they will get used to each other. I am just fearing for my dogs saftey. I don't want my dogs to lose an eye or something. If that happened, Lily would be outside in under 20 seconds flat. I am a huge lover of all animals, but when it comes to the saftey of my dogs, I don't play around.

Quick update: I need some serious help. Mazie was all scared until Lily swatted at Amaya then she went crazy. Mazie was going so crazy she was almost scaring me. I had to literally toss her in my room and slam the door. If she could have she would have eaten Lily alive. Any advice at all on what to do. I think the bottom line is one or the other needs to go but there is no way I could part with my Mazie.

[mattmania843]

get rid of the cat... just give it to a shelter and whatever happens happens, but you should try to find a home before you do that. just my 2 cents.

[Amaya-Mazie-Marley]

I agree matt..but I highly doubt my mom will go for that..Looks like I need to find a place of my own..at least maybe with a friend for a while

[Lorina]

What about Soft Paws for Lily? Have you tried anything like Rescue Remedy or Feliway plugins to help calm her?

[sillylilykitty]

I dont think it would be a good idea to keep the cat doped up on drugs all the time. The soft paws sounds like a good idea, it will keep the cat from doing any real damage, except maybe bruises.

I think you should keep the cat separated, that way your dogs wont get any more harm done to them in the near future.

[PsiElement]

What you need to remember is that a cat is a cat, and a dog is a dog. To expect a dog and a cat to get along, no problem, is expecting a lot. A lot has to do with body language. When a cat lifts it's paw, it's a warning.. when a dog does, it's friendly. When a dog rolls onto it's back, it's submission. When a cat does, it's a defensive position. Also, a cat doesn't know a dog wants to play. A cat sees a threat and cats act out because they are scared. You're worried about your dog, yes.. but how has this damaged your cat? She's probably just as terrified when she sees your dogs and that's why she's so aggressive. You may not see it but then you're not a cat and you're not THIS cat specifically. If you're going to own more than just dogs, you need to show compassion for more than just dogs.

First of all, your dogs are not going to be mortally hurt by your cats unless they are SUBSTANTIALLY smaller. It sounds like your cat wants to be left alone by the dogs, period, and I think the only way you'll fix the problem is to respect that. Find safe rooms for each animal and try to keep them separated. When they are around each other and must be together, spray the cat with a water bottle if it behaves aggressively towards the dog and try to make sure each room has high-up places for the cat to walk around on away from the dog. If the dog lunges or barks at the cat, spray the dog. It needs to go both ways because the dog is a factor here obviously. Also, there are also plug-ins that I use to keep my cat out of certain rooms, and there are phermone plug-ins designed to make animals calmer around one another. I used them a lot when I lived at my boyfriend's house and they worked like a charm. I kept the cat out of the dog's room, the dog out of the cat's room, and they were okay in the middle rooms.

Throwing out an animal, IMO, is irresponsible and cruel. It's not your cat's fault she's scared, nor is it your dog's fault he's scared. They do and will continue to do what animals do, what they need is your patience and love. BOTH of them do. When you own more than one animal, you need to care for ALL of the animals and not place one above the other. ALL of their health and wellbeing should be taken into consideration, or you shouldn't own a pet at all.

[sillylilykitty]

I dont think you understand. The cat is not hers the dogs are. And a cat might not be able to kill the dog, but cats sure can do A LOT of damage. And by a lot, I mean major damage. Such as losing an eye. Or a cat bite abscess, those can get really nasty.

[Amaya-Mazie-Marley]

No, the cat isn't mine. I understand what you are trying to say Psi but the cat is NOT mine. My mom is responsible for all of our cats, the dogs are mine. Sure I still need to take precautions and such, but to me it doesn't matter if the cat stays or goes because yes she can harm my dogs. You said they can't harm them, then why did she leave an open gash on the inside of my dogs ear, with trimmed claws? She had to have done more than just scare my dog for my dog to resort to submissive peeing. My dogs are small dogs, both no bigger than our cats. I have one who is 8 pounds, if a cat got a hold of could yes seriously hurt her. The other dog, the one who is scared Maize, weighs almost 18 pounds, but is a small dog. Her weight comes from muscle. Lily has no problem with any of the other animals in the house, except my dogs. It may be cruel IYO but its not cruel to me. These dogs are like my kids, and they are being put in harms way. I am not going to sit here and let this cat beat up on my dogs because she feels they are a threat. How is it a threat when a cat walks by and a dog is cowering and shaking and peeing herself?

I have also heard of the plug ins and such, but I really don't think they would work in this occasion. Lily is being very agressive towards my dogs, they could be in the other room and Lily will come looking for them and then chase them down and attack them. When we had her before we only had Amaya, and Amaya steered clear of her. Mazie is a in your face I wanna play kinda girl, and Lily doesn't like that. It may have startled Lily at first, but its been over a week, she needs to realize that my dogs are not out to hurt her at all. I have come to the conclusion that Lily goes, or me and my dogs go.

[PsiElement]

The cat is still a living animal that someone, where you live, is in charge of taking care of and that's what I meant.

I'm not saying this to be mean or cruel, just what I'm really noticing from reading your responses. I don't think you understand cats at all and I think what you're expecting this cat to do (just "understand and stop") is asking for a lot of an animal with it's own instincts, body language system, and general personality. Cats and dogs do not reason very well.. if they could, they wouldn't need us humans to take care of them. Did you expect your dogs to just understand that peeing in the house is gross and to stop doing it?

It's like you expect your dogs DOG submissive behavior to somehow sway the cat into thinking it's submissive when what the cat sees is only how it relates to cat behavior. Dogs crouch down and flatten their ears when being submissive (if not on their bellies). Cat's do that when they're about to attack you. A cat only recognizes urination as being a form of territory marking, not submissive urination since cats do not do that. I cannot express this enough.. it's NOT a dog, it's a cat, and it's NOT a human, it's a cat. You can only solve this through the angle of, "It's a cat".

I know this is probably an unpopular opinion on this forum given it's a dog forum, but I am an *animal* lover and that includes cats. If your mother gave up her cat to a shelter I'd find that pretty appalling. You're willing for a cat she cares about to be euthanized, alone in some shelter, but you're not willing to try anything I've recommended to help thus far to make it better all around? Your dog is not going to drop dead immediately from a wound from a cat, and that's what I was getting at. The situation is not that your dogs are in immediate mortal peril.

I really think in this situation that if you're not willing to try another solution, it may be best if you live somewhere with just your dogs. I can't condone someone staying somewhere with their pets at the expense of another just-as-worthy animal.

That being said, should you move you could try to help break your dog's fear by using a stuffed white cat and praise her when she doesn't pee or act totally submissive, and show her that a white cat isn't going to necessarily hurt her. Once she's doing good with the stuffed cat maybe show her a nice dog-friendly one (a real one) and try to do the same. But I'd start slow on her.