I have several cats in my home that are very enticing to my new pup. A couple of them basically stay safely in our bedroom. a couple of them are content to hang out in their usual places on the back of the couch (this probably won't work for long, but for now Chewie can't get on the couch to reach them). He is capable of letting them walk past him if he's calm and busy with a chew toy. If they stay close too long, he starts following them until they run/jump away, then he will chase as far as he can go. They can all escape him at this point.
The youngest cat, however, is about 1 year old and fears no one. He was a foster failure who had come to the shelter where I fostered as a tiny 4-5 week old kitten (Bear) with no siblings or mother (similar to Chewie's background). Anyway, not only is Bear not intimidated at all by a rambunctious puppy, he will actually stalk him and smack him on the face/head for no reason (he does this to the other cats sometimes, too). Chewie mostly keeps his distance, but as he's become more comfortable here, he will get within a foot of Bear and playbow, bark, whine, and generally bounce around. I doubt Bear will ever actually play with him, but should I let them work it out or interfere in some way? I don't want either to get hurt, but I can't figure out whether letting Bear put him in his place with his smacks is wise, or not.
The youngest cat, however, is about 1 year old and fears no one. He was a foster failure who had come to the shelter where I fostered as a tiny 4-5 week old kitten (Bear) with no siblings or mother (similar to Chewie's background). Anyway, not only is Bear not intimidated at all by a rambunctious puppy, he will actually stalk him and smack him on the face/head for no reason (he does this to the other cats sometimes, too). Chewie mostly keeps his distance, but as he's become more comfortable here, he will get within a foot of Bear and playbow, bark, whine, and generally bounce around. I doubt Bear will ever actually play with him, but should I let them work it out or interfere in some way? I don't want either to get hurt, but I can't figure out whether letting Bear put him in his place with his smacks is wise, or not.