[SwimSushi]

Hey! So I recently moved in a couple months ago and the owner and other roommate already had two dog rescues. Charlie was rescued as a baby a couple years ago and Zazu was rescued as a baby as well a little bit after that. So the problem I'm having is with Charlie's stalking and peeing and Zazu's stalking and aggressiveness. Charlie seems to be able to go outside by himself (theres a doggy door) to bark at other dogs and stuff, but he chooses to pee inside in random places. No biggy. Charlie's owner goes to the door and makes charlie go outside when they can. Zazu is pretty aggressive with barking at anything that comes even close to the house or other animals, but doesn't have pee troubles.
So what happened was about a month and a half ago I brought home a kitten. Charlie became obsessed and we had to use his No command a lot to stop him from chasing and licking her when she was just walking around. Zazu is aggressive with her and has tried to bite her tail and wrestle her when she gets into where they hang out. I feel like the owner might've been encouraging this bad behavior by feeding Zazu treats to try to subdue him when he gets aggressive. I've also seen them tear up the trash bag that contained her litter when I set it in the kitchen for a second to fetch something from the other room before I took it out. What I've tried to do every week or so is have a calm environment and have another introduction and additionally let her roam if Zazu isn't in the room. This last time though, Zazu really went for it trying to attack her, and now Charlie and Zazu will stalk outside my door where she's stays for the majority of the day and sniff and Zazu will attack the door if she's even close to it.
I've had to leave the room to direct them away from it because they will be doing that for up to an hour late into the night, like 11:30pm. I noticed a wet spot in front of my room yesterday but I chalked it up to someone who just used the shower from the bathroom. Today I was out in the kitchen with Charlie and I was cooking food. I pointed to his half full food bowl because he was watching me cook, and then he just went over to my folded up utility wagon I keep beside the couch and just stared straight at me while he sprayed it. I was floored! The audacity?
What can I do to stop these aggressive and weird behaviors? I've tried to let them eat next to each other through the doors and letting them sniff things that she often sleeps on, but nothing is working. I'm honestly thinking of moving in the future because it stresses me and the cat out.

 

[Shell]

They aren't your dogs so there is only so much you can do.

Dogs don't do things out of spite. They do things because they find them exciting/insinctual (stalking the cat), self rewarding (digging into trash eat junk), or just never been taught better (marking indoors)

It sounds like an unsuitable home to have brought a kitten into.

Keep the cat safe by keeping separate from the dogs. Clean up pee with an enzyme cleaner like NatureMiracle or a white vinegar and water mix

Look for a new residence when your lease is up.

 

[SwimSushi]

They aren't your dogs so there is only so much you can do.

Dogs don't do things out of spite. They do things because they find them exciting/insinctual (stalking the cat), self rewarding (digging into trash eat junk), or just never been taught better (marking indoors)

It sounds like an unsuitable home to have brought a kitten into.

Keep the cat safe by keeping separate from the dogs. Clean up pee with an enzyme cleaner like NatureMiracle or a white vinegar and water mix

Look for a new residence when your lease is up.

thank you for your insight

 

[storyist]

You can't do anything. They aren't your dogs, and the owners obviously can't be bothered doing the necessary training. Bringing a kitten into that mess was just plain foolish, and sooner or later the one dog will kill her if you don't move or rehome her. In your shoes I'd be looking for somewhere else to live ever spare minute. Even without the kitten problem, who wants to live somewhere where a dog pees inside at will?

 

[SwimSushi]

You can't do anything. They aren't your dogs, and the owners obviously can't be bothered doing the necessary training. Bringing a kitten into that mess was just plain foolish, and sooner or later the one dog will kill her if you don't move or rehome her. In your shoes I'd be looking for somewhere else to live ever spare minute. Even without the kitten problem, who wants to live somewhere where a dog pees inside at will?

yeah. The owner had told me that Zazu had lived with a cat before for a year and it was all good, but now im learning that it took them 6 months, while he was a baby, to get him used to her. I'm honestly thinking of moving when my lease is up in april because I don't want her nor I to fear for her safety even while in our own room. When I first moved in they just told me that he has territory issues, now its both dogs doing stuff.

 

[storyist]

I'd give the cat an escape and hope she uses it if someone accidentally leaves the door open for a second, something like a ceiling-high cat tree. Or as I said, find her another, safe home. I realize homes for cats don't come easy. Good luck.

 

[Shell]

Yep, the dogs seem to be escalating in their prey drive/aggression towards the cat.

Aside from not having gotten the cat to begin with, your next best step is two forms of barriers between dogs and cat. Two shut doors, a crate and a door, etc. But that requires cooperation and buy-in from all humans in the house. So at MINIMUM you want a baby gate for example that has bars narrow enough for the cat to slip though but not the dogs on your door in case someone opens it AND a sturdy tall cat tree that is out of dog reach.

From your description of the situation, its only a matter of time before a dog kills or seriously injures the cat.

 

[Deacon.dog]

Don't have any advice.

The owners of those dogs is awful for not putting any effort into training their dogs :l

You should move out if you get the chance, close your cat up in a room or you can even set up a crate or cat cage (these are tall with platforms) for your cat when you aren't around to prevent bad things from happening. Just make sure to give your kitty plenty of enrichment.

 

[LeoRose]

I adopted my dream dog from a local animal control facility. Within two weeks, I turned him over to a breed specific rescue because he wanted to eat my cats.

Seriously this situation sounds like a mangled, dead cat just waiting to happen. I would rehome the kitten ASAP, rather then try managing things. All it takes is one little slip up.

 

[SwimSushi]

I'd give the cat an escape and hope she uses it if someone accidentally leaves the door open for a second, something like a ceiling-high cat tree. Or as I said, find her another, safe home. I realize homes for cats don't come easy. Good luck.

i recently set up a 4 ft tall cat tree in the room and theres a wide window ledge so she has places to jump to thank goodness. both the dogs are like terrier chihuahua mixes so their smaller and stocky and cant jump very well. I'd rather move than rehome her to be honest. I just hope that she gets to be bigger than the dogs one day or they stop being aggressive before the point of moving.

 

[SwimSushi]

Yep, the dogs seem to be escalating in their prey drive/aggression towards the cat.

Aside from not having gotten the cat to begin with, your next best step is two forms of barriers between dogs and cat. Two shut doors, a crate and a door, etc. But that requires cooperation and buy-in from all humans in the house. So at MINIMUM you want a baby gate for example that has bars narrow enough for the cat to slip though but not the dogs on your door in case someone opens it AND a sturdy tall cat tree that is out of dog reach.

From your description of the situation, its only a matter of time before a dog kills or seriously injures the cat.

I've been looking at getting a baby gate but these are terrier/chihuahua mixes that would be about the same size as her grown maybe smaller. I've been doing a set up of blocking the stairway and locking the doggy door when theyre downstairs so she can have a bit of free roam time. I really, really hope she grows bigger than the dogs.

 

[SwimSushi]

Don't have any advice.

The owners of those dogs is awful for not putting any effort into training their dogs :l

You should move out if you get the chance, close your cat up in a room or you can even set up a crate or cat cage (these are tall with platforms) for your cat when you aren't around to prevent bad things from happening. Just make sure to give your kitty plenty of enrichment.

thats what im doing at the moment. I know she isn't very happy when she has her kitten play time all cramped up so i try to block off a space in the living room so she can run for a bit. she has so many toys though. and thank god shes one of those cats that will chase a ball for hours so at least she's content for the while.

 

[Deacon.dog]

When I first got both of my cats as kittens they only where allowed small areas of the room they where in so they 1. didn't use the bathroom somewhere silly bc their area was too big and 2. so that they could get used to the dogs. They where perfectly fine and cats (especially kittens) sleep most of the day.. if you can just put the dogs away and let her out in the morning and afternoon for kitten zoomies you should be fine.