Please help -- Need Pet Advice!!

[CollinsMom]

I know you all will give me some great answers/advice!

1) My DF are merging households and will be officially living together (moving to his house) within about 2 months. I have one dog (a pug, 4 years old), and he has two cats. What is the best way to introduce the animals to one another and what sorts of pet drama can we expect while they adjust to each other?

2) The cats were never de-clawed as young kittens, and we are certainly not going to put them thru that now. However, they do scratch furniture and things, and their claws get caught on a lot of things (clothes, nice bed linens, etc) and will pull or create runs. We are buying a lot of new things for our house -- new bedding, new furniture. Also, I have a 3 year old son, and one of the cats does not really care for him, and will occassionally hiss and swat at him. Is there anything we can do about the cats claws to help lessen the odds of our toddler getting scratched and/or furniture getting torn up?

Thanks in advance for all the advice!!

 

[melimcn]

I would suggest keeping the cats together in one room of the house for about a week. That way, they can sniff at the pug and get used to his scent, without having to have a face to face confrontation. Just move their litter boxes and food/water into the room. It will ease the inital introduction if they're familiar with his scent already.

As for the claws, you could try to be diligent about keeping them clipped (which is easier said than done!), or you can cap them.
http://www.softpaws.com/
I've heard that they're great...once you get them on!

 

[CollinsMom]

Thanks for the link! I knew there had to be something out there like that, just didn't know where to start looking!

 

[kathryn]

For the claws, get a good scratching post or two and/or a cat tree. Cats like to scratch right after they wake up from naps, so it's good to have something near their sleeping areas. (corrugated cardboard scratching mats and 1/2 logs will also work, just don't get those short, carpet-covered posts that are sold in most stores, cats will prefer the furniture).

For claw snagging and unintentional scratching, cats' claws should be trimmed (anywhere from weekly to every 3 weeks, depends on the cat). I use a human tonail clipper (the ones that look like bigger versions of fingernail trimmers). Hold the cat's paw in one hand (left, if you are right handed) and gently squeeze, to get the claws to appear. Look for the pink triangle in the nail, which is where the nerves and blood supply is. You do NOT want to trim too close to this, or it will be painful and bleed, and kitty won't trust you trimming claws in the future. Trim off the thinner, sharper, curved part of the claw.

For a good scratching post (approved by my cats and those at the shelter I volunteer at) as well as more info on alternatives to declawing (which I applaud you for NOT doing), visit this site: http://declawing.com/

 

[CollinsMom]

Thanks for the info, Kathryn. I never really knew what declawing was really about until recently. When first presented with this problem, I was like, oh no big deal, we will just have the cats declawed. When I learned what it was, I was just shocked and horrified. I KNOW there has to be a better way...

We will definitely look into a new scratching post!!

 

[Gayle]

Has your Pug ever been exposed to cats before?

You might try initial introductions with your dog in a crate or Vari-Kennel. That way the cats might be able to check him/her out somewhat without feeling threatened, particularly if your dog gets excitable around the cats.

I don't know about confining the cats, per se, especially if they already have free run of the house, but I would make sure that they have a safe "hide out" that they can retreat to if they don't want to deal with your dog.

My cat, Chance, is very dog savvy (he's lived with four different ones) but he will still retreat to his safe place (under our bed) if Rascal is being a little too boisterous or if we're dog sitting an unfamiliar dog. He only stays there until things are calmer, and then he ventures back out.

So I would expect that you're DF's cats may do something similar. I wouldn't worry much if they did.

Here are links to couple of articles about cats and dogs living together, intros, etc:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=2130&S=1&SourceID=47
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1384&S=1&SourceID=47

Cats and dogs can live harmoniously together, it may just take a little time for them to get used to each other.

http://lh3.google.com/Gayleski/R7nI60bO1uI/AAAAAAAAADw/5tspi_bz-64/s400/rascatcouch.jpg

 

[Poochy]

off topic:

Gayle .. I just LOVE to see the pics you post of your babies .. just precious!!! thanks

wish I could help on the cat/dog questions - we only have dogs! I would go w/Gayles advice and the others here .. introduce them in a "safe" slow manner. At least the pug is small and probably will not be aggressive to the cats ... Good luck!!!

 

[Gayle]

Thanks, Poochy. One thing I love about this forum is that it's one of the few places that I can shamelessly post pics of my "kids".

 

[Reese777]

***I've not read the other posts****

I have no experience specifically with introducing dogs and cats, but I've introduced multiple cats to cats, and there are two things to remember above all else - make sure that cats have a safe place away from the dog to use the litter box. If they don't feel safe, they'll start going all over the house - which is a nightmare! Second, take time getting them introduced/adjusted. Don't rush them because some animals never mesh. Lastly, you can have your kitties claws TRIMMED - and it lessens the scratching depth they can achieve - which is better than putting an older kitty thru declawing surgery.