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Permalink Reply by Lauren + Winston on May 10, 2008 at 12:23am

My cat was adopted from the humane society as a kitten, and he was about 7 years old when we got Winston, which was last July. Tounces FREAKED at first (Tounces is my cat.. haha). He still hates Winston. We've tried to get them to get along but it really just doesn't work out. What we did was move his food up into my parents room, because we don't allow Winston upstairs, so we baby gate the bottom of the stairs. Tounces' litterbox is still downstairs in the laundry room. We keep the door open when Winston is in my room or in his crate so Tounces can still go to the bathroom often. Tounces also has the whole basement to roam, as we don't let Winston down there either.

The best thing is to give your cat his own space, if it be a whole room, a whole floor, haha... Just so he knows he has his own area where the dog cannot be. I wouldn't suggest trying to put them in a room together to get them to get along because it won't really work. My cat has gotten more used to Winston and won't hiss at him every time he sees him, but Winston still thinks the cat is a little tougher than he really is so we just keep them separated. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Kylee and Keith on May 10, 2008 at 12:30am

Thanks for the advice Lauren! We have been giving Apple our bedroom, and that has helped! As soon as we move into the new house - Apple can have the entire upstairs! We are still in an apartment - 1300 Sq Ft, but a loft layout...so not too many hiding spots for Apple! We have also been putting Penny to bed in a gated area away from Apple and spending extra time with the cat - Lots of Treats!

Again - Thanks Lauren :)

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Permalink Reply by Kitty's Corner on May 10, 2008 at 1:06pm

My 3 cats were really peeved when we brought Kitty home.They were used to our older,wiser and mellower lab,but, the energetic Kitty was way too much.Plus, she wanted to chase them all the time.They did take to hiding and my youngest cat,Rory, spent a lot of time in our bedroom,just to get away from her and that helped.But,Kitty wanted to herd them along with chasing and wanting to get upclose and personal,so, on the suggestion of a close friend(who is also a vet) I bought a gentle leader.Kitty wore it almost all the time for about 2 weeks and it was amazing to see the change!She doesnt chase them anymore,eat their food and everybody is getting along peacefully.She hated that gentle leader and sulked and pouted,but,even today,all I have to do is hold it up and shake it and all is immediately betterThe cats having their own space ,though,made a big difference.>Bethany

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Permalink Reply by Sam on May 10, 2008 at 1:08pm

Cats aren't near as accepting and forgiving to change as most dogs are. She will probably pout for quite some time. Baby gate a room just for her. Have her litter box, food and water there. She will venture out when she feels comfortable.

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Permalink Reply by Charlie on May 11, 2008 at 5:27pm

All three of my cats accepted Charlie coming into our home, but I did introduce them very slowly over a few days to get used to each others' scents before letting them loose together. You should teach Penny not to chase or bark at the kitty while she is still a young pup. Apple should not need to have her own room (much less an entire floor) but she does need to be able to escape any room if she doesn't want to be around Penny. As long as Penny and Apple both trust you to protect them, they should be able to relax and at least be calm with each other in the same room, if not go further and make friends.

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