Thinking of adding a feline to the family

[chiwolvesfan]

So the hubby and I have been thinking of adding a feline to the family. We curently have two rescued "pups": a 7-yr-old newf-mix and a 3-yr-old newf. Both have had minimal exposure to cats, mostly just when we bring them along Christmas Day when we spend the day at my in-laws.

We are not against rescuing an adult cat, but how do you know if they'll get along? Is it best to get a kitten? I've never had a cat or kitten, and both my husband and I work. It's not like you can crate a kitten or a cat. How can I be sure he/she will be safe while we are gone? Would it be fair to just seclude the cat to a single room while we are gone?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[R Taft]

We had our cat on a small enclosed (screened) verandah 12'x12'. Zacky was an adult newf when we got him and Tessa a pup. The cat was a kitten. We kept our cat indoors/verandah, because we have so much birdlife. he was accidentally run-over the only time he got out. And even though we loved him whilst we had him we did not get another.
we still have the cat door in the back verandah door and Katy often puts her head through it. She used to fit through it :lol: Can't figure out why she can't now

 

[Tug]

All hail the kitty door! I have one in my bedroom, escape from licker abuse & haven, and in the office, Poop & dining room :lol:
I think it's a decision you have to make based on your knowledge of your dogs. The cats will adapt. I am firmly entrenched in the "ADOPT AN ADULT RESCUE" camp, but in this case you'd probably do better with a kitten; trigger the nurturing instinct.

 

[lacey9875]

I got my male when he was 16 weeks old, and my lab was 8. She was a firm believer in chasing anything in her yard. He would wait until she was asleep ( he's not stupid ) and then launch an all out attack. She never went after him, and he gave her plenty of reason to, except the one time he got out. She didn't even acknowledge the two girls when they came along and Mallory was 9 months and Bethany was only 8-9weeks ( I think ).

I think it depends on how they behave around smaller animals. I personally would get an adult and a kitten, that way you have both covered, and when you walk back into Petsmart during their adoption event, you won't leave with another one. I speak from experience, lol!

Kitty doors are awesome, by the way. It gives them a space to relax in, and prevents you from getting kitty poo tainted kisses!

 

[Bailey Boy]

You can try a cat rescue in your area, they usually have a good idea which cats are dog smart. Also they might be able to test your dog/s to ensure the safety of the cat/kitten which ever you choose.

Local animal shelters are a good about safely testing dogs with cats, the method is taking the dog through the cat area if the dog responds to enthusiastically then it won't be a good match.

Bailey has a high prey drive he has caught several rabbits in our yard and reacts when he sees a cat outside, although he hasn't hurt his two feline brothers he has chased them at times. We have a spare room used for an office/cats room with a baby gate up so the cats have a safe place to go without worrying about the dogs.

 

[new_2_newf]

I would agree that you need to judge the temperament of your dogs with small animals. You know your dogs. If you think your dogs would be ok with a cat, then you should adopt either an older cat that knows about dogs, or a kitten that won't get so rattled....older cats tend to act out when put into new stressful situations like that. My old girl used to use anything that smelled like me to poop and pee on when she was unhappy with life, regardless how diligent I was about cleaning her litter.

No, it is not 'wrong' or 'bad' to put the cat into a separate room while you are away, although if you only had one cat, they might get lonely. If you got two or more, go for it. Give them litter, food, toys, beds, etc, and close the door. They will be just fine.

I also wouldn't worry about the cat and dogs working out the dynamics. The cat will rule in most cases, unless you have one of the dogs 'adopt' a kitten, or a really alpha dog (in which case, get a kitten or prepare for WWIII).

If you have managed to train two newfs, training a cat will be easy.

1) they want to use litter, it is natural for them to scratch once they can feel the need to go on their own (like a dog, the mum stimulates their bowel movements when they are very small)

2) Like a dog, they will get into everything and go through teething stages as kittens. Unlike a dog, they won't likely chew through your leather shoes and underpants that are in the hamper. get some tantalizing toys with some cat nip, and you'll be good. They will investigate everything...no plant is safe. not even hanging ones, kittens are like flying squirrels. get rid of poisonous ones.

3)My Trina liked to chew wires as a kitten. I ended up covering them in cheep chap stick (go figure, she liked the bitter lime stuff, chap stick makes her freak and act like she's got a tick)

4)My cats are corrected from bad behavior with a sharp clap from my hands, or a squirt from a water bottle...Trina adapted to the water, so she got vinegar for a while..now just a shake of the bottle and she stops. Lulu responds to hands...she has yet to be squirted (she's only 15 wks)

5) either declaw your cat or learn the art of trimming nails. It isn't hard usually. neither of my current cats are declawed and my furniture has survived. Invest in a maraud of scratching items. I have a wood post, carpet 'tree', and a post wrapped in twine....they use all 3 regularly and leave my furniture alone. Trina was easy to train, again this is natural for them. I just took her over and massaged her paws against the post and she took too it, was told she was a good girl and got treats. Same with Lulu, but she has her sister to imitate. they get sprayed if caught in the act of scratching a bad spot, then taken over to the right spot and I do the massage thing.

I've rescued my old girl Gabby at 11, my she-devil Trina at 6mos, and my baby girl LuLu at 12 wks. Both Lulu and Trina are affectionate, Trina is fine with dogs as long as they play with her and don't upset the kitten too much, Lulu still walks sideways around most dogs and pitches a fit, but she is getting better (don't stress about poofy tails, hissing, arched backs, and batting...that doesn't harm anyone...the dogs may get 'tuned' until rolls are established, then it will calm down). Gabby was fine with dogs as long as they left her alone, otherwise they got tuned...she was the boss. Trina went wacko on my friends pug mix that tried to mouth Lulu a few weeks ago...ripped out a few nails and sent Jessie running for the hills. No one messes with her baby girl I guess, she's a momma cat now. However, no one was seriously hurt and Jessie gives both cats space now...no more mouthing the itteh bitteh kitteh, momma cat knows where the gonads are!

 

[FNR622]

We adopted two rescued feral kittens (both black) about a year ago. We had watched Leo and Ursa with other animals at the park and on walks and they were always incredibly gentle with the smaller ones. It has worked out very well. Leo loves "his" cats and is very kind and gentle around them. Ursa (our alpha!) is also gentle with them, but does enjoy a round of cat-herding when the opportunity presents itself! Didn't take the cats long to figure out that Ursa can't climb on the top of tables as quickly as they can.

The cats are both kept inside, and since Leo and Ursa are crated when we are not at home we have had no issues occur when the gang is not under our direct supervision. We also have had no problems with the dogs getting into the litter boxes, although we know of others who have had to go to extreme lengths to keep their way-too-smart newfs out of the litter box!

Good luck with whatever decision you make!

 

[Diana]

We adopted our kitty from an animal rescue group, she was an adult but was said to be good with dogs. SHe is fine with dogs but we are now having a heck of a time with Riley chasing her – when she’s just lying on my lap he just likes to sniff her and lick her ears but when she moves – he takes off like a rocket. She has her own room and we leave the door open but baby-gated off so she can easily jump the gate but the dogs can’t get to her food and of course, the ever delectable litter box.

 

[BoundlessNewfs]

We have always had cats and dogs together. I find that it's easier to introduce them when one or the other is a baby. When we brought Brenna home as a foster, she was almost 3 years old, about 130 pounds of solid newf...and she thought our 6 cats were big squirrels that she needed to "get".

It took a lot of training (and a couple of episodes of Brenna rearranging the furniture as she bolted after a cat indoors) to break her of that. She will still chase a cat, especially one she can surprise (she loves to see them freak out), but then she wags her tail and comes back saying, "Wasn't that a hoot! Did you see how high that silly cat jumped?"

If you get an adult, make sure it is one that was raised with dogs, or is at least used to them. You don't want it to be terrified of the dogs, but you also want it to be wise enough to put a stripe across a nose that's too in-its-face. Usually one good swipe on a sensitive nose is enough to at least make the dog respect the business end of a cat.

 

[mulenag]

She will still chase a cat, especially one she can surprise (she loves to see them freak out), but then she wags her tail and comes back saying, "Wasn't that a hoot! Did you see how high that silly cat jumped?"

LOL!! I can completely picture that!

We had cats long before dogs came into the picture, so I don't really have anything to offer that hasn't been said above. We've brought in kittens since the dogs have been here, but we've always had cats, so the dogs probably see a new kitten as a set of claws in a smaller package! Claws earn respect! Good luck and please post pics of the new furry addition!!

 

[chiwolvesfan]

Thank you to everyone for the input!! We are still in the "thinking about it" stage. I love the idea of a kitty door put in a room where the cat would be able to "escape" to during the day if the dogs got to be too much. We're probably at least 6 months away from adding another furry one so this gives us some time to make modifications to the house and figure out where the litter box would go, etc.

Thanks!!!!!

 

[2newffamily]

We got our kitten a couple of months after we got our first Newf, Caera, so they have sort of grown up together. Misha came along a couple of years later by which time Miss Kitty and Caera had established their relationship. Misha gets along fine with the Miss Kitty, but they play this "catch me if you can" game where Misha will chase Kitty down the hall toward the basement stairs where she will stop and the two rub noses and everything goes back to normal until the next chase. Kitty's safe haven is the basement. It's a large basement so she has a lot of room to run around and do whatever, plus her litterbox is down there and we feed her down there as well. Our Newfs won't do the basement stairs so Kitty knows that she has a place of refuge when she tires of the cat and mouse (or should I say cat and dog) game. It has worked out really well for us.

 

[dumainedogs]

The presence of three cats in our household was a big factor in our decision to get a Newfy pup rather than an adult from rescue. Obie is fascinated with the cats and torments them to some degree wanting to play chase. But, they all have their bluff in for the most part and they have quickly discovered that all they need to escape his attentions is a space he's too big to fit in.. they're options for THAT are growing daily.

 

[oldehome]

I have both...an adult tabby rescue with one eye & recently a kitten rescue with deformed back legs. I also have 4 large dogs.......for us, notta problem & they all interact very well!
Judge your own dogs and go to a shelter and judge the personalities of the cats & ask the shelter if they have any cats known to enjoy life with dogs.
I find that most kittys adapt well over a few days to a few weeks providing you don't have a known cat eating dog. I've always had both cats & dogs and many of both over the years...no problem!
Always introduce them slowly & there is often a few days of upset with the cat till they adjust.
I LOVE having cats with my dogs!
But you have to be the judge!


kitten Jozey sleeps with ALL the dogs...loves 'em!

Bogie having a good play session with Ella...

PS....my cat hole to the basement if they need a reprieve...