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Pit with a cat

Last post 04-02-2008, 4:42 PM by teddyr_mum. 4 replies.
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Pit with a cat
02-12-2008, 2:26 AM 2229

Hi there!  I recently got a 9-10 month old pit bull who I named Domino.  She's a rescue and I don't know much about her background but she's very sweet and doesn't seem to have any aggression issues (even with food).  She's adjusted well and loves our other dog, Jasmine, who's a 6 year old heeler mix.  She has no problem letting Jasmine be the dominant dog.

 What I'm having trouble with is getting her and out cat adjusted to each other.  She's high energy and wants to play way too rough with the cat.  I can tell she's not trying to hurt her but she still could on accident.  Plus the cat doesn't like such crazy play, especially from someone new.

Some advice I got was to keep Domino on leash and have her lay down while the cat is given free reign to wonder around and do as she likes.  If Domino starts to get up I correct her by pulling on her leash and making a distracting noise if necessary.  When Domino's good for a bit she gets a treat.  This works decently well except that the cat (Pixel) doesn't want to come out when she sees Domino so it just kind of turns into a staring match.  It makes for slow going.

So, does anyone have any extra advice to help with this?  Or should I just keep at it and wait to see if the cat ever makes a move?

Until this is taken care of the cat's got her own dog-free room so that Domino can't chase her when we're not doing this training.  When Pixel smells Domino through the door she's hisses which makes Domino bark.  I don't think that's helping matters.

Re: Pit with a cat
03-31-2008, 7:19 PM 2323 in reply to 2229

By K9soCal Top 25 Contributor

I reccomend keeping the cat safe from harm by keeping them separate forever!

Just my 2 cents worth


K9 Trainer in SoCal
Re: Pit with a cat
04-02-2008, 4:42 PM 2328 in reply to 2229

lispixheabra, i think you're starting off on the right foot. giving treats, having the cat acclimate on its own time, etc. however, it can take a really long time for the animals to get used to and respect each other. definitely keep the cat in a safe place away from the dog when you are not available to supervise. 

 here is an article on this site that may help: http://dogpublic.com/articles/article.aspx?t=dogs101&sid=14&pid=918

i don't think keeping them apart indefinitely/forever is a good solution. you and the animals can't live that way! the hissing is normal. the cat just needs to be assured that the dog won't harm it. anyway, if they can't play together, the next best scenario is that they just tolerate each other and ignore each other's existence. you do have to be careful with pits (if it's a pit terrier) as they tend to have a high prey drive, but domino is at a young enough age to be trained to live with a cat.

good luck!

Re: Pit with a cat
04-02-2008, 4:42 PM 2329 in reply to 2229

lispixheabra, i think you're starting off on the right foot. giving treats, having the cat acclimate on its own time, etc. however, it can take a really long time for the animals to get used to and respect each other. definitely keep the cat in a safe place away from the dog when you are not available to supervise. 

 here is an article on this site that may help: http://dogpublic.com/articles/article.aspx?t=dogs101&sid=14&pid=918

i don't think keeping them apart indefinitely/forever is a good solution. you and the animals can't live that way! the hissing is normal. the cat just needs to be assured that the dog won't harm it. anyway, if they can't play together, the next best scenario is that they just tolerate each other and ignore each other's existence. you do have to be careful with pits (if it's a pit terrier) as they tend to have a high prey drive, but domino is at a young enough age to be trained to live with a cat.

good luck!

Re: Pit with a cat
04-02-2008, 4:42 PM 2330 in reply to 2229

lispixheabra, i think you're starting off on the right foot. giving treats, having the cat acclimate on its own time, etc. however, it can take a really long time for the animals to get used to and respect each other. definitely keep the cat in a safe place away from the dog when you are not available to supervise. 

 here is an article on this site that may help: http://dogpublic.com/articles/article.aspx?t=dogs101&sid=14&pid=918

i don't think keeping them apart indefinitely/forever is a good solution. you and the animals can't live that way! the hissing is normal. the cat just needs to be assured that the dog won't harm it. anyway, if they can't play together, the next best scenario is that they just tolerate each other and ignore each other's existence. you do have to be careful with pits (if it's a pit terrier) as they tend to have a high prey drive, but domino is at a young enough age to be trained to live with a cat.

good luck!

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