Calling all cat experts ...

[Jessica]

I have a beautiful 2-year-old female cat, Allie. Since she was a kitten, it's always been just the two of us girls in an apartment - until 2 weeks ago when I moved into a house with my boyfriend and .... HIS DOG. Okay - the dog completely ignores Allie, but she is in total kitty meltdown. She barely eats or sleeps - and when she does sleep, she curls up in her litter box! Gross! I don't know what to do - she's just totally freaked out by the dog's presence. Anyone have any advice?? I'm really worried about her...

[Eurobabe]

1. Jess honey, you need to come over here and ask...

You'll get more feedback...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=243

[Jessica]

3. Thank You.

Didn't know that was there ... :)

[Sabriel]

2. Keep her separate, in a different room

Let her sniff the dog under the door for a week to get used to his smell. Maybe the transition was too abrupt for her?

You could also try "Calling All Pets," which features a zoologist/animal behaviorist who answers questions just like this one. It's on NPR Saturday mornings:

http://www.wpr.org/pets/

[ET Awful]

4. Make sure and give Allie a place where she can hide that the dog has NO

access to. She may be hiding in the litterbox because it's the only place she can feel safe from the dog. Do the same for her food, etc. Give her a space of her own where she can feel safe.

Spend as much time as possible with her without the dog around, and let her come out on her own terms. If she really wants out, she'll let you know. Just let her be solitary until then.

She can smell the dog under the door, etc. and get used to it.

Poor little girl :(.

[Jessica]

6. Thanks everyone.

I was thinking about buying one of those little cat house things - where they can either lay on top of it or inside on a pillow. Just so she can have her own space. Do they prescribe kitty paxil?? ;-)

[WestHoustonDem]

10. I used to have to give my dog doggie-valium

because he freaked out during thunderstorms. Check with your vet.

[serryjw]

14. Perfect answer.........

can't add anything except.....Is the dog friendly or is he TRYING to intimadate the kitty?

[roseBudd]

5. Cats must eat or they CAN develop a fatal liver disorder

called Hepatic Lipidosis. Stress is a big percursor to HL. I would definitely have her checked out by a vet. You may need to assist feed her.

[WestHoustonDem]

7. My oldest cat is named Allie too!

I know that doesn't help much. I think the advice to keep her in a separate room for a while is a good one.

[burn the bush]

8. give her a little time

u just moved into a new house. That makes cats freak out for a while anyway, Then having this dog in the house is just freaking her out. She will relax as she realizes that this is her new home and not a visit, and that the dog is not so bad after all. Give her time.

[NV Whino]

9. Dump the dog. n/t

[Lorien]

11. Two suggestions

1.) get the book "clicker training for cats" at www.clickertraining.com you can clicker train both the dog and the cat (I recommend a squeaker instead of a clicker for one of the animals-less confusion that way) to accept one another. I did it with all three of my cats, and they just adore each other now.

2.) Cats can go through severe depressions (some even starve themselves to death). Consider asking your vet for a prescription for Prozac for your cat. Yeah, I know it sounds absurd, but one of my cats was on a medication two years ago that had depression as a side effect. He hid in the corner and cried, wouldn't eat or drink-it was awful! The vet tried everything else, but eventually gave him Prozac in liquid form. It worked brilliantly; he was up and eating again, and was much more relaxed and playful in general. If she doesn't come around with the training, try the Prozac.

On edit: I also agree with ETAwful's recommendations in post #4.

[Jessica]

12. He cried?? That's such a sad picture!

She ate some today - It seems like she'll only eat if I'm in the room. So, I've been sitting next to her on the floor while she eats a few bites. I think she'll come around, but if not soon - I'll definitely take her to the vet.

[Lorien]

17. It was heartbreaking!

I had raised him from a two day old kitten, and at age 15, "mom" just couldn't comfort him out of his deep blue funk. I tried Feliway, Pet-ezz, Rescue Remedy-nothing worked! Prozac never worked for two of my friends who had taken it, so I was doubtful that it would work for my kitty- but it did!

[Lady Sonelle]

19. Feed Her Up High!

Once she learsn that Poochie doesn't climb, she'll enjoy being up where he can't get at her.

Cats instinctively climb up when in danger. If you can feed her on a table, a shelf or the counter, she will be calmer.

Eventually, she may even take to teasing the dog from her perch!

When I had My Golden Retriever guide dog, there was a wise old calico cat in the neighbourhood who used to just sit on the high board fence rail with just the *tip* of her tail down over the edge... she was exactly high enough that a jumping dog could not reach her, save for that maddening TAIL... which she would calmly tuck up as the dog lunged!

She never hissed or fluffed or showed the slightest acknowledgement that "foaming toothy Death" was Dervishing about below her! When the dog would calm down, she would daintily lower that damned tail and detonate the hound yet again!

By the waym, all this occurred when My dog was OUT of harness and being a normal canine! The instant I fastened the harness about her body, she became The Perfect Dog and the cat was no longer an issue! Cat? What cat? My dog knew the difference between work and play!

Lady Sonelle

[miss_kitty]

13. try baby food to get her to eat

lamb is the least upsetting. also warm it a bit. put a little on your finger and see if she eats it. If she doesn't, touch a little of it on her nose, so she has to lick it of. That can stimulate taste interest.

Good Luck. I hope it all works out.

[MidwestMomma]

15. As you probably know, cats are very territorial

I have 2 cats and they each have definite territories in the house and all is well as long as one does not invade the others territory.

I would guess your cat is feeling disorientated as she needs to establish her territory in the new place and has not been able to do so because of her fear of the dog. She's probably sleeping in her litter because that is the only territory she's been able to establish as her own.

What I would suggest, if possible, is to confine the dog instead of the cat. Put the dog in his kennel or in a bedroom when you are at home and let the cat explore the house at her leisure. It may take a few days for her to come out of the room she's in, but eventually she will realize the dog is confined and she can roam at will.

I think that this way, she can discover all the hidey-holes and out of reach places that she feels she can be secure in so she can share your space with the dog.

Good luck and hang in there. It's hard to figure out what a cat wants sometimes. But they sure do let you know when they are unhappy.

[Maine-ah]

16. cats and dogs

well, I had pretty good luck with mine. when my husband and I moved in together I had two cats, and he had one dog. we just tossed them together, the cats held their own and the dog left them alone. about a year later we got a puppy. this is now about seven years ago. still have the same cats and dogs, and they'll cuddle with eachother now. once and a while we'll have some small fights but usually it's no big deal. the worst was when we moved I couldn't get one of my cats to come out from under the bed. we just left him alone, and he eventually came out. just give it some time, they'll work it out. keep feeding him in his own room, my cats still have their own room with food and litter box. by the way, our choco lab is named Allie. Good Luck !

[Lady Sonelle]

18. She needs familiarity!

Look at it from her point of view: She's been uprooted from her familiar apartment and plunked into this place which has a dog already in residence. EVERYTHING smells of him, nothing is her own, any more except for her litter pan.

She curls up in it because it's the only thing she has from "the old place" that's truly hers.

First off, if you have furniture or clothing from the former apartment, with the familiar smells. you should make a familiar spot in a room with her litter pan nearby. "There, you see, Kitty, here's the chair you remember, and your box and your bed." and let her stay where it smells like "home" to her. Give her a covered cat bed with your T-shirt worn once or twice and not washed, folded into it. Feed her in her familiar place, up off the floor if you can manage, and she will feel a bit safer.

Cats do not immediately know all about dogs as we do. If Kitty is not familiar with dogs, she may not *know* yet, that dogs cannot climb. Buy a tall scratcher/cat roost that is hers. If she wants to hide all day, let her. She will begin to adjust as soon as she feels it is safer than it is now. Cats are naturally curious and explorative... but she is overwhelmed, just now.

Once she begins to look about and explore, make "kitty places" such as a wide windowsill or a perch to fit on same, a covered bed, the tall scratcher or cat tree. If the dog is larger than she, consider having one door on a guard chain that will open only so far, to admit the cat but not the dog... and she will have safe "dog=proof" areas to go to. Even if the dog doesn't chase or bother her, she needs the psychological comfort such safe spots ensure. Also, when you feed her, always do so on the kitchen counter or a high table. Catfood is much tastier and more aromaric than dog food and dogs *will* eat it... and also snack on the "power bars" in Kitty's box!

Eventually, she will come around. If this is her first move, understandably her entire life, world, have been shaken to the very core. She'll come around.

Lady Sonelle