Here kitty kitty

[uxhamby]

Hi,

Any pointers on how to entice our two cats to rejoin the family 2 1/2 years after the dog joined us? They are 10 and 12 respectively, both female one being spayed.

We allow the dog on the main floor only. The cats used to have the whole house to roam around and would go outside during the day and come in at supper time. Since the dog joined the family, the cats have elected to stay upstairs out of her way and haven't been outside much at all. We accommodate/enable this by providing kitty feeding and toilet needs up stairs.

The dog and the cats meet on the stairs from time to time as a sort of neutral ground and appear to be at least civil to one another. The dog has other, albeit younger, kitty friends that she gets on with quite well and she doesn't lunge at these two. She is really quite well behaved about it and proceeds slowly towards them as we tell her to do.

Lately one cat has got wise to when the coast is clear and will come down if the dog is out of or away from the house. The other is a total princess and won't come down unless the coast has been clear for a long long time and only if coaxed.

The cats would obviously like to come down. The more daring of the two the other day mistook silence downstairs to mean that the dog was out and so came down to see us, when in fact the dog was sound asleep after a lot of exercise. Kitty did a quick U turn when she realized, even though the dog was completely out of it and not likely to rouse.

How can we entice and encourage them to rejoin us? Kitty Valium?

Thanks,

Brian H.

[tkeizer]

My only advice would be to let your cats decide on their own time -- they will rejoin when they are comfortable to do so. We introduced our first dog to our cat when she was 14 years old. Like your cats, my cat became the queen of the upstairs of the house and very rarely ventured downstairs unless she knew the dog was not there. After a few years, yes, I said a "few" years, she started to get comfortable and would venture downstairs but would keep a very watchful eye on where "it" was. Then, we went and introduced a puppy into the house and back upstairs she went. There she stayed until we recently moved. The house we moved into is only one level, so there is no upstairs for her to go, and she quickly realized this. She is now 17-years old and has decided she is not going to let two dogs tell her where she can go anymore ... she now practically runs the house. She comes and goes where she pleases and the other two just better watch out and not get in her way. It is now almost opposite, where I have to protect my dogs now and not my cat -- she has been known to guard doorways and their waterbowl because she knows they won't walk past her or dare get a drink if she's anywhere near their water. So, again, give them time - they'll come out of their shell eventually ... maybe too much so!

[spartygirl]

My female cat stayed glued to my bed for months after I got my dog. She was terrified of him even though he ignores her. I let her come out on her own time, but when she did come out, I praised her and gave her positive attention (like treats or brushing, which she loves) in front of the dog so she would associate the dog's presence with good things happening to her. She has slowly gotten to where she tolerates him, but she still keeps several feet away. She watches him like a hawk from the safety of the bed or sofa.

[Sams Mom]

Is there a place that the cats like to chin rub? Try rubbing the dog on the place they like to rub. Worked for our Little Cat, but then she also had Shadow's example to follow. Shadow held her ground.