Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog training - dog behavior > Cat behavior forum - cat training

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old March 1st, 2021, 01:46 PM
aubreyme aubreyme is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 2
How to stop cat stalking dog

I currently have a 1-year-old female cat. A couple weeks ago I moved into my boyfriend's house and brought my cat with me. He has a 1-year-old Golden Retriever, she is very energetic and friendly. As you can probably guess, they haven't been getting along thus far.
The problem began yesterday. I'm currently working from home and as such I've had a lot of time to work on getting them acclimated with each other. I let the cat free roam the downstairs and keep the dog with me in the room while I work. The only time they see each other is when I/my bf is present and we do not allow the dog to initiate contact. The cat usually maintains her distance or hides when the dog is out but lately she has started to openly stalk her in a very serious way. We have never allowed it to escalate past this but I'm worried it could turn into something more serious if I don't take preventative measures.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old March 1st, 2021, 06:10 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
Welcome to the board, aubreyme!

How does the golden retriever react to the cat? Is this the first time she has been around cats?
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old March 2nd, 2021, 04:19 PM
aubreyme aubreyme is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 2
Thank you! It's the golden's first time being around a cat, but she doesn't mind her at all. Most of the time the dog ignores the cat completely. Sometimes she will become fixated on the cat and lunge toward her to initiate play but I always stop and correct her when this happens. The stalking happens when the dog is ignoring the cat.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old March 3rd, 2021, 08:43 AM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
When they're allowed to interact, does the dog want to sniff? chase? lie down and ignore the cat? Does the cat bristle? attack? rub or lick the dog? Does the cat stalk with tail twitching angrily or playfully?

It's so hard to tell what's going on without seeing it. The cat might just be initiating play.

We took in a stray and he (JD) and the dog (Grace) tried so hard to play. She'd play bow and feint to the side and JD would look at her like she was nuts. He'd run up next to her and try to wrestle or nibble at her elbows, and Grace would back away like he was possessed of some demon! So many signals, so little communicatin! But they were both just trying to initiate play.

So, if you can determine if the cat is bored and wants to play, or whether she's decided the dog is a danger, that would go a far way toward figuring out what steps you need to take to keep everyone safe.
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old March 4th, 2021, 11:19 AM
marko's Avatar
marko marko is offline
Administrator - Pet lover
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Montreal Quebec Canada
Posts: 12,651
Now granted I'm not seeing this...but the cat stalking the dog, that's kind of how cats play with each other sometimes.
Like HRP said, it might just be an attempt at play.

(Serious cat aggression signs usually include a siren noise, hackles on the back fur standing way up...and the cat not backing down)

Given the size difference, I'm not sure the potential for something terrible is huge. It's kind of like if the dog was stalking a horse...

Seems to me that you are keeping a keen eye, and I recommend that you CONTINUE because you are not sure yet.

I might try to do a test and see what happens when you are ready....
It's possible the cat will try to pounce on the dog (though it's super rare in my experience) - but this might end in play versus disaster. USUALLY the disaster (if it were to happen) would go the other way, where a large dog could harm the cat. Again that does not at all sound like what's happening here.

That said -be ready with your LOUD voice to yell at them - A pair of winter gloves as an extra precaution in case you need to separate them (and prevent bites) might make you more at ease...

But If i were in your situation...I would not blindly discourage them from building a relationship...they could end up being buddies.
LOTS of cats and dogs are buddies. Many cats will avoid dogs if they fear the dog...that's not the case here.
Seems unlikely to me that the cat's goal is to harm the dog. Goldens are gentle in general. If it got out of hand I think the dog would put the cat in its place.

Love to hear an update - hope that may help
__________________
Please tactfully EDUCATE or IGNORE posters you don't agree with.
Please PM me & Include URLs and post #'s for any issues and it's my pleasure to help.
I'm firm - but fair. Mind the Rules and enjoy your stay.
Newcomers FAQ - How do I post on this BB?
Pet facebook group
Check out the Pet podcast
Follow me on Twitter
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
cat, cat behavior, cats and dogs

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:46 AM.