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#1 sat

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Posted 13 July 2006 - 09:53 PM

Let's get back to lighter topics...all you animal lovers out there, give me some advice. We have an almost 12-year-old dog, pretty mild because of her age, and a 4-year-old Miniature Poodle who is very active. We thought about getting another dog for companionship for our Poodle, but my daughters (age 9 and 5), want a kitten. I am up to it, and realize that ultimately I will be responsible for the cat in the end as my kids are pretty young. (No, I won't give them a free ride...I will make them responsible for feeding and changing that darn litter box).

My question is, for owners of both dogs and cats, do they mix? Also, I would like to make the cat an indoor cat only, with the litter box, etc., but a coworker told me that was cruel, depriving the cat of its wandering nature.

Cat lovers (and dog lovers), give me your experience. My husband is on the fence...he is not a cat lover, yet he was not a Poodle lover, and I swear he would die for that dog now.

#2 cw68

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Posted 13 July 2006 - 10:05 PM

QUOTE(sat @ Jul 13 2006, 10:53 PM) View Post

Let's get back to lighter topics...all you animal lovers out there, give me some advice. We have an almost 12-year-old dog, pretty mild because of her age, and a 4-year-old Miniature Poodle who is very active. We thought about getting another dog for companionship for our Poodle, but my daughters (age 9 and 5), want a kitten. I am up to it, and realize that ultimately I will be responsible for the cat in the end as my kids are pretty young. (No, I won't give them a free ride...I will make them responsible for feeding and changing that darn litter box).

My question is, for owners of both dogs and cats, do they mix? Also, I would like to make the cat an indoor cat only, with the litter box, etc., but a coworker told me that was cruel, depriving the cat of its wandering nature.

Cat lovers (and dog lovers), give me your experience. My husband is on the fence...he is not a cat lover, yet he was not a Poodle lover, and I swear he would die for that dog now.

I was a dog fan before I got my cats. A dog would not have been a good choice for an apartment in Chicago. I still like dogs better than cats, but love the cats tremendously. My cats are very dog-like however.

Regarding letting cats out, please don't do it in a city. They are so likely to hit by a car and they poop in the neighbor's yards, which increases their chances of being hurt by mean people who may live around you. Keeping cats indoors requires a little more interaction with them. Buy a laser light they will chase it around for hours -- unless they are old like mine and you get maybe three minutes out of it. Make sure to hide things for them to find, to play with them, give them climbing opportunities and places to scratch. All these things will make you all happier.

I've never had a cat and dog together, but the second dog I had came from a home with a cat. They used to sleep next to each other and Kia never understood that all cats didn't like her. Ask CV about it, though. I think I remember an adorable photo of his cat and dog curling up together.

#3 caspertheghost

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 12:56 AM

Or how about a guinea pig? smile.gif They make great pets, squeal for your veggies, fruits. Love hay, pellets, and won't kill beautiful birds outside. Best of all is when they squeal. They are very social. And I know where you could find some! I got like 10 for new homes! wink.gif

As for cats... dogs and cats, well it depends how the dog was raised. Our mini schnauzer, Domino, LOVES to chase the cats *sighs* and annoy the heck out of them!

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Oh-and just look at those faces! wub.gif wub.gif

And they are great photo models. They graze outside, and you can have a joy watching them popcorn (half turn jump in the air- means they ar happy). And it's especially fun watching them fight over veggies! wub.gif
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#4 ngilbert

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 04:57 AM

QUOTE(sat @ Jul 13 2006, 10:53 PM) View Post

Let's get back to lighter topics...all you animal lovers out there, give me some advice. We have an almost 12-year-old dog, pretty mild because of her age, and a 4-year-old Miniature Poodle who is very active. We thought about getting another dog for companionship for our Poodle, but my daughters (age 9 and 5), want a kitten. I am up to it, and realize that ultimately I will be responsible for the cat in the end as my kids are pretty young. (No, I won't give them a free ride...I will make them responsible for feeding and changing that darn litter box).

My question is, for owners of both dogs and cats, do they mix? Also, I would like to make the cat an indoor cat only, with the litter box, etc., but a coworker told me that was cruel, depriving the cat of its wandering nature.

Cat lovers (and dog lovers), give me your experience. My husband is on the fence...he is not a cat lover, yet he was not a Poodle lover, and I swear he would die for that dog now.


Speaking as a dog person who somehow ended up with cats too, it should work out fine. My daughter wanted a kitten, and our dog was nine at the time and kind of winding down. Penny, our dog, was very curious when we brought the Christie kitten home, and as with all kittens, Christie was pretty good about letting Penny know if she was invading her space (sticking her big slobbery nose to close to her box). Cats in general are good about removing themselves from stressful situations anyway. So after a few hissy fits they figured out each others limits and figured out that neither planned to eat the other. Christie kind of adopted Penny as her surrogate mom, and now they're best buds and just hang out and play together and try to groom each other and stuff.

Chrsitie has many dog-like qualities as a result. She'll actually come when called and when Penny does that dog thing where she lies on her back and wiggles around, Christie will do it too.

We were concerned because Penny had always been a cat chaser. But I guess that all along she just wanted to see one up close, and now that she has a cat of her own, she doesn't chase cats any more. Also, their energy levels kind of match anyway since Penny's old and, once mature, cats are pretty low-energy usually with occasional bursts of activity. So if the cat perceives your poodle as kind of a spaz, it may end up spending more time with your mellower 12-year-old-dog, because cats are looking for stress-free companionship more than play buddies. As far as the dogs go, they don't care. Their attitude is just that the pack got bigger, even though the new guy is kind of strange looking and has pointier-paws than usual wink.gif
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#5 bordercolliefan

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 08:51 AM

QUOTE(ngilbert @ Jul 14 2006, 05:57 AM) View Post


We were concerned because Penny had always been a cat chaser. But I guess that all along she just wanted to see one up close, and now that she has a cat of her own, she doesn't chase cats any more.



LOL! I love this comment. I've kind of figured this about my dog, too -- if only she could get to know a cat, she might not feel the need to put it up a tree.

#6 mylo

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 09:11 AM

As a cat lover, please do not let the cat outside. Cities, even as small as ours, are dangerous for cats and what they don't know can hurt them.

Never declaw your cat either, that's just cruel.

Regarding the mixing with dogs, sorry, I'm not a dog person, but it sounds messy smile.gif My advice would be to get a young enough kitten so it can deal with growing up with such beasts. An older cat probably just couldn't hang.

Those little piggies are cute as heck, too!
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#7 FolsomBarb

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 09:13 AM

I have been a cat lover all my life, so I can't speak to the combining of dogs and cats, although I know many people who have that particular pet configuration.

I can, however, also recommend that you make the cat an indoor cat. If they're left out, they get in fights, hit by cars, etc., etc. As a matter of fact, if you adopt a kittie from Folsom Felines, they require you to sign a form that says the cat will be an indoor-only cat, as well as saying you won't de-claw them. They're just so much safer if they're kept indoors. My cat, which we adopted a year and a half ago, is indoors, and she's just not interested in going outside at all, which is fine by me.

I can highly recommend Folsom Felines. The cat you adopt will be spayed/neutered, have all its shots, and the cost is very reasonable. I seem to recall that for a kitten, it was around $90, which in our case was a very good deal because she had to be spayed. I think older kitties are less, probably because most of them have already been spayed. Here's a link to their website. You can find information about when and where they are on the weekends if you want to check them out!
http://www.folsomfelines.org/

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#8 mylo

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 09:25 AM

Do they still do the cat adoptions at the Zoo Sanctuary? I know they were remodeling that area last time I went.
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#9 sat

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 09:51 AM

QUOTE(mylo @ Jul 14 2006, 10:11 AM) View Post

As a cat lover, please do not let the cat outside. Cities, even as small as ours, are dangerous for cats and what they don't know can hurt them.

Never declaw your cat either, that's just cruel.

Regarding the mixing with dogs, sorry, I'm not a dog person, but it sounds messy smile.gif My advice would be to get a young enough kitten so it can deal with growing up with such beasts. An older cat probably just couldn't hang.

Those little piggies are cute as heck, too!



Thanks for the input. I agree that the cat would be an indoor kitty. My dogs are indoors, also, except for the occasional potty trip outside, and for my oldest dog, maybe a quick swim in the pool. I am not looking forward to the litter box, but oh well, we'll put in the laundry room. Any other suggestions? I am very new to this cat thing. I will look into Folsom Felines, as well as SPCA.

Also, I will never declaw the cat, but how do you prevent them from scratching on the furniture. I will buy the necessary toys to try to prevent any scratch on furniture, but any other suggestions?

#10 mylo

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 09:57 AM

Depending on how big your house is, you might want to setup 2 litter boxes. I know 2 is twice the fun as 1, but geez, how many bathrooms do you have for yourself, and you're almost 6 feet tall!


Regarding the scratching, it varies from cat to cat.

Most cats will scratch naturally, it helps keep their claws healthy. Keep a scratching post or two around, and away from your furniture so they don't get confused, and they'll likely rip it to shreds.

Males will scratch/mark for territory. You may want to investigate having a male vs. female with regards to getting along with dogs. A boy kitty might try and own the place, and scratch and spray his way into your house.

Our little girl kitty likes to claw up the top of our couch when she's happy. She also enjoys the scratching posts too.
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#11 ngilbert

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 10:16 AM

QUOTE(sat @ Jul 14 2006, 10:51 AM) View Post


Also, I will never declaw the cat, but how do you prevent them from scratching on the furniture. I will buy the necessary toys to try to prevent any scratch on furniture, but any other suggestions?


They make a good transaparent double-sided tape product you can buy at pet stores that you can put on furniture that prevents the cats from scratching. Of course, it's not practical to tape up every inch of every piece of furniture in your house, but you'll figure out what the cat's favorite places to scratch are real soon and can just do those spots. We've got tape on just one corner of one chair and that's all we've needed (and can probably take it off now that she's lost interest)
"Here's the last toast of the evening: Here's to those who still believe. All the losers will be winners, all the givers will receive. Here's to trouble-free tomorrows, may your sorrows all be small. Here's to the losers: bless them all
Sinatra "Here's to the Losers"

#12 cw68

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 11:11 AM

QUOTE(mylo @ Jul 14 2006, 10:11 AM) View Post

As a cat lover, please do not let the cat outside. Cities, even as small as ours, are dangerous for cats and what they don't know can hurt them.

Never declaw your cat either, that's just cruel.

Regarding the mixing with dogs, sorry, I'm not a dog person, but it sounds messy smile.gif My advice would be to get a young enough kitten so it can deal with growing up with such beasts. An older cat probably just couldn't hang.

Those little piggies are cute as heck, too!

Against all my best intentions, I ended up getting my cats declawed. I know, I know. I tried everything: posts, climbing structures, lots of toys and attention, stimulation, tape, aluminum foil, sprays -- you name it. But they were not only ruining my furniture, but the door frames of the vintage apartment I rented at the time. I talked to my vet about what to do because I knew he was anti-declawing. But he was the one who recommended it.

The cats had had two homes before mine. He asked what I thought was more cruel: taking them from their third home where they had a great life and putting them up for adoption where who knows what would happen, or doing a modified declawing and keep them forever. I choose to keep them in their happy home instead of schlepping them off to be seperated, ignored or worse. Nothing about them changed after the surgery and, eight years later, they are still my happy cats.

#13 kmwandersee

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 03:58 PM

We have both Cats and a Dog. The dog is an outside all the time dog (he gets very excited and seems to forget to hold in the bladder muscles), and our first cat used to be an indoor only cat...now he loves to take 3-5 minute breaks out on the front porch...sometimes, he'll wander about a milimeter off the walk, but never has any curiousity about roaming the yard or our neighborhood. He's great! Recently (within the last 6 months) we brought home another cat about the same age as our first cat...after about 24 hours they were best friends...they groom each other, sleep next to each other...play and fight with each other. The newest cat must have been at one time an outdoor cat, because we fought tooth-n-nail with him for the first few months about him now being an indoor cat.

He has excepted the fact that we are his family, and has adapted our first cats behavior as far as outside goes...he loves to lay on the patio, but now, never leaves our yard.

If we would give into our dogs wishes for him to come inside, he'd try to love the cats to death...we've tried introducing the newer cat to our dog in the backyard...but our dog is just over a year old and too hyper for him. Our first cat and dog have an agreement....you play with me too much, and I'll swat ya...it seems to work for both.

I'm sure as the dog gets older, and he gains control of his bladder...we'll co-mingle them...but that is years to come.

We love animals in general, so we can not say we are dog lovers vs. cat lovers.......we just love them!!!!

As for declawing.....we took care of a declawed cat for two years..he was a stray that lived outside (yep, he survived in the woods outside of placerville). He was 'fully declawed' in his front paws. I've recently heard that instead of taking the claws of now, they cap them with plastic. I'd say that is the better route to go if you are worried about scratching.

Scratching and litter box training.....bring home everything at least a day prior to the kitten/cat's arrival, and figure out where you want everything to go....scratching post, littler box, cat toys and cat treats. We keep cat treats next to the scratching post. Every time our cats scratch the post they get a treat.

When you bring home the kitten/cat, show it the scratching post and put both front paws on the post and make scratching motions...then provide the treat....

If the cat/kitten starts to scratch somewhere else (couch, carpet) gently remove the claws (don't scold) and take the cat/kitten to the scratching post and do the same motion and reward...it won't take too long for it to figure out the method.

Do the same for litter box....show the cat/kitten where it is...and for kittens, place it in the litter (while the litter is clean) show it to scrach the litter as a reminder this is where he is to go potty.....we've never had to struggle for long with either process.

PS...all three animals are male.

#14 mylo

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 04:11 PM

Yes, cats respond a lot better to love and treats than to scolding!
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#15 PersiferWool

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Posted 14 July 2006 - 04:19 PM

I have two cats, 1 long hair red tabby named Mohan (male), who is 3 years old and a short hair torty named Ember (female), who the vet says is approxiamately 1 year. I got Mohan from the pet store when he was 8 weeks and rescued Ember from a locked storage container behind my job. It took Ember almost 4 months to warm up to Mohan. I guess she might have been use to fighting the other feral cats that we have a colony of behind my work. Anyway, the funniest and easiest way to teach a cat how to climb and scratch on the "right" things is using a laser pointer. We bought one of them tall cat trees with several perches on it. We ran the laser pointer up and down the cat tree and up/down he would go. Not only is it hysterical watching them but they learn this is a play toy/a thing to tear up and get great exercise as well. Someone else stated not to let the cat outdoors, I agree and reiterate....Please keep cats indoors. Cats seem to be very prone to catching diseases and wandering into danger. I had a kitten a year ago that was born to a mother that carried the Feline Leukemia virus. No one had any idea because the mother cat had never shown any signs of the disease or illnesses. At 6 months old I took the kitten to the vet to have her fixed and a week later she fell violently ill (vomiting constantly) She was then tested for all the diseases cats can catch and sure enough she was positive for Feline Leukemia, even though she had already been vaccinated. She inevitably died a few days later. Once they have it, nothing will cure it or prevent it...and unfortunately she was born with it. Best thing for a cat is to spay/neuter and keep it inside.
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