Question:
I have a cat and a dog, and the dog always chases the cat. We’ve heard all these things about the cat “taking a swipe at the dog,” but our cat seems to be too afraid to do anything. My mom wants to give the cat to her friend because she (the cat) is too afraid of the dog to even come in the living room, but I was wondering if there’s anything we can do to make the cat less afraid of the dog, and teach the dog not to chase the cat?
Pearl, via e-mail.
Answer:
Most often cats of the house are in charge. I know my Golden Retriever is terrified of my cat Scooter, so this is not a problem. Your cat, however, is obviously frightened of the dog so you definitely need to step in.
The cat needs to feel secure in her home, so give her a cubby or hidey-hole somewhere up high that she can get away to relax. You need to give them separate parts of the house or keep the dog out and cat in. The dog should be on a lead whenever around the cat and needs training to break this chasing habit. Teach the dog to sit and reward with food treats for behaving calmly. He needs to associate calm behaviour with good things, and being sin-binned or having privileges taken away when he reacts to the cat. You can try squirting with water or making a loud noise but this is likely to scare the cat, so he needs to be under control on a lead.
You will probably need the help of a trainer or behaviourist. Slowly you can desensitize the dog not to react to the cat. It will take time and patience (and consistency) on your part and if you can’t manage this, the cat may have a happier life living elsewhere!
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