How do you keep a cat calm?

[Jules]

Hi all

Been AGES since i posted on here

We have got a new canine addition, had her 4 months and she was 7 months when we brought her home.

We are having real problems getting her used to our cats and she just wants to chase and eat them ALL THE TIME!!!

Problem now is when we try to get them close the cats now panic, so how can i approach this keeping the cats calm????

Thanks

[dinahsmum]

You could get a Feliway spray or plug in to send out calming 'waves' for the cats.
Have the cats got a safe bolt hole, where they know they are safe from the dog's attention? A room with a dog/child gate for instance
However, maybe it's the dog who needs to calm down (I know it's easier said than done). Have you thought of clicker training her? Have a look on Dogsey - there's a lot of info there. It's a nice gentle way of training.
Good luck!

[Jules]

Originally Posted by dinahsmum

You could get a Feliway spray or plug in to send out calming 'waves' for the cats.
Have the cats got a safe bolt hole, where they know they are safe from the dog's attention? A room with a dog/child gate for instance
However, maybe it's the dog who needs to calm down (I know it's easier said than done). Have you thought of clicker training her? Have a look on Dogsey - there's a lot of info there. It's a nice gentle way of training.
Good luck!

Thanks, yes they have an escape route and i've bored them all stupid with this on dogsey

Yes the dog DOES need to calm down and trust me we are working very hard on it but the cats dont help the situation by flapping, need a calming effect for them all

[dinahsmum]

I was very rude and forgot to say - Hi, good to see you!

Rescue Remedy in the cats' water? Or rubbed on their ear-tips? Might help. Not much fun, persuading a flappy cat that all is well ..... all those claws.

[angieh]

Hi Jules! There is a product called Relaximax which is herbal and made from Skullcap and Valerian. It is supposed to calm but has no sedative effect. I have not used it, so cannot personally recommend it. I gave information to Elaine about it but don't know if she has given it a try yet for La Diva!.

Relaximax is available from www.healthydirect.com

I'd be interested to know if anyone has used this product and what they think about it.

[Jules]

Thanks guys, we do have some scullcap and valerian which we got for the dog, didnt really make much difference to her but can i use that on the cats too?

Didnt think of that

To Dinahsmum

I didnt think you was rude at all

I tend to go on Dogsey more because the dogs are more of a handfull than the cats but i will def try to come on here more

[Elaine]

One thing that will make the biggest difference of all is for you to keep calm. Animals will always feed off of your energy, so if you are aprehensive and tense then all the animals will be too. Yo0u need to be possitive and remain calm, even if something does kick off.
Can you keep the dog on the lead for a while and get it to sit calmly while the cats remain in the same room?

[Jules]

Originally Posted by Elaine

One thing that will make the biggest difference of all is for you to keep calm. Animals will always feed off of your energy, so if you are aprehensive and tense then all the animals will be too. Yo0u need to be possitive and remain calm, even if something does kick off.
Can you keep the dog on the lead for a while and get it to sit calmly while the cats remain in the same room?

Hi Elaine

The plan is this..... Dog will be muzzled and on a lead, its keeping the cats in the room that is the problem, as we had a bit of a nasty experience one night, where our youngest cat Izzy decided to jump down off the kitchen table, Ruby (the dog) ran towards her, the cat attempted to jump back on the table but missed Ruby caught her in a corner, had her in her mouth, the cat squealed, i managed to drag the dog off and the cat escaped, i then notice blood around Ruby's mouth, panic is not the word

I am now searching the street for a cat i think is bleeding to death somewhere, terrified of what i will find.

Turned out the cat was fine, not a scratch on her and the blood must have been Ruby's.

The cat did come back and still sits on the table but as soon as Ruby gets near for a sniff she will hiss and swipe and get Ruby all worked up, we have another dog but he is fine as we had him from a pup and he grew up with the cats so they dont have a problem with him.

We have 2 other cats which hide out in my daughters room and go out via her window, they wont and havent come out of her room into the rest of the house

Our last resort will be re-homing Ruby which as we are already her 2nd home we REALLY dont want to have to do.

Before Ruby joined us our male cat Busta was best buddies with our male dog Diesel but alas that is no more

[Elaine]

Sorry Jules, that made for quite sad reading. I feel for you.
The thing is, although things like rescue remedy and feliway are very helpful they are not a complete solution and should be used in conjunction with training.
My personal feeling is that its the dog that needs to be trained to stay away from the cats, the dog also needs to become less excitable around them. If you can acheive this by means of some consistant training and reward possitively for calm behaviour, then the cats will come round in their own good time.
I wouldnt want to rehome the dog either and I hope you can find a solution that is beneficial to every one.

[catsmum]

Having used a feliway plug in when we introduced Elsa, a much older cat, to our feline family it did help. It is true though that animals pick up on our energy and behaviours so try to relax too. Have you seen that show "dog whisperer". It is cool so I think your dog needs to learn it's boundaries by following your lead and as you know dogs are pack animals so you have to be in charge here and make the dog learn to stay away from the cat - the cat is the boss the sooner the dog learns this the better the household will be. Good luck.