Interesting encounter with the neighborhood cat...

[kyancer]

So, I found this so intriguing that I thought I would share and get your thoughts. My lil' guy and I have been working soooo hard for the last two months on being able to go for a walk without him freaking out and barking like a maniac at all the people, other dogs, cats, rabbits, etc, etc. He is doing soooo much better (still a lot of work ahead, but really coming along ). However, the cat has still been a major problem. My kids want a kitty in the worst way, but he freaks out so bad when he sees the neighborhood cat that I didn't think it would be possible. Then today, I took Sebastian out to potty, and there was the cat about 20 feet away sunbathing on the sidewalk. I waited for the inevitable barking to begin, but he was silent . So, I decided to see how close we could get before he started barking. We started walking towards the cat and approached until we were about 5 feet away. Sebastian just stared at the cat and remained very relaxed. He sat down and him and the cat just looked at each other. The cat was very relaxed, and Sebastian was as well. Then we turned around and trotted home. Just yesterday barked and growled really bad at the cat...what do you think made today different? Anybody else have success owning a cat and a Yorkie together? Whose safety would you worry about more, the cat or the Yorkie?

[chachi]

I have a cat and two yorkies. My cat was 12 yr old when I got them so she doesnt have much to do with them. They bark at her sometimes and make her nervous. For the most part they just coexist together. I think it would be different if you got a kitten

[kyancer]

I almost think that I should have gotten a kitten when I got him as a puppy. Now that he is a year old it makes me more nervous. It was nice to see him so relaxed around the cat today though. Wierd, but nice

[cheryl19]

I have 3 cats, 2 of them are 8 & 9 years old, the other cat is about 2. Ivy is 5 years, and I got Ivy about a little over a month ago. I can see that yoshi my 8 year old would like to play with Ivy and I think given time that may happen. I have had a lot of cats and trust me they can take care of themselves. But maybe it's because the cats a bigger then Ivy, my himalayan is almost 20 lbs. Don't worry about getting a cat they can get out of the way when they need to.

[mscat]

It could still work out. However, I would not leave them alone together. Glad things went well with the introduction. they were both calm and curious.

[kyancer]

I had cats growing up. I know they are good at hiding and at jumping high and out of the way when they need to. I wouldn't want to get a cat and have it go after my Yorkie though. I know there would need to be a lot of supervision...not sure I'm up for that. I was still shocked by how he reacted to our neighborhood cat today though. It gave me hope that he will continue to get used to all the sights and sounds we encounter on our walks and not freak out so much.

[DukesMommy]

If the cat was walking around or doing something before that may have been why he barked before and not today, since the cat was just lying there staring back.
My parents had cats when I got Duke, and now that we are back with my parents they still have them now that I have Lucie. It seems to take the cats longer to adjust to the puppies. Duke payed no attention to them, Lucie sees them as wierd looking toys.
The cats here can hold their own and are bigger than Duke was and Lucie is, so I worry a little more for their sake than I do the cats mainly because I don't want to dogs to get scratched.