|
Welcome to the YorkieTalk.com Forums Community - the community for Yorkshire Terriers. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. You will be able to chat with over 35,000 YorkieTalk members, read over 2,000,000 posted discussions, and view more than 15,000 Yorkie photos in the YorkieTalk Photo Gallery after you register. We would love to have you as a member! Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today! If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please click here to contact us. |
|
| LinkBack | Thread Tools |
09-15-2008, 07:56 PM | #1 |
Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New York
Posts: 185
| New Yorkie Mom Needs Help With Cat and X-Pen The great and exciting news is that after a long search, I have found the little Yorkie of my dreams. She joined the family over the weekend. Becca is a 9 1/2 month, 2.75# bundle of energy who loves sitting on laps and giving kisses. She's working very hard to win over her 12-year-old Maltese sister Emma. It's happening. Unfortunately, Becca isn't equally fond of her 3-year-old Ragdoll cat brother. The feeling is mutual. She barks and growls at him. He's terrified of her. He's been hiding, sad and frightened since she came home. I've actually heard him hiss and growl for the first time since I got him at 3 months of age. I live in a large enough apartment so that they each have their own space. Fletcher is doing his best to avoid her. She tries to seek him out every chance she gets. She has a x-pen but barks at the top of her lungs whenever she is put in it. I know I shouldn't give in and take her out as soon as she starts but I live in an apartment building with neighbors who will get very unhappy, very quickly, at a constantly barking dog. It's almost midnight as I write this. Becca is falling asleep on my lap because she screams every time I put her in the x-pen. Fletcher tried to come near my bedroon but just sulked off to the other side of the house. I want so desparately to make this work. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! Lizzie- Last edited by lizzie1955; 09-15-2008 at 07:58 PM. Reason: typo |
Welcome Guest! | |
09-16-2008, 12:33 AM | #2 |
No Longer a Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Savage Garden
Posts: 1,147
| You're describing my situation exactly as far as the relationship between my cat and yorkie puppy went a couple of months ago. My cat joined the family when she was about 10 weeks old and was introduced to my adult shihtzu almost immediately. That took all of a day for them to get used to each other. Of course, my late shihtzu was eager to make new friends and never barked at her, and there wasn't any amount of hissing or growling on the kitten's part. We let the kitten approach the shihtzu and not the other way around throughout the first night confined in my bedroom so that we may supervise their interaction at all times and they'd also be forced to be in each other's presence to give it a chance. Forward to 8 years later. Shihtzu is no longer with us. We bring in the 4.5 month old yorkie. Packed them both up the next morning and took them both to "neutral territory" which was my parent's place to introduce them. Okay, my cat's been there before so she still remembers the family and the house, but she doesn't see it as "her" place at least. Not sure if that made a difference because for the next few days, she was miserable and I was nearing tears thinking it won't ever work out. My cat was acting exactly like your ragdoll boy. She NEVER hissed at mommy (or anything except my brother's cat for that matter) and NEVER heard her growl before. She'd go into hiding to the point that for two mornings, we thought she had jumped out the 2nd story window and ran away! She's been a 100% indoor cat. Of course, we found her 1st hideout eventually... then her 2nd, etc. I still remember the night I took her to a different room separate from where the puppy was at. Carried her in my lap which she normally LOVES but all she did was keep growling non-stop the entire 10 minutes I sat there soothing her and loving on her. That really broke my heart. At the same time, I couldn't help but think how CUTE she sounded as I've seriously never had her do anything other than make little squeeks resembling "riaow" to get her point across. She still refused to come to bed with us (where the puppy's been sleeping as well) when that's all she ever wanted to do since we've trained her NOT to lay in mommy & daddy's bed 1.5 yrs ago. Day 4 - Progress! They finally met nose to nose! Once she let that happen, the puppy stopped barking at her and was super happy just to sniff (later evolved into excessive kisses on the face until she has to get bopped on her head by the cat to just stop already ). Day 6 - Our cat finally joins us on the bed! Sure, it's the opposite side from where the puppy slept but progress! Puppy doesn't try to pounce her since the cat's been tolerating their close proximities whenever they're both hanging within a few feet from mommy & daddy. Day 7 - Cat takes interest in puppy feeding time and tries to get some of the good stuff too... already started drinking out of the puppy's water bowl. Day 8 - Cat starts taking interest in the hard pet carrier and even went so far as to sleep in there while puppy just sniffs around all nervous and shy-like, wanting to play while cat's ignoring her. The cat starts a "hide-and-go-seek" game with the yorkie, but alas, that doesn't seem to be her forte... I question my precious yorkie's eyesight and attention span LOL. Fast forward a couple of months - Yorkie's now a little over 7 months old. They now play chase whenever the cat feels like it, and that doesn't last long usually and ends with my cat sitting there with one arm curved around the back of Pichu's neck to hold her down since she won't stop hopping up to lick the cat's face. When that doesn't work, she takes a gentle nip (no puncture, no marks whatsoever) of Pichu's ear. Pichu yelps and stops long enough for the cat to dash away while Pichu wants to resume the play. So anyway, I remember reading on here how it took the person about 4 days for the cat to be okay with the new family member too. So I think that might be the magic number when you might start seeing changes! 4-7 days for peace of mind and a happily ever after household. I feel for you! Good luck! Edited to add: What will happen is, your cat will learn to either ignore the new family member, tolerate her, or love her. Either way, he shouldn't be staying miserable forever~! They learn to live on higher ground where the pup can't reach. Last edited by Miao; 09-16-2008 at 12:38 AM. Reason: forgot to add the last bit |
09-16-2008, 03:57 AM | #3 |
Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New York
Posts: 185
| Thank you Miao. That helps. Last night, was particularly bad. There are 9 rooms in this apartment. I had Becca locked in my bedroom with me. She barked if I put her in the x-pen. Fletcher kept crying outside my door. All he wanted was to come in. He always sleeps on my bed!. (The last two nights he stayed hidden.) So, in he came. She was on the bed. The minute she saw him she started to bark and bark. I couldn't let go of her because I was afarid she run after him and fall off the bed... Since the x-pen was out of the question, I tried "crating" her in a big dog stroller and put it next to my bed. She still barked... Fletcher finally moved to another room and we got some sleep... He was back this morning so was the barking. The good news is that he is out and about more. He obviously must feel a bit more confident. The bad news is that Becca barks at him constantly. I am so tired. |
09-16-2008, 10:26 AM | #4 |
No Longer a Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Savage Garden
Posts: 1,147
| I can see how it becomes more difficult if you have an easily excitable barker. I just feel blessed with mine. We're still working on her socializing/barking on walks at other dogs she doesn't get to sniff at. It definitely becomes a bigger problem when living in a place where you have to share your walls and possible hear complaints from your neighbours. I hope someone can help you with teaching the "no bark" or "hush" or "shush" command to your pup. It is a bit more of a worry too since you have a smaller girl but otherwise, I'd just let them "duke it out" on the floor before worrying about their behaviour towards each other on the bed. The puppy probably is barking out of fear and thinks it's safe high up on the bed so she keeps going at it. It's usually best to let the cat establish his alpha position above the yorkie and it doesn't usually get "violent" but to everything there are probably exceptions. I wish I can be of better help other than to say that time will work things out between the two of them... only in your situation, you will get a lot of barking along the way. |
09-16-2008, 08:32 PM | #5 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: KS
Posts: 3,289
| My dh has to go to bed early so I don't want barking doggies either. I use a soda pop bottle with a few pennies in it and shake it when there is undesirable behavior. Brings instant results with my boys. Our kitty, Missy Cat, wanted to kill Chipper when we first got him. We went on a short vacation and she got so lonesome that she decided it was more fun to play with him than try to kill him. Now the two boys and Missy Cat are best of friends and love to roll around on the floor together. That is unless the senior girls are around and get upset with the ruckus and interfere.
__________________ Joanne Eli ChipperEva Snowboy Rosie(R.I.P. 1996-July 29, 2013) Cocoa(R.I.P 1998-April 26, 2012): |
09-18-2008, 07:44 AM | #6 |
Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New York
Posts: 185
| Things Are Getting Much Better, Quickly... Good news! Things are getting better very fast... Fletcher is out and about, getting back to normal. Becca has stopped barking at him. They are starting to be more curious about each other, than angry or afraid. In fact, every time I turn around, they are together. Dare I say, they may end up friends? --Lizzie |
09-19-2008, 11:24 AM | #7 |
No Longer a Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Savage Garden
Posts: 1,147
| That is wonderful news! I know how happy and relievd you must be feeling! |
Bookmarks |
|
|
| |
|
|
SHOP NOW: Amazon :: eBay :: Buy.com :: Newegg :: PetStore :: Petco :: PetSmart