Adopted a yorkie and I'm concerned that he will injure my cats

[MommytoMiles]

Originally Posted by KazzyK810

First off, Welcome to YT

I'm pretty sure he was just playing, and not trying to "send a message to the cat." That's just how yorkies play. They were bred to be ratters to they like to grab things and shake them (how they'd kill a rat).

I personally don't have any experience with cats, but there are other members here that have both yorkies & cats, so I'm sure a few of them will be able to offer you some advice on your situation.

Yes, Miles shakes all of his toys around like that especially thr stuffed animals.

[TeriLiftandRun]

Originally Posted by GeorgiesMomma

Awe you can handle it it takes patience for sure. We had to socialize Georgie with our 4 year old skin child. Georgie was here first so we had to get him used to our son. We've made it work trust me it's possible

Your neighbor is the crazy one for not having his dog a lead! Georgie gets feisty too! One thing to know is they don't realize their size they have small dog syndrome

Oh, you are right about the neighbor, I saw that little dog running down the street once with no owner in sight as I was pulling in one night. After I parked I walked over to check on the dog and heard the owner calling him or her.

[bondai]

Originally Posted by TeriLiftandRun

I adopted him from a friend who wasn't home enough to take proper care of him. I looked at information on introducing cats and dogs online, and as I work from home, thought it would be okay. Today, I had one of the cats on the back of the couch and Harley (my Yorkie) was barking, jumping and basically going nuts, as I stood in front of him, and calmly told him no.

Then, Harley ran over to this bootie he lays with, grabbed it by the teeth and shook it around really hard, went to the couch to bark at the cat, and back to shaking the bootie again. It looks like he is sending a message to the cat.

I love my animals and am very worried that I made a mistake bringing him home. He isn't fixed yet, will that help? He is 18 months old. Sorry that this post is so disjointed, I am so worried.

Also, are these words showing up as links in my post something normal that happens or do I have a virus now too?

It's normal, it's just the way the forum is set up....I don't know why. Personally having owned cats in the past I would be more worried about the dog.

[Lovetodream88]

Sounds like he just wants the cat to play with him I highly doubt he has thought it through enough to send the cat a "message"

[madyson007]

In my experience it's usually the cat that comes out the victor...if your yorkie plays rough the cat will give him a good swipe and then Yorkie will think twice about being rough. I in general they will co-exist nicely, it just may take awhile.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by TeriLiftandRun

Okay, I did read that playing tug could make the dog think that being aggresive is a good thing and want to stay away from that. In fact, it is this forum that made me think that he would be fine with the cats, until I specifically googled for the possibility of Yorkies being violent with cats and lots of awful stories came up.

. We have been going on long walks, training to 'sit' with little bits of chicken rewards and generally hanging out. He had a mild freakout when I vacuumed and ran into his crate but was fine when I put the vacuum cleaner away.

Believe it or not, I do not own a ball, what other toys do you all suggest that will keep him interested and entertained?

I believe it was dog fancy (I get a lot of dog magazines) that said its a myth that playing tug makes a dog aggressive. We had very calm gentle nice dogs growing up and we always played tug and never had aggression problems I would just worry about pulling to hard and hurting there teeth. Most dogs are afraid of the vacuum so its very normal for them to run to a safe place. Most of what you will find stories of when you google stuff is bad things because people share the bad more then the good. A lot people here like kongs, they also make doggy puzzle toys as well as treat dispensing toys they have to roll around to get the treat out of. Bully bones rock to them busy just make sure whatever treats and bones you buy don't come from china

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by madyson007

In my experience it's usually the cat that comes out the victor...if your yorkie plays rough the cat will give him a good swipe and then Yorkie will think twice about being rough. I in general they will co-exist nicely, it just may take awhile.

Yes this is what I was thinking. I would think the cat would have it all over the Yorkie.

[Sandysbabies]

I have never had cats but I know when Dudley and Kayla play tug a war, I was afraid she was going to break his neck. He is tiny and she out weighs him about 4lbs. I know it can be scary but if it would put your mind at ease I would seperate them when you were not home. Just close your yorkie off where the cats won't be around him until you are able to referee. I think in time they will get use to each other. It just takes time and patience. Good luck.

[MikaTallulah]

My Yorkies play tug of war with each other and Buddy primarily. Most cats can protect themselves unless they are in a weakened state. My Yorkies have killed small vermin - Mice and moles primarily but have never attempted to attack the cats. My Mika (about 14 years old) is the boss over all the dogs including Cozy. No one but Tallulah attempts to mess with Mika.

As mentioned before even though my dogs have never attempted to harm the cats I still give them a dog safe zone. I don't crate my dogs when I leave the house.

[chachi]

I have yorkies and 5 cats and the cat will let him know when hes had enough

[MY OSCAR]

I think your yorkie just wanted to play with the kitty.
I have two cats one 8 lbs , the other 15 lbs .
Oscar , my yorkie is 7 pounds.
I don't worry about him hurting them, besides cats
don't take any $#@%!.
They will let the dog know if he is out of line....
I wouldn't worry about it..

[SophieKatesMom]

I have a Yorkie and a Cat, they get along very well NOW but it was all about both of them setting boundaries with each other.

Does your cat have claws? (mine does), when Sophie Kate was little I would watch her around the cat as a precaution just in case Avery (the cat) got a little rough with her. Once Sophie Kate got a little bigger I began letting them play, sometimes it got rough but never anything bad. Now they basically chase each other and then collapse together for a nap.

The shaking of the toy, I think that is typical for dogs. I never worried about that since Sophie Kate is a lot smaller than Avery (she is 8.5 lbs and he is normally around 15 lbs).

I do make sure they never eat each other food since both have special dietary needs.

Good luck and my advice is let them figure out the pecking order without hurting each other (to much).

[navillusc]

Originally Posted by madyson007

In my experience it's usually the cat that comes out the victor...if your yorkie plays rough the cat will give him a good swipe and then Yorkie will think twice about being rough. I in general they will co-exist nicely, it just may take awhile.

I worry more for the Yorkie eyes and noses than the kitties. My kitties can jump pretty well and have really sharp claws...especially the oldest kitties...but they get along well, at least until Brody decides to 'correct' the kitty behavior or defense against them sitting on my lap. lol However, the entire time he is 'menacing' at them...lol, his entire body language is happy and playful indicating he is not serious about hurting them...it's apparently a game he likes to play. I'm not as fond of it, tho...lol...especially at 3 am. The kitties know it too and are only willing to run so far from him...then they turn and square off...that's when I snatch his little furry body up for some Mommy and me 'play rough' time and we errr at each other and play 'gingerbread man'. lol Mia just licks their faces until they're near drowning and either they put their arms around her neck and 'body slam' her to the ground and start licking her or I rescue them with a pick up. lol Both Yorkies were over a year old when I got them...Mia had been around cats before...Brody had not. Both Brody and Mia are smaller than most of the kitties.

Yorkies are fiesty...but their body language will give you a clue about their intent.

You can search for canine body language...lots of examples on the web.

Take care!

[gracielove]

Gracie tends to get cold easily and has found the cats to be good heaters when she has no lap to curl up in. She will sneak up on a sleeping cat and curl her body around them or over the to get warmed up. I don't think she will kill them she needs them too much.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by gracielove

Gracie tends to get cold easily and has found the cats to be good heaters when she has no lap to curl up in. She will sneak up on a sleeping cat and curl her body around them or over the to get warmed up. I don't think she will kill them she needs them too much.

Awww you have got to post pictures of this