# New V owners!!! Question about V's and Cats



## clover

Hello 

We are virgin V owners - our future puppy was born a few days ago and so we will be getting her close to Christmas (Gah!) My question is about cats and Vizslas.
My dog of almost 16 years (a Dalmatian) passed away a year ago - actually our future puppy was born on the anniversary of her death. She lived with several cats very successfully, however it is a lot easier to introduce a kitten to a dog than it is to introduce a puppy to a couple of cats. 

I do know that subtly preparing cats with puppy smells is a good idea, and letting them smell each other through a closed door, and then through the crate is generally what comes next. So, my question is for any of you who brought your puppy home to meet his or her new feline siblings: How did you do it? What would you have done differently? How long did you keep them apart before a visual introduction?

And anything else you can tell me that you think might be helpful. I feel as if I can prepare for the crying and peeing and loss of sleep, but if there is a problem between our cats and the new puppy, I feel that would be the biggest stress of all.

Thanks!


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## DarDog

Christmas is going to be very exciting for you this year 

If your cats have already been introduced to other dogs and are fine with them, I don't think you will have much of a problem. If your cats are free to roam the entire house, I would just let the pup meet them on their own terms (be a referee if you have to). Make sure you crate your puppy when you can't supervise him or her, so they don't have any questionable meetings while you are not around.

We have some issues between our pup and our cat, but it is more on the cat end. She does not want to be anywhere near him, and she is actually always doing a low growl whenever she is around him (I didn't know cats growled like that!). All Darwin wants to do is give her kisses; he also likes giving the guinea pig kisses!

We just let them meet on their own terms; we brought Darwin into the house for the first time and Nisa came to the door - Darwin walked right in and around her - didn't even see her. Eventually he noticed her, and he was nervous of her for awhile, but respectful. We were hoping Nisa would get over it, but she still keeps it up, after about 3.5 months now - so, now, Darwin barks at her when he wants to see her. She doesn't see it as much of an invitation though


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## gunnr

Our cat, DC, was raised with our previous Vizsla, Rush, from a kitten. Rush actually detested that cat,a nd would leave the room if DC came in. He'd sneeze and shake his head and leave as if the cat smelled offensive to him. It was comical.
The two Vizslas I have now came to us as adults, and we were pretty concerned about how they would react to DC.
A swat to the butt and a few stern "NO's"!! and they understood that he wasn't a live play/chew toy. I think it will be a lot easier with a puppy. The cats will give a few early lessons.


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## Crazy Kian

We have a cat and our V thinks she is a play toy. Let's say the cat is not too fond of him. I do think they are getting used to each other because the other week they were sharing a glance out the window together. The cat was perched up on the sill and Kian came up beside her and stood over her looking out the window. Marley (our cat) even gave his neck a smell.
Looks like there is hope, just takes time.

Oh and if you want to see who was boss from day one, check this out.


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## clover

Christmas *is* going to be very exciting indeed!  Thanks for the encouragement  Haha!

Well, one of our cats is 15 and he lived with my Dalmatian for 14 years so he will likely be more prepared than our other cat who is only a year old and has never met a dog.
He is a very curious cat though and super playful so we're hoping that the fact that the puppy will be close to his size (albeit for a short time) and playful will help. We are a bit worried about the 'early lessons' the cat might give the puppy, since our youngest cat has his front claws so I am actually more worried about the puppy than our cat.

DarDog: Yes, we will definitely crate the puppy when we are not watching her.

Gunnr: That is hilarious about your dog Rush! Maybe he was allergic? :

CrazyKian: Yeah, I fully expect that our cats will be the bosses. And that is progress! Gives me some hope.

Did you guys keep the puppy on a lead when you introduced them or just let them sniff one another right away?

I guess I just need to accept that it will take a while for them to feel comfortable with a new puppy, but it's the only thing that is making me nervous about
getting a puppy!!


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## NZ_V

Hi,

My cat was 5 years old when I brought Rossi home as a pup....My cat had never been around dogs before....well, a couple of nose swipes from the cat so Rossi knew his place and they are best mates now. Sleep together, hang out in the kennel together etc... as per photo


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## clover

Awwww! Adorable  That photo does reassure the worried part of me so thanks for that.


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## gunnr

clover said:


> Christmas *is* going to be very exciting indeed!  Thanks for the encouragement
> Did you guys keep the puppy on a lead when you introduced them or just let them sniff one another right away?
> 
> I guess I just need to accept that it will take a while for them to feel comfortable with a new puppy, but it's the only thing that is making me nervous about
> getting a puppy!!



I wouldn't put the new puppy on a leash.
Introduce the new puppy and the cats, ensuring that everyone has an escape path if they need it. He will take a few swats from the cats early on, but "generally" they're just warning shots. Don't force then together, just let then sort of feel each out.
You really want the cats to have the upper hand. A full grown Vizsla can overwhelm a cat.


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## jld640

Clover - thanks for starting this thread. It sounds like everyone has some really good ideas. Along these lines, I need some help, too.

My puppy is 15 weeks now and the (declawed) cat still won't go near her. I am getting worried that when the cat finally decides to meet the puppy, the time for swats and warning shots will have passed and the puppy will overwhelm her. The cat is 9 years old and was adopted from a shelter last year. Supposedly her last owner had other pets and did not list any concerns about households with dogs. Any ideas?


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## clover

I definitely do want the cats to have the upper hand. We read that a puppy should be on a leash so that it teaches the puppy immediately that chasing cats is a no-no.
I guess I don't care how it gets done, as long as it's safe and generally positive for all the pets.

jld640 - I am not sure exactly what I would do in your situation. I would think that until you know how they get along that they should be supervised. It may just take some time for your cat to be comfortable with a new animal in the house and I would suggest patience mixed with vigilance at this point


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## satellitebeach

My cat is a beast. She is over 20 pounds, tough like Charles Bronson, and my 11 week old Vizsla torrments her. The cat will pop her in the face 3 times or more and the Vizsla always goes back for more. It is getting better but is definitely a work in progress.


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## Kobi

I do not have a cat but my mom does. When I took the puppy over for a visit, they were surprisingly friendly at first.... at least for the first meeting  They sniffed each other nose to nose, Kobi wanted to play, and the cat just wanted to RUUUNNN!!! Since then, all the cat does when Kobi comes over is hide. He knows that if he doesn't, he will be chased by Kobi, who just wants to play. The cat is able to get away pretty easily though, Kobi doesn't understand the under the bed areas and he also cannot get on top of the beds. Plus, the cat is quicker. 

When the cat feels cornered he has a pretty mean growl. I was surprised to hear it!


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## gunnr

satellitebeach said:


> My cat is a beast. She is over 20 pounds, tough like Charles Bronson, and my 11 week old Vizsla torrments her. The cat will pop her in the face 3 times or more and the Vizsla always goes back for more. It is getting better but is definitely a work in progress.


 Unless your cat is declawed. I think they're having some fun with each other. 
An adult cat, of that size, could really rock an 11 week old Vizsla puppy if it wanted too.

That's quite a cat.


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## satellitebeach

I went home for lunch yesterday and my cat must have killed a pretty large pigeon. There were bloody feathers all over the place. Of course as soon as a I let Lucy out of her crate, you couldn't keep her out of these feathers. I tried to get as many of them up as possible but couldn't get them all. My vizsla is 11 weeks old. Do I need to worry about her catching any diseases from the bloody feathers?


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## Jupiter4Jackie

Xmas & Vizsla puppies... do we ever bother putting up a tree?!! 

???


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## Moose

our cat [a Manx] was about 4yrs old when we brough Moose home as a pup- and 6 months later brought a baby home. I was worried about how she would react and cope, but all my worrying was for nothing. Like others have said, a few swift swipes to the nose and Moose figured out, early on, that he doesn't mess with Matissa . Though- they are buddies now, and their favourite game is where she hides and he seeks....and she will lose nail casings, in his snout. OUCH. he always comes back for more, they could play the game for hours.


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