We have 3 cats does it matter if we adopt a female/male puppy/dog? (lab, train)
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Hi everyone. I've been chatting on citydata for a year or so and never realized there was a pet section! The support here is amazing.
My husband and I are thinking of adopting a dog/puppy. I'm thinking about the age of 1ish as we both work and are out of the house the majority of the day 4 days a week and I understand it's time consuming to raise a puppy (as much as I would love to adopt a puppy).
We have 3 cats (2 males and 1 female). The ages are 9 years (male), 8 years (female) and 3.5 years (rambunctios male). My female is already miserable since we got Fred (youngest kitty). We couldn't wait to have him fixed b/c he was NUTS and apparently, that did not correct the situation and he still annoys her, jumps on her and harasses her. Poor thing! He also doesn't listen to ANYTHING we say. He is a rambunctious kitty. I'm wondering if it matters what sex of a dog would do better with our cats? It's our female who is already miserable and the youngest male is is really crazy. He totally rules the roost!!! If he's crying in the kitchen and we don't come in to feed him or throw a piece of food for him to chase, he jumps on our countertops and shreds the paper towels and then will head to our bathroom to shred the toilet paper. He does this at every chance he can get. He also doesn't sleep a full night and gets up cries, harasses my female and I have to then put him in his cage so we can get to sleep the rest of the night. Believe it or not, he loves his cage as I it relaxes him. Sometimes I think he has ADD or something. He also has hypertrophiccardiomyopathy (enlarging of the heart) which he was born with. When he's not bad, he's adorable... BUT can totally be a pain in the butt at times...but we love him.
So, after hearing all this, does anyone think there would be a better sex of a dog (female/male) which would do better with my kitties? Also, can you recommend a breed that you think would do well with them? I would like to adopt a puppy lab but feel that it may be too much work to train as we work all day. My husband would also like a smaller dog but i'm not so sure a small dog would be able to tolerate Fred. Any info anyone has, I would appreciate it very much. Are there any breeds that are mixes which would produce a smaller lab dog? Oh, and I would need a breed that is good with children under the age of 6 years old. Thanks.
I can't tell you what kind of dog to adopt but I can tell you from my own experience though, that it might take awhile for your cats to get used to the dog/puppy. I've always had a dog, or two, around my cats since I adopted them. In 2006, I didn't have a dog for 6 months. I adopted a male dog (about 2 yrs old), was more worried about how the dog was going to get along with the cats as I knew the cats were always good with my previous dogs. Boy was I wrong. It took them a few months to get used to him. I would suggest to give your cats plenty of hiding places to run to so they have their own space. My cats were all about 12-15 yrs old at the time I brought home the dog. It took time, but they did become comfortable with the dog around. Good luck!
I can't tell you what kind of dog to adopt but I can tell you from my own experience though, that it might take awhile for your cats to get used to the dog/puppy. I've always had a dog, or two, around my cats since I adopted them. In 2006, I didn't have a dog for 6 months. I adopted a male dog (about 2 yrs old), was more worried about how the dog was going to get along with the cats as I knew the cats were always good with my previous dogs. Boy was I wrong. It took them a few months to get used to him. I would suggest to give your cats plenty of hiding places to run to so they have their own space. My cats were all about 12-15 yrs old at the time I brought home the dog. It took time, but they did become comfortable with the dog around. Good luck!
When I was a teenager, I had a cat and then we added a dog to the family. My cat was a few years old and I can recall that she really wasn't happy about the situation. I would have thought after your cats were already exposed to dogs, they would have been okay too. Animals can be so strange sometimes! After we got the dog, we added another kitten and then the 2 cats would fight and the dog would be the referee and break it up. It was actually quite comical. After all the years though, my cat had never officially gotten used to the dog but tolerated her. I know my cats fit underneath my bed so I'm sure that's where they would hide if they had too. I'm just worried b/c my female is so nervous already b/c of the youngest cat harassing her and I know she becomes like crazy cat (swatting me in the face, etc.) when she gets real stressed. Also, I'm just hoping a dog can tolerate Fred. He loves to play and that's why i feel a puppy would do great with him. Maybe wear him out. LOL.. My cats have met a dog once. We stayed at a friends house for a few days while our house was getting stuff done and our friends were on vacation & we took care of their dog along with our cats. My female was a wreck..i think b/c she had no clue where she was and then saw the dog and Fred was chasing the dog around the couch. It was comical. Otis (my oldest) was a bit scared but nothing crazy. Hopefully it will all work out. I'd hate to have to bring back the dog b/c of my crazy cat. Thanks for sharing your story, I appreciate it.
Would just be careful w/ the cats' nails hitting the eye(s) of a puppy or dog if the cat gets fresh and swats - sharp nails can do real damage to their eyes, their corneas can get scratched or they can even lose an eye. Would keep them cut very short and prob. dremel them to take away the sharpness and maybe get those plastic nail covers (cant rem. what they're called but hopefully/supposedly they'll help protect the pooch's eyes, with 3 cats you prob. know what Im talking about). Just something else to think about.
Would just be careful w/ the cats' nails hitting the eye(s) of a puppy or dog if the cat gets fresh and swats - sharp nails can do real damage to their eyes, their corneas can get scratched or they can even lose an eye. Would keep them cut very short and prob. dremel them to take away the sharpness and maybe get those plastic nail covers (cant rem. what they're called but hopefully/supposedly they'll help protect the pooch's eyes, with 3 cats you prob. know what Im talking about). Just something else to think about.
Thanks for the info. I didn't want to mention it in my post b/c I know some people frown upon this but unfortunately, I had my 3 cats declawed. I know, it's cruel. Before we owned a house, I rented alone and nobody would rent me a small apartment without telling them that my cats were declawed...so, it was either have a place to live and give them away or have a place to live and get them declawed. I know it's cruel and I do feel sorry for doing it. Now that we own our home, I know my husband would never ever think of doing it to a kitty again.
If I had a cat, I prob. wouldnt declaw and you wouldnt either but at least that's one less worry for a new pup or dog (have seen a few one-eyed small dogs and it really makes me sad). My friend's grown daughter had a cat and dog and the cat would often swat the dog's head, the dog was totally oblivious, it never phased him (the cat wasnt declawed and there never was a problem but the dog was medium/large and had a big head, cute but kind of goofy, it was like 'huh?!' <G>).
I think the demeanor of the dog is more important than the breed/sex. A dog that is laid back and calm would be perfect and wouldn't stress your female kitty too much. My friend's basset hound was the most patient, sweet dog when they got a rambunctious cat. I think bassets are typically pretty laid back and I agree that you're better off with an adult dog. Introducing the new dog slowly and giving the cats TONS of attention during the transition will help a lot. When you do decide on a dog, make sure you choose the dog that will fit in the best with your family and make the transition as smooth as possible. Harmony with pets is so important; growing up with feuding cats really makes me grateful that my dog and cat get along!
i can't either tell you . We have cats and a dog but our dog does not bother cats at all. They actauly will rollover and et him lick their belly ;which says alot.But some dogs with hunting instinct will kill cats quickly.Its a chance thing from what I have seen. We already new when we got a cat because he would let the neighbor cats jump into his pen when outside for the day and let them eat out of his bowl.
There are two parts to your question and two very distinct answers.
Does gender of the dog matter? Not a jot.
Does age matter? HUGELY.
For larger dogs, the age of one is nothing. The dog is not mature and won't be mature for some time yet.
Both you and your husband work and you have young (which is to say unpredictable) children + three cats.
What you're looking for in terms of a dog is a dog that can cope with a) being left alone for the course of the working day (nix the lab idea right there - they're very much "be with my people" dogs and it's a major reason for behavioural problems with them when they're not), b) can cope with an ADD cat (we've got one, I can sympathise) and c) will be able to handle whatever young children decide to do at any given time.
In my book that means you need a fully "formed" dog - a dog whose personality and traits are already developed. For that to happen, you need age. You need to know that what you see is going to be (for the most part, there's always a period of adjustment) what you get.
Prey drive can and will often change with age. A young dog of a innate placid disposition is only going to be more placid with some years behind it. You need placid, you need calm, you need a dog that's going to have the sense to just move and go find somewhere quiet should there be just too much going on around it. All that points to a fully mature dog.
Forget breed, forget gender - size might be a consideration, and that's fine. You need a particular temperment and a disposition (perhaps within a size range that suits) that will allow the dog to fit into your house smoothly - which is going to be optimal for everyone's sake.
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