Honey Bun and Isabel

[berrytzus 6]

Isabel has mostly fit in beautifully. The problem is how Honey Bun reacts to her. Honey Bun thinks Isabel is the greatest thing since sliced bread. She would love to follow her around 24/7, touching her and sniffing her constantly. Isabel is used to living on the other side of a babygate as two Dobermans with high prey drive. They were loose with her once and she wasn't afraid, just stood her ground. That's what she does with Honey Bun, but Honey Bun (as sweet as she is), is a little.....daft. She interprets head bops as play. She's constantly making play bows and will chase the kitty. Tonight I decided to not interfere and see how it unraveled between them. It ended up with Honey Bun chasing Isabel everywhere. Isabel was flicking her tail and very irritated. Honey Bun had a big dumb dog grin on her face. Like this She has absolutely no idea about cat body language.

So then about 15 minutes ago I put Honey Bun on a leash. It gives me greater access to her and helps to tell her exactly where I want to go. Instead of a string of "no" and "get over here", repeated about 5 times. This way can just be me saying ahht, and calmly leading her away from the cat. BUT, Isabel thinks it's great fun to chase the end of Honey Bun's leash!

Any advice would be great!

[bearbearlove 0]

Hahaha oh gosh,i have no idea but that last part made my day .

:(

[Phyl 0]

VIDEO! I want to see this! HaHaHa

Sorry, no advice

[brees 1]

Unfortunately baby gates is how I fixed this problem. Brees LOVES animals that are his size so my Dobermans don't interest him much but the cats are perfect. He thinks they should be his best friends and doesn't bat on eye lash at taking a paw to the face, I however worry that he might take one to his eye one day We already used baby gates to keep the Dobermans where we needed them at particular times and it had the double effect of helping save the cats from Brees. The cats could socialize with him as they please and then leave whenever they got frustrated with him. I hated having a 'segregated' household but after about 2 months Brees became more aware of cat body language and figured out that when the cats hiss and back away it time to stop playing. Now we no longer have to worry about him harrassing the cats.

Edited August 21, 2011 by brees

[FairyTail Josette 14]

Tamara, I can't remember now....does Isabel have a safe place to get away from Honeybun when needed? Thinking on the same page as Dani here. I know what you're thinking, that Isabel will just "live" in that area or spot. lol Have you ever seen that show on Animal Planet with the fella that makes cat house calls? I think he carries a case that looks like a guitar case with him. On one show, he had the couple make places up high in their apartment for the kitty to run and play....above their window, they put up a shelf by the ceiling, for example. Their space was limited, so, worked out great for everyone. On one show, he built something that the cat could climb up and they placed it on their patio outdoors. They lived in a high rise, so, the cat couldn't take off. That show was really helpful and interesting for cat owners I thought...see if you can find old episodes of it off of Animal Planet on the web. Wish I could remember the name of the show off the top of my head. I just think it's going to take some more time for adjustment between the two, but, eventually will happen.

[brees 1]

The show is called 'My Cat From Hell' xD

[FairyTail Josette 14]

The show is called 'My Cat From Hell' xD

:(

[loewenthal.anna 4]

I'm firmly in camp "cat's can jump up on counters to get out of the way" . . . we had 2 perma-foster cats Tuna, and Zooey (as in Zoo-E) and they came before Lolly, Before Poe, Before Money and acclimated just fine to doggie additions, both large and small. They didn't "play" with Poe, per se, but they certainly were able to get out of her way fast enough.

If the cat is playing back, I'd say let them sort it out. Honey is clearly not hurting Izzy, and if Izzy were THAT irritated, she'd get out of the way! Sounds like they're just still trying to sort it all out, I bet they'll be snuggling together before the month is out :)

[berrytzus 6]

Suzi- I saw that exact episode with the cat guy! We are planning to get a cat tree at some point. She does have a pen with her litterbox, a bed, food and water that the dogs are not allowed to go in.

I realized last night that Isabel really isn't playing, because she hid behind our entertainment center after Honey Bun had been chasing her. And she gets very irritated- tail swishing and a pissed look on her face.

Anna- Unfortunately Isabel can't jump on counters. I don't think most Persians can, but I could be wrong. She's short, stocky, only 7 pounds and 8 years old.

I thought about it overnight. I think I'm going to treat this like getting a new puppy, where you have to watch them like a hawk. When Honey Bun starts invading Isabel's space I'll tell her to back off and then praise her for not focusing on the kitty. Hopefully it'll work. I know I won't be seeing huge improvements overnight or anything.

Edited August 21, 2011 by Luvntzus

[JasperandAkira'smom 4]

I have to keep my two cats in one room with baby gates because my dogs will not leave them alone. I have worked with them for months about leaving them alone but nothing I have tried worked.

[mr.coffee 364]

I would say as long as they're not actually fighting, try to allow them the opportunity to sort things out.

-m