animals, Family, Kids, pets, Uncategorized

Learning To Get Along

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Daughter got an 8 week old kitten last night to keep her very needy 3 year old tabby company and, well, because he is adorable.  You can see him in the header photo. His name is Percy.

The older cat was not too happy, as you can imagine. She hissed and hid.  Daughter is keeping them separated, bonding with Percy while Pippin is locked up, and then lavishing Pippin with love and treats while Percy is locked up.  She plans to gradually introduce them this weekend. Pippin is already showing some benign  interest in the little one as the day has progressed. The little one is playful and cuddly and wants to climb everything.

We successfully integrated cats and terriers into our home. Our only failure was trying to bring a young Fox Terrier into our home with an elderly Welsh Terrier.  The Fox Terrier turned out to be an anxiety biter who attacked the Welshie at every opportunity and who nearly killed the older dog one night. The vet recommended putting the Fox Terrier down, and we did. The whole situation still makes me sad.

What have been your experiences integrating creatures (even two legged ones) into your home? 

31 thoughts on “Learning To Get Along”

  1. We have two French bulldogs, a cat, and two guinea pigs. This is the current evolution of the mix. When we moved into the house we had a basset hound and two cats – one of those cats I got to keep the hound company (because it was clear after adopting the hound that she was used to having a cat), and the other was sort of raised by the basset so he thought he was a dog. We tried a third cat, but that did not go well – the mostly ignored each other, but one would poop in the window sills and the new one would bolt her food and then throw it up because she was not convinced the other two would leave her anything to eat. Cat #3 went to live with a friend, and is still happily living with her 10+ years on. After the hound passed on, we got another hound – the cat who thought he was a dog tried to play with the new hound like the old one played. No dice. Took that cat two years to figure out this was a different dog. A few more changes like that and now we have our current mix. The dogs play tag with the cat and the cat incites them to play – and it is play, even though the cat would like you to think she doesn’t like the dogs. And the guinea pigs have long since figured out that even though the cat will sit by their cage and stare, she can’t get in – so they ignore her.

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  2. One of our cats would get up just high enough on a bench so the Welsh terrier puppy couldn’t reach her, and take paw swipes at the terrier tail as the dog walked past looking for her.

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  3. we have been a two dog two cat family for 20 years
    wolf and basset died now we have mutt and jeff the brother and sister team that rule today
    everybody gets along in their own way
    cats block the dogs paths and dogs will never cross them.everyone gets along fine, always has. we had a rescue lap dog who hung out in a corner for 2 or 3 years before it died. got done with the lap dog experiment.
    my ex wife was difficult. even after giving her two children she was still quite disagreeable. my vet suggested putting her down but we simply banished her and she lives her miserable life elsewhere.

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  4. Only had a pair of cats for 13 years. Brother and sister. Alpha male and milquetoast. They were rescued feral kittens and never quite relaxed around other humans. Weren’t great with us either compared to our first cat, a solo, who was everybody’s friend. Never saw a lap she didn’t want to sit in.

    Thinking about buying two hypoallergenic cats in our old age. I’m hesitant, not expecting a great pairing of personalities because we all know it’s mainly the luck of the draw with that. Wife’s theory is that two males will get along better than a male/female combo or two females. We’ll see.

    Chris in O-town

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    1. We had two male cats from different places, and they got along famously. I would never get two female terriers at the same time again, only a male and a female. Girl terriers are terribly bossy. The boys are clowns.

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      1. Well that explains our rat Terrier Allie. She’s definitely the Queen of the house. Smallest of all three dogs but she’s the boss.

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      2. One neighbor had an Egyptian hairless – she did feel like suede. Or wrinkly peach fuzz. I think the neighbor on the other side has a different flavor of hypoallergenic cat, but couldn’t tell you what breed except “likes to get out a lot and hide under my car and the bushes.” 🙂

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      3. One that doesn’t cause a person who’s allergic to cats to break out in hives or sneezing or watery eyes, etc. (Allergic reactions). They’re rare and expensive but apparently they work for many who are normally allergic to cats, like my wife.

        Chris

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  5. Hi Kids–
    Been sprinkling since noon, but starting to rain a little harder now. Stay afloat everyone.

    I’ve brought in several dogs that I’ve had to pick up as part of my town board job. Strays.
    Allie, the rat Terrier is the only one we kept long term. We got her back in 2007 and at that time, there was just the outdoor dogs and she was indoor so it wasn’t really an issue. (And when I say ‘outdoor’ I mean they’re in the garage and barn and have lot of shelter. But they don’t come in the house. They’re the watch dogs.
    I’ve tried a few others that were simply not going to work out.
    When we got Humphrey in 2015, he was supposed to be another outdoor dog. But we got him in February and it was just too cold to have him in the garage. I suppose Allie tolerated him in the house because he was smaller than her. But that didn’t last long and they were “friends” before he became 4x her size. But she still gets fed up with him being in her business all the time. He’s the gentlest dog. But he’s passive aggressive. He uses his size to simply be in her way.

    When we got new puppy Bailey 2 years ago, she stayed outside with Zoey. Zoey was pretty old by then and I think enjoyed having a buddy around. Took Humphrey a long time to accept Bailey. And Allie just totally ignored her.
    Took a few months for all three to get along. But as I said, Allie is still the Queen; We call her an old Grandma sometimes because she just can’t put up with all the silliness those two are doing.

    Chickens – they’re not nearly so much trouble. They say you shouldn’t add new ones from other flocks as you don’t know what diseases they might have and such. But, knock on wood, I haven’t had too much trouble with that.
    The new little chicks are raised by themselves. As they get a little bigger and move to a bigger pen, sometimes an older hen will get in there because they simply fly over the top of the pen, so that gives them a little exposure. Plus they can see and hear the bigger ones.
    Next step is a screen door on the front of the pen. And then an outdoor pen. And it’s not long before the little ones are hopping over the fence out, but hopping back in seems to be harder to figure out. They’re only in that pen for 2, maybe 3 weeks and then they’re all out together.
    And other than some roosters trying to show off to the new young chicks, it’s not a problem.

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    1. My dad had a beloved rat terrier as a boy. It was named Diamond, and went down a badger hole once and never came back up. Dad was still grieving for that dog in his 90’s.

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    2. I have a friend who does animal control for her small Wisconsin town. She’s the town clerk, in charge of elections, and also the animal control officer. She took in a little chihuahua last year and named her Linda. Not after me, but because Linda is “pretty” in Spanish. She usually pronounced the dog’s name :”Leenda” to avoid confusion. Sadly, Linda was hit by a car and was so badly injured she had to be euthanized. But while she was part of the household, she got along great with the other dog, Norm, and all the barn cats and house cats.

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  6. If I’ve told this before, apologies. When we came home with the Sorcha Dog, Katy Scarlet was eight. She did not think the addition of a 10 week old Samoyed puppy to our household was a good idea. And then the next day wasband went out of town for a business trip for several days. Sorcha Dog could not leave Katy Scarlet alone, especially those long floppy red ears. The first night we were sitting in the living room and Katy Scarlet suddenly got up and went upstairs. After a few minutes Sorcha Dog Climbed up after her. Then Katy Scarlet came back down and very elegantly laid down at my feet. Within a minute Sorcha Dog was crying at the top of the stairs because she was too little and didn’t know how to come down yet. I had to go up and get her. Katy Scarlet repeated this several times until I finally had to block off the steps with the piano bench. Four days later when Sorcha Dog figured out how to come down the steps on her own, Katy Scarlet never led her up there again.

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  7. Cats: I like having two cats if I’m going to have any, since they can be less insistent and needy. I remember when we had just Slush and brought in a new kitten Charlie, Slush (a neutered male) decided he was its mom. Would lick it and cuddle up… till all at once Charlie was bigger. Then they avoided each other most of the time, but we’d occasionally find them sleeping together on a bed or chair.

    Humans: When we had nephew Vin live with us for about a year and a half, Joel was 7 or 8, and was in a phase of calling me by my first name (he did this every few years, it seemed – when he was 3 he called me Barber). It took about 3 days of Vin being there before he reverted to “Mom” – which, I figure, showed ownership…

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  8. I haven’t had much success getting cats to get along with each other.

    My first cat, Franny, did not particularly welcome the addition of Georgia, a neighborhood stray. They got used to each other, but were never friends.

    When Georgia died, I brought in Isabel as a kitten. I was always told that it was easier to introduce a kitten than a full grown cat, but Franny seemed to think Isabel was even more of an insult than Georgia had ever been.

    After Franny died, I brought in a pair of kittens. Isabel was still quite young then, only a little over a year old, but she despised Jomo and Jory from the beginning. Jomo and Jory were siblings, so they were cool with each other, but just tormented Isabel.

    I took in Sammy a few years later. One reason I thought he’d integrate was that he had lived on my porch for awhile and didn’t seem to upset Isabel very much. She and Sammy would touch noses through the screen door. He’s a neighborhood cat, and there’s at least a chance that they might be siblings, since they are around the same age. Or half siblings. They have never really bonded, but occasionally I’ll find them lying on the bed with their butts up against each other.

    Jomo didn’t like Sammy at all. He would often glare at Sammy and arch his back and get a big tail. Trying to show Sammy who was boss. Sammy would just yawn at him, as if to say, “Oh, please – i’ve been in real fights – don’t even start.”

    Jory was a pacifist. He just wanted peace with everyone.

    Isabel is still eating and drinking, but she’s on kitty hospice these days.

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    3. sorry about the circle of life catching up with isabel
      i had an izzy i was real fond of
      i had cats as a kid and always enjoyed having them around
      they are like flowers , they just make the room better, the personality and love they tend to bring to the room is always delightful.

      i’ve been without a cat only a couple times and only for a short while
      cats are so easy, and nice.
      except at 4am
      every damn day

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  9. With a lifetime of pets, mostly cats and dogs, behind me, I can honestly say that I can’t imagine my life without them. Some are more memorable than others. Yet, even a scrawny little gray cat like Miss Kitty, holds a dear spot in my heart. She was always a tiny cat. Not particularly friendly, but most certainly mine. I don’t recall where she came from, or how she ended up being mine, but I have a hunch that she was a stray or feral cat who simply moved in over a period of time when she discovered that I’d feed her and otherwise leave her alone. We lived peacefully together for a number of years. Our current cat, Martha, though much bigger, has a similar personality. She let’s us know when attention is needed or wanted, but she’s the one in charge of any interaction.

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    1. I had a little grey cat who until her final years only really liked me. She took a liking to my dad in his final years – she must have known somehow that his was a “safe” lap and since he couldn’t see well he wasn’t likely to stand up abruptly. I called her my 3/4 sized cat. She came from the Humane Society and had recently weaned a litter of kittens – judging by her age and size, I would guess she was tiny because she had started having litters before she had a chance to really grow up herself.

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