Dog and cats living together...NOT mass hysteria?
March 25, 2015 7:27 AM   Subscribe

We've had an adopted coonhound for four months, and she's essentially ignored our two cats the whole time. All of a sudden she's started to act aggressively toward them. Why?? What can we do??

In December we adopted a sweet and docile four year old female coonhound, who we named Rosie. Given the breed and the fact that her ears have been tagged, we assume she was a hunting animal who didn't work out and was abandoned. She seems to have very little in the way of hunting/chasing instincts, and around us is the sweetest, most docile dog you could want.
We slowly introduced our two male cats to Rosie, and after a few weeks of integration they seemed to get along fine, which is to say she will act as if they aren't there. One of the cats still doesn't like her, and keeps his distance, but the other will rub against her and purr, an action she will also ignore. So we thought things had settled to an amiable detente.
Every so often, the ill-disposed cat will take a few whacks at her wagging tail, either to play or because it's moving. The few times this has happened, Rosie has started at him and made a slight lunging gesture and the cat has scampered off. "Good," we thought, "that will teach him not to bat at her tail."
Last night, however, the dog was sitting in the doorway to our bedroom, and the ill-disposed cat wanted to pass. Rosie actually growled (very low, softly) at him, and then snapped at him without making contact. The cat ran off into the bedroom and we closed Rosie out of the room for a while. After some time, we allowed her back in and, as she was back to acting like the cats weren't there, we thought it was a fluke.
Just a few minutes ago, however, we were paying attention to Rosie (some petting, some light playing) when the well-disposed cat walked by, and out of the blue she lunged at him. As you can imagine, this really upset us, as this cat has never (as far as we know) bugged her--in fact, a few times he has snuggled up to her as she slept and the two of them lay together for a few hours.
She is not territorial and she does not food guard (except with bones, which we don't give her anymore). What could be causing this change in an otherwise stable-seeming dynamic? Is there any way we can nip this behavior in the bud?
posted by Bromius to Pets & Animals (8 answers total)
 
I'd try building some positive associations between them, coaxing them together with treats and letting them enjoy those treats near each other with you there as moderator.
posted by jon1270 at 7:43 AM on March 25, 2015


I would talk to a animal behaviorist or a vet right quick. I don't want to alarm you, but I have seen this kind of situation get awful and tragic fast. There surely are right actions to take to head this off, but they should be those recommended by a professional. I'd keep them separated for now.
posted by backwards compatible at 7:54 AM on March 25, 2015 [9 favorites]


It may be asserting dominance. Please make sure you let her know YOU are the boss in the house. Give her a LOUD, firm "NO" if she shows ANY sign of aggression.

I might "ground" her, too. It means every pet, treat, food dish put down, etc only happens after she obeys you in some way. A sit and a wait until I say "ok" is my go-to.

She is a hound and she'll likely have a strong prey drive.

Good luck and don't leave them alone together.
posted by beccaj at 8:00 AM on March 25, 2015 [3 favorites]


All the above commenters have definitely got it right, but I wanted to add that it's common after a few months for the "honeymoon" to wear off with an adopted dog, and they start to feel comfortable enough in the house to be their own animal. Now is a great time to get ahead of this with a good trainer/behaviorist.
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:13 AM on March 25, 2015 [2 favorites]


She is not territorial and she does not food guard (except with bones, which we don't give her anymore). What could be causing this change in an otherwise stable-seeming dynamic?

Is she comfortable enough that she might be jealous of either cat soliciting affection? Were you inside your bedroom when the ill-disposed cat wanted to come in? Rosie might be "guarding" you, as the source of love and attention.
posted by gladly at 9:56 AM on March 25, 2015 [2 favorites]


I just wanted to recommend a Calming Collar. It has been miraculous for my cat when she suddenly began being super aggressive and nothing else worked.

She now smells like Calming Collar, but we have gotten used to it.
posted by Sheppagus at 11:46 AM on March 25, 2015


Canine to feline aggression has a predatory component. Your cats are in danger.

Some dogs have high prey drives that cannot be changed, even with behavior modification.

Please understand that you must be prepared to maintain entirely separate living quarters for the cats to ensure their safety.
posted by Seppaku at 5:34 PM on March 25, 2015 [1 favorite]


Seconding gladly. It sounds like she's resource guarding you.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 6:21 PM on March 25, 2015


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