a cat?

[beryl1435]

My husband and his friend (who will be moving in with us in a few months) have decided that I deserve something awesome for sending them all sorts of care packages and other necessities while they've been deployed. They decided I can get a cat! I'm planning on adopting one from the SPCA here. Achilles just turned 2 and I think as long as we can find a cat that isn't going to totally hate him, things will work out just fine. Does anyone have any advice on choosing the right cat for our family, especially our Dane? I'm fairly certain our SPCA requires all family members and pets to meet the prospective new addition before anything is finalized, so them meeting each other beforehand is already in the plan.

[ZanesMommy]

My only advice is getting a cat that grew up with dogs but if they're coming from the SPCA then that might be hard to do since you most likely don't know their background. Unless you get a kitten...but, it can be done!!

[Bev_K]

We got our first cat when we had one Dane that was about 3 years old. The rescue guessed the cat at about one year old. My main criteria in cat selection were that the kitty was OK with kids and dogs.

I used Petfinder to look at nearby rescues' kitties and then we went to see a few before we found the right match.

The first couple days our cat was home, the Dane got some nose bops (cat has claws). After that, things settled down...until the puppy came along. Our cat is just a tad too tolerant of the year old Dane puppy, who wants to play all the time. Although, I think the cat may think he is a dog - he likes to play with the dogs and even goes on walks with us. He even initiates play with the dogs, although not as often since the puppy came along (he probably gets enough from the puppy initiating it!).

Bev

[Paradis]

I had a cat before the dogs came along as I lived in an appartment. The cat hates the dogs but will tolerate them. She keeps her distance and rules the roost. Both dogs know their boundaries and limits when it comes to her. She is def. the queen B around here. She has recently taken a liking to Festus and has started to cuddle with him when she thinks that no one is watching and he is sleeping, once he wakes up she bolts and runs away. She still has a hate on for Sidney though, it is odd.

[Mom2Dori]

That's too funny...I really want a "mantle" kitten...!!! But...I feel like the prey drive in Dori and Toby would scare me....they seem very fixated on cats....

If a cat hisses, then watch out...they go clammering after it like there's no tomorrow...

So...I'm not sure how fair this would be to the kitty...??

[beryl1435]

Achilles has been around a few cats when we go to PA. He's very curious about them but tends to just follow them around watching them, and sniffing, when they let him get that close. Our SPCA has a LOT of cats so I'm fairly confident we'll be able to find a few there that would be suitable for our situation... they also always have quite a few kittens as well in case we decide to go that route.

I wasn't sure which would be better, an adult or a kitten. A kitten is smaller and more fragile, but would obviously adjust more readily to Achilles. An adult would be more sturdy, and even though I'm not really concerned Achilles would hurt a cat, I feel as though an adult would be able to get across the point to him that it wants to be left alone.

[crzycpgrl]

I adopted a year old cat from the SPCA in Dec. They didn't require me to bring my dogs in for a meet and greet but did require all people members of my family. My suggestion is talk to the volunteers who are around, typically they can point you in the right direction. Look for the cat that's not afraid of it's own shadow. I personlly was looking for a cat that could tolerate the antics of a 5 year old and the boy we adopted can be held upside down and he's still happy. He is also very precocious and isn't afraid of anyone or anything. He walked right up to my dogs and they've been best buds ever since. They even play together in the yard, there is nothing more funny than a 110+ lb dog playing cat and mouse with a cat.

My parents always had a menagerie of cats & animals while I was growing up it was always interesting to see how new cats would react when coming into the household. One kitten was so sure of himself he walked right up to a 125 lb Rott and smacked her in the face just let to let her know he was the boss. Others just ran and hid. Not to recommend you go find one of these three types of cats but I have noticed over the years that cats that have been orange, without a tail, or have extra fingers have been more outgoing and seem to adjust to dogs easier than others. The cat we adopted is a orange tabby, coincidence I have no idea.

Lastly when you bring your new cat home make sure you have a room where you can lock it up for a few days. Let your dog near the door so he can get used to the cat being there, eventually when you let the cat out let him wander around getting used to the smell of the dog without having to meet the dog. When they do finally meet make sure the cat has a way to escape that's off limits to the dog. In my house it's upstairs. Good luck I'm sure your dog will do great!