cat keeps disappearing ever since getting a dog

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rainbowroad666
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cat keeps disappearing ever since getting a dog

Post by rainbowroad666 »

TL:DR ever since getting a dog, our male cat (unspayed) seems to avoid being inside the house

i need some advice, and please without any judgement. i have 2 cats. 1 female (neutered) and 1 male (unneutered). the reason why he’s unneutered isn’t my fault, as i’ve always pushed my parents to get him desexed but they just always seem to forget about it and i’d take him to get desexed myself but i don’t have a car or money.

our cats spend time outside roaming free (again, i’ve constantly reminded my mother that cats should be INSIDE pets even if the council says we can have them outside, so once again it’s out of my control)

even though they’re outdoor cats, they come in every night for food and don’t really go out much. that was until we got a puppy.

ever since getting our puppy, our male cat seems to disappear the whole day and we have trouble getting him inside. i keep pushing my mother to get him desexed because i’m positive part of the reason is because he’s out there trying to mate with everything in sight. but she’s adamant that it’s because we don’t give him enough love now that we have a dog

i’ve told her that we do give him enough love. and we’d give him even more if he actually stuck around the house rather than jetting off the whole day only to return at night

i also think there might be a territory problem also which causes him to leave and come back late. now my mother is considering giving him away (which is the LAST thing i want)

can someone please give me some advice? what to do in this situation or any explanation as to why he keeps running off??

i’m thinking i’ll try keep him inside the whole day in the next couple of days with a fresh litter box so he’s forced to reconnect with his home. we also have to desex our puppy soon so i’ve been pushing to desex our cat at the same time.

please help!!!!
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Mollycat
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Re: cat keeps disappearing ever since getting a dog

Post by Mollycat »

Sorry to say your mother is very likely right about one thing, and that is the cat leaving home because of the puppy. And that's where I would stop agreeing with her on anything else to do with these animals!

Unfortunately cats need to feel at home, their place is often more important than their people no matter how loved and loving they are. Most cats in a strange place with a familiar human will still feel very stressed, whereas a familiar place and a stranger isn't a problem to them as long as they can hide if they don't feel comfortable with the person.

What we do about it is take great care how to introduce animals to each other, over a period of weeks and sometimes months, to help them bond and feel like part of a family together. Sadly it doesn't sound like your mother is very likely to take this advice on board, and what you can do is really limited if other people in the household are working against you.

And it's not much comfort to know we're just about all with you on the matter of responsible ownership and neutering. That said I don't think being out tomming is as much of a driver as getting away from a bouncy loud puppy.

The only thing, cats don't have to be inside, they can lead very happy healthy lives in and out or even just out, as long as they are fed and taken to the vets as needed. Some people feel they are safer kept inside, it's an individual choice - I have indoor cats because indoors is all I can offer but I do feel they miss out on so much of life but I don't like keeping animals in cages and really a house is just a big comfy cage. Though a cat nearby recently fell victim to a horrible attack and I admit I was glad then that mine were safe.

You want to keep your cat inside for a few days - fine if you can keep him maybe in your bedroom away from the puppy, but locking him in with the monster he is trying to get away from isn't going to be helpful. Cats need to figure out for themselves what is ok and what isn't, and they don't always agree with us humans about that. To a cat, a puppy is rarely ok.
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Kay
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Re: cat keeps disappearing ever since getting a dog

Post by Kay »

there used to be a scheme whereby certain vets offered neutering for only £10 at certain times, as part of a scheme set up by Cats Protection - you could try asking your nearest branch if it still exists, and if they can help

if you could get the cat to the vet with help your mother would be unlikely to know he had been neutered, as there is no wound to show
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Ruth B
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Re: cat keeps disappearing ever since getting a dog

Post by Ruth B »

Getting him neutered would certainly help, but I'm not sure it is the whole answer, I have to agree that the introduction of the puppy is a major part of the problem.

Getting them both neutered at the same time would certainly be a good idea if you can't convince your parents to get the cat done first.

As for letting him outside, I have no problem with it, but in the UK if is common to have indoor/outdooor cats, my own three come and go as they please. I used to be very against keeping cats purely indoors, but having talked with people from other countries i have learnt that everywhere is different and relatively speaking, the UK is safe for cats to roam free, other countries have dangers we never think about. However being unneutered he will have a large territory which he feels he needs to patrol to protect from any feline invaders and to try and find any female cats he can mate with, this alone could keep him away from your house for hours or even days on end.

Looking at it from his point of view, this loud, over energetic creature has suddenly been allowed into his home den area, and the others that live there aren't even trying to do anything about it. He comes home from a busy day patrolling, fighting off invaders, mating with female cats and just wants to settle and sleep and there is this thing that speaks an entirely different language, doesn't take the hint that he just wants to be left alone to get some sleep and is constantly in his face. (i'm not sure if this is the case, but my limited experience of puppies tells me this is likely how the puppy acts). Forcing attention on your cat probably is the last thing he wants. Could you sort out somewhere where your cat can get to where the puppy can't get to him, a big cat tree or even a couple of shelves with an old towel or blanket on it would give him somewhere he can feel safe and watch what is happening. Extra shelves can provide a route around a room that he can use to get about with out having to confront the puppy. Could you use some type of baby gate to give the cat a room that he can get into that the puppy can't to again give him a safe place.

I hate to say this but I think you have been lucky so far that the cat has decided to remove himself from the house rather than try and defend it by attacking the puppy. Cats and dogs can live happily together but sometimes work has to be done to make it happen. I would also suggest that some good training and exercise for the puppy could really help the situation.
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