OK we got our cat Mork from a rescue centre 4 years ago aged approx 9 so hes approx 13 now. After much discussion and persuasion from our 2 children we decided to bring home a puppy to add to our pets. We thought Mork would be fine as we have lots of cats in the garden all the time and he plays with them and he goes in next doors garden even though they have dogs. So yesterday we brought home our 10 week old Jack Russel, Jasper and right now im feeling like its the worse thing we have ever done. The cat hates him. He sits on the back of the sofa all the time so the puppy cant get to him. We have fussed the cat loads and given him treats but everytime the puppy walks near the sofa the cat hisses and spits. We bought a cage for the dog as we want him to be cage trained and last night i think i had about an hours sleep cos he cried constantly ALL NIGHT! but i didnt let him out because i didnt want to give in and i didnt want the cat to get to him. Last night we did try putting the puppy next to the cat on the floor with me holding the puppy but the cat lashed out and although the puppy yelped i cant see any scratches on him. Have we tried rushing it? should we just sit back and let the cat come to the puppy when he is ready. I feel like now whenever the cat jumps off the sofa i have to scoop the puppy up and hold him in case the cat gets him. I just dont know what to do to get them to get along. Hubby says im panicking over nothing we havent even had the pup 24 hours yet and that we should give it time. SHould i carry on picking the puppy up when the cats roaming or should i just let them be and see what happens. Im so tired with having no sleep and feel very emotional at the minute i dont think im thinking straight or rationally. Any advice would be great. thanks and sorry for waffling on!

i think create training is a great idea and do persist with it, it allows the pup to have its own space, even when the cats around,
i would just watch the cat with the pup but dont keep picking it up, it will take a while for all the animals to adjust to the new arrivial

aww you poor thing, i think alot of us have been in this situation at some point, its going to take time for the cat to get used to the puppy, 24 hours is no time at all, it may take days or even weeks, i can understand your tired, and this doesnt help and makes it seem worse, the puppy is going to need time to get used to his new home and the crate, try popping him in there during the day for afew mins at a time, with a toy or a treat, so he sees the crate as his den, at the moment im sure the cat will stay up high ,like the back of the settee and just watch the puppy for now, then maybe in afew days the cat may come down and go over to the crate where the puppy is, and sniff him, and hopefully ,slowly they will get more use to each other, please take your time and try not to panic, and keep us posted as to how they get on, good luck,

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just to give you hope,,
i bought 2 goldens home,my cat used to be up high,run etc, now they all lie together in front of the fire, so theres hope

When we brought our pup home he was very hyper around our 4 cats and they did give him the odd swipe to put him in his place, he is 6 months old now and 1 of our cats is his best buddy and the other 3 virtually ignore him, but there is no more hissing etc and they do greet him (head rubs etc) when they meet. They may never be best friends but they should live together eventually, try not to panic every time they have a fall out as it is very early days yet and a 13yr old cat will be very stuck in his ways.

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Good luck with this I think time will be the best thing. Keep a watchful eye on the puppy and Mork when they're in close proximity.
I would expect every cat to react this way however as he's a rescue cat he may have had a bad experience with a dog in his past before you owned him, if thats the case though rescue centers usually specify a 'no dogs' home wanted.
try not to worry i know its hard, we got a new kitten from my OH's parents before and my cats were so awful about it that i made them take it back as somone else really wanted him anyway. I regret it so much now.

thanks for all your advice i feel a bit calmer now and am willing to sit back and let them do it their way. we did have a dog when we first got mork. he was fine. we knew his history as he was only put in there as his owner was old and had to go into a home so him and the owners dog went into rescue so no history of abuse or anything. thanks again xxxx

Yes, you are rushing it a bit, I would never push them together before they're ready. Your cat needs time to adjust after having his home and family to himself. He's quite senior too, and a puppy will try his patience a bit, but doesn't mean he won't get used to him. It might not seem it, but sitting on the back of the sofa in the same room and hissing is not bad at all for first few days.
Let the cat come and go as he pleases in the room, don't force him to be too close to the puppy, he might well lash out if he feels stressed. Let him swear away on the back of the sofa, he will get it out of his system better if you ignore him.
Give him lots of love and attention when he will accept it, he will probably be more like himself if you catch him when the pup's not in the room.
Crate training is a great idea when done properly. Stick with it, and be patient, it's very early days for your cat and for your new pup who is very much a baby still and will cry until he gets used to his new routine.

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