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froggy7 · May 25, 2007, 08:53 PM

Ok... the cats are beginning to get bolder and come out of their closet. And I finally had the face to face meeting... and it turns out that Trinkett (the greyhound) is terrified of cats. One hiss from Rana (not even a paw swipe!), and now Trinkett won't come in the same room as the cats. She'll stay at the far end of the hallway leading to the bedroom that the cats are in, but that's about the closest she will go on her own. And the cats still aren't willing to venture out too far from their room. So right now it's computer with the cats, TV with the dog. I'd really like to spend time with wveryone at the same time!

I'm currently bribing Trinkett with peanut butter in a bone in the hallway, so that she can associate good things with being near the cats. Anyone got any other tips, or is this just one of those "give it more time and it will all work out" things? Right now the cats are still doing the glare/hiss/growl thing, so Trinkett might get friendlier as they do.

DocWill · May 25, 2007, 08:59 PM

Isn't parenthood fun an exciting!

RubyPitbull · May 26, 2007, 06:06 PM

Froggy, you definitely need to give it more time. Thankfully, your dog isn't aggressive and going after the cats. The fearfulness is normal in track dogs. Everything is so strange and new to them. You need to build up her confidence. The "roommate" arrangement will take a lot of time and patience. Try putting the cats in their carriers and bring them into the room you are in with Trinkett. Just leave them in their carriers for a little while. The cats will hiss when she comes near but just ignore it. They are just as fearful of her as she is of them. They all need to get adjusted to each other and this is a good way of doing it without creating problems. It will desensitize all of them to each other. Every day, do it for a little while longer. Let them just get used to her being around. Keep us updated as to how it is going. We will just take it one step at a time.

froggy7 · May 27, 2007, 08:01 AM

Actually, they are making great strides. Rana. The bolder of the two cats, is even coming into the bedroom for the night. I think that she waits for the dog to settle down first, then comes up the end of the bed. And they will get within about 7 feet of each other before one decides that it's best to go the other way. Rana will even eat and drink in front of Trinkett. I'd try putting the cats in their carriers to acclimatize them, but they HATE their carriers, and I can't see that doing anything but giving them negative associations for the dog.

Ad Trinkett's not straight off the track... she's been fostered for 6 months, and had a litter of pups before that. Although I have no idea how they keep the dogs on the breeding farms. I am wracking my brains for ways of building up her confidence. It's made more difficult by the fact that she won't take food from your hand, doesn't seem all that interested in it at all, and will only eat when you are out of the room, and she doesn't play with toys. So I'm having a hard time figuring out a positive reinforcement for her, besides petting and lots of happy talk.