# Dogs And Cats



## Guest (Sep 19, 2003)

We have had B.j are maltese dog for 3 years and we are about to adopt a cat will are dog get along with the cat and still know we love him? I sure do hope so. So if anyone with a maltese dog and a cat tell me?


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## Luvmypupster (Jul 12, 2003)

I don't have a cat but Bentley loves watching them on TV. There is a lady on another forum that has a malt and 3 cats so I guess they can get along fine. Good luck


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## joe (Jan 5, 2003)

i think they will get along fine, however, is the cat declawed? cats and Maltese are somewhat on the same height level and it makes it very easy for a cat to scratch at the eyes of a Maltese, even if just playing, just something to consider or watch out for


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## TikisMom (Jul 22, 2003)

Good point about the de-clawing, but another issue is to keep your puppy out of the kitty litter!

We have a cat, twice as big as Tiki. The cat box is upstairs in the laundry room and Tiki doesn't go upstairs. He doesn't know he can, so we never have to worry about it. He does love kitty "tootsie rolls" when he finds them outside (YUCK!) and I have heard of animals getting sick from eating litter.

Introduce them slowly. If the cat is an adult, he/she may have a harder time adapting than your pup.

Tiki's Mom


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## Luvmypupster (Jul 12, 2003)

Didn't think of the scratching and tootsie rolls! Good point.


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## Colette'sMom (Aug 21, 2003)

I feel I must put my 2 cents in here. Declawing a cat is cruel, and you are taking away its only defense if it should get out of the house! It is also extremely painful. If you are that concerned, please don't get the cat. This is really tantamount to saying that everyone who owns a small dog or a child along with a cat, should get it declawed! Declawing a cat is cruely to an animal unless there is a very strong need to have it done. Please do some research on this subject before making a casual remark with potentially bad consequences. 
Colette'sMom


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## Luvmypupster (Jul 12, 2003)

I didn't realize it was cruel. Guess I just don't know enough about the topic and have never researched it.I have never been a cat person but my brother had one years ago that was neutered and declawed and it was the meanest thing on 4 legs. I was affraid of it, it would jump out of and attack you as you walked by and bite and scratch with it's back legs. My brother took it into the vet for something and the vet and assistant got covered with bites and scratches. I used to tease him and said forget about getting a watchdog, no person in their right mind would enter and live to tell about, I think that cat is the reason I'm a dog person. I know there are sweet kitties out there but I guess I have a phobia about cats now.


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## Bellezza1212 (May 29, 2003)

can you explain why it would be cruel if they decided to keep the cat indoors?? I understand that declawing an outdoor cat leaves it without any defenses but if they don't let it out why would it be cruel for them to consider it?


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## Colette'sMom (Aug 21, 2003)

It's an extremely painful surgery and goes against a cat's very nature. For me, it is cruel to change the way an animal was meant to be to suit a person's needs. Just my 2 cents.
Gail


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## dogluver7820 (Oct 17, 2003)

Anyone have any ideas on how to introduce the cat and dog to each other? I have dogs and my boyfriend has two kittens. We tried to get them together and boy that was not good! The cat went crazy! So I am not sure what to do. At some point they will have to live with each other. Any ideas???


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## TikisMom (Jul 22, 2003)

It is going to depend on who's territory you are putting them into. When you bring one animal into the others territory the one who owens that space will feel threatened... You may want to try to introduce one into the others home by crating them or holding them for a while; don't let them just go at it as someone will get hurt (do the kittens have their front claws?).

We brought Tiki home to a cat that has been with us for many years; Neo. Neo wasn't very happy about it, but Tiki was crated when we weren't watching. Slowly Neo approached Tiki's crate and soon he was sleeping next to it. It took time though. When Tiki was out and around the house Neo would usually go hide or watch from a distance. Cats can move pretty fast and go where the dog can't reach them. It has been almost a year now and they love each other; they play all the time and clean each others faces..... way to cute. Neo, by the way, is almost 3 times the size of Tiki









Judi


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## muffieluv (Oct 26, 2003)

I like cats.. but not as much as dogs!


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## kimmie (Feb 23, 2005)

We have 2 cats and 2 dogs that all live happily together. The cats lived here first, one quite old and the other bout 4years. Mishka our pap come on the scene two years ago and being the size of a kitten the cats took no notice. Keeko our Maltese come into our lives 6 months ago and once again the cats took no notice. If the dogs annoy the cats they get a good hissing at but as in general the cats take no notice the dogs most times treat them as part of the furniture. Keeko is a bit nosey and has started sniffing at the cats but hes always ready to jump back if one of them turns around.
Last nite Mishka the pap was sitting on Dads knee and the older cat decided he wanted up there as well. So up he jumped and just planted himself on the spare part of available knee. LOL it was sooooo cute.


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## NC's Mom (Oct 23, 2004)

Cats claws are not detachable....they are part of the bone that makes up the toe. To declaw a cat is to amputate part of its toes. To me, that is mutilation. 

Marshy's mom has a Maltese, a Poodle, and a cat. The cat gets along with both dogs despite being used as a trampoline and punching bag. She IS declawed on her front feet--she came that way when Marshy's mom adopted her. 

I think that if I were to add a cat to my household, it would have to either be one that was raised with dogs and gets along well with them (and even LIKES them) or a kitten that I can raise alongside the the dogs so that it will learn how to play nicely. And in the meantime, I'd probably keep those little claw things you can put in cat's claws to prevent furniture damage.


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## Brinkley & Neyland's Mom (Jun 14, 2004)

I have three cats in the house with Brinkley!









They were all here before him. After a few stressful days of introduction...for the most part they get along fine now. I wish they would lay together like someone else on here said, that would be sweet.









Two of the cats, Spencer and Little-Bit play with him...he prefers Spencer because he IS de-clawed (came to us that way, all four







). So he plays rougher and more often with Spencer...everyonce in a while Spencer bites him because I can hear Brink yelp.







Little-Bit and Brinkley play chase around the race track and hide/seek around the furniture. Sometimes when Brink walks by and Littles is laying where he walks, he will lean down and lick her head.







Pretty cute!









Now Callie, she is a completely different story!







She really loathes Brinkley!







She hardly ever comes to the front of the house now except to eat, and she almost always stays on top of the big crate where their food is. When I am in the back of the house in the bathroom or doing laundry, etc...she is always at my feet. At night when Brink is in our bed, she sleeps in the livingroom.







I wish those two got along better, but Callie seems to have it all worked out where she can live comfortably.









The litterbox issue was the worst! Brink loved to find treats in there!







We started out with a gate in front of that room, and now we have taken the gate down and replaced the litterboxes with taller rubbermaid tubs with holes cut in the lids. Brink can't get in them now...or he doesn't try anyway.


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## HollyHobbie (Apr 12, 2005)

there is a nice alternative to declawing it is called soft paws or soft claws i think for cats...they are these tiny rubber caps that fit over the claw and they won't hurt when scratched. My friend uses them on her two cats and they are wonderful. they have a website and come in assorted colors and sizes. just google it. They have them for cats and dogs.


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