Planning is important when adding a new pet to your family, but sometimes life just throws an animal into your lap.
I had a few months to plan for Matilda and Cow just happened to us. At first, Matilda didn’t like cows and I was worried they would never get along. But somehow it all worked out and they even snuggled together sometimes.
It happened again a few months ago. A little black cat about 9-10 months old started hanging out on our patio, curling up on my bench outside on cold autumn nights.
To be fair, we did start feeding her. We did indulge in her purring and leg rubbing. It was so needed a few months after the death of my boyfriend’s senior black cat, Salem. But the cat lives with his family, not with us and my two dogs.
Two months later, it was getting colder and we fell in love. She is one of more than 20 stray cats around our apartment complex, some feral cats, some “outdoor” cats owned by neighbors, and some semi-friendly stray cats.
I don’t know what convinced me to take the next step. Maybe it’s because of seeing my boyfriend so happy after losing his black senior kitten, maybe it’s getting colder, or… maybe it’s because I occasionally see dead cats on the road or complicated Parking lot, I knew she would be at greater risk because of her dark color.
So I lured her into a carrier and, despite her protests, took her to the nearest vet and had her microchip checked. She had no crumbs, so we went ahead and shredded and neutered her. She has fleas. I also had to feed her dewormer twice a day with an oral syringe for ten days, which was an adventure in itself. But luckily, she was free of feline HIV and other serious illnesses.
we call her Sabrina
Matilda and Cow are not cat friendly dogs. But they are intelligent, trainable dogs who can reason.
So I got a three-tier cat cage, a cat tree, a baby gate, and various dog calming products.
I sent Cow to live with my parents for a month so I could focus on training one dog at a time.
I hope to keep these animals isolated from each other until we can finally move to a bigger place…which won’t happen for at least another year.
The first few months were tough, to say the least.
Whenever I give my cat a few hours to hang out in the apartment, I have to keep the dog in a cage. Or, I’d put her and her extra litter box in the bedroom.
The dog barks all day long whenever the furry little intruder moves, jumps or plays. They can’t stand her and will try to chase her when they get the chance.
But with baby steps, lots of treats, lots of training, all the headaches, stress and meltdowns (from every family member!), we’ve made incredible progress.
These days, I let all three animals hang out in the apartment, no cages, and whatever they want.
There are still very few moments of them bickering or chasing each other (yes, cats are chasing dogs too!) but under supervision I have noticed that these events don’t escalate into any danger, and the dogs are easily redirected to something more interesting, such as toys or games. Most of the time though, they just hang out, nap, play (but not together…yet!), and even share a water bowl without any drama.
We still have a lot of training to do. I still hope that one day they can both love – and not just tolerate – each other.
But for now, I’m pretty amazed at everyone’s progress, including cats. They are learning each other’s languages and I know a lot about all of them.
I can’t wait to share with you what worked, what didn’t, and what weird and silly moments we’ve had over the past crazy few months.
In the meantime, please welcome our lovely kitten Sabrina!
