Last June I adopted a four-year-old cat from a shelter. She is very timid, and now that…
Oh dear—if this shy cat never before had a positive experience with a dog, I’m not surprised by her behavior. A puppy, especially high-energy and BIG breeds like Labs, can be overwhelming for even a confident cat. You don’t specify how much “plenty of time” might be—but obviously it’s not been enough for your cat. I would expect a cat in this situation to eventually learn to tolerate (but probably not closely interact) with a friendly dog, but that conservatively might take months, not weeks, to accomplish.
Here’s what I’d suggest. Create some “dog-free zones” in the house where your cat knows the pup won’t disturb her. Use baby gates to confine the pup in a safe area, especially when you are not there to supervise. Provide lots of “second-story” areas in the form of cat trees or the backs of furniture so that your cat can always get out of nose-sniffing range. Remember that your cat was there first, and is older, and MUST be the animal in charge, or there’s a risk the dog may at some point injure the kitty accidentally. Teach the pup to look at you whenever the cat appears (say, “It’s a TREAT cat!” and give a tasty treat), so that the association for her presence is positive. This also helps him learn to look at you, rather than chase the cat, when she appears. And that takes the pressure off of the kitty.
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Yeah, you don't gotta tell me about all the improvements that need to be made. Working on them now. Damn the lost data to hell working on restoring the network to better than it was previously. Please excuse the mess. What Happened?! -
