Puppies
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Puppy Barking at Calm Cat – How Should I Handle It?
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Puppy Barking at Calm Cat – How Should I Handle It?
Hi everyone! I have an 8-week-old puppy, Jax, and a 10-year-old cat. Jax is in his playpen about 90% of the time while in the house, as it’s his first week with us. He’s very interested in playing with the cat, but as you can imagine, my cat doesn’t want to play.
My cat will often stand a few feet away from the pen, watching Jax, while Jax gets down low, trying to instigate play. When the cat doesn’t engage, Jax starts barking and growling a bit. Interestingly, my cat just sits there, totally calm, which makes me wonder if he’s teaching Jax that barking won’t get a reaction. Most of the time they have good interactions through the pen, like touching noses and settling near each other.
I’m just wondering if I should let these interactions continue as is or if I should intervene when Jax starts barking. Any advice or similar experiences would be great to hear. Thanks!
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1 Reply
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I would let the interactions continue for short durations, The cat appears to be comfortable with the puppy and the puppy wants to play. As long as there are no signs of aggression, I feel comfortable with them interacting under your supervision. When you begin to see Jax becoming too excited I would end the session as you do not want him to become frustrated. Lure him away with a treat or toy to let him calm down. The cat is something new and interesting to him. Down the road it will probably been there, seen that, done that.
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