Use diplomacy and common sense to resolve pet disputes
Andrews McMeel Syndication
Disagreements between cats and dogs are a pop culture staple, but in reality, plenty of pets have interspecies friendships, sharing a bed or sofa, grooming each other and playing together. Even when animals aren’t BFFs, they often coexist comfortably, tolerating each other’s presence with little fuss.
But conflict can bubble up any time people live with more than one animal of any species. Maybe one is old and grouchy while the other is a young whippersnapper. Or one is bossy and the other is mild-mannered. Whatever the case, the secret to helping them get along is to understand their behavioral differences and work to meet the needs of each of them. Here are four situations that can cause problems, with tips to help build harmony and reduce discord. In most cases, the secrets to conflict resolution are good management of resources and space, training, behavior modification or separation.
-- Food fight! Your cat’s got no interest in your dog’s food, but the dog growls every time the cat walks by his bowl. When it comes to meals, dogs don’t like to share, and your cat’s mere presence may be enough to set off a guarding reflex. Take the simple route to solve the problem: Feed them separately. That’s a good rule of paw any time you have multiple animals, even if they’re the same species.
It’s stressful for our domesticated predators to eat in the presence of another animal, even if normally they get along. Feed each animal in a separate room or in their crates, ideally placed so they can’t see each other eating.
-- A not-so-merry chase. Dogs like to chase moving objects. Cats run when they see danger (i.e., dogs). It’s tough to extinguish such an instinctive behavior in dogs, but a couple of techniques can help to minimize the problem. Work with a trainer to improve your dog’s recall (come when called), even in the face of a fun distraction such as a running cat. Give him a great reward so he thinks coming to you is better than chasing the cat. Be sure your cat always has an easily accessible safe place such as under the sofa or up a cat tree. The best solution, when you can do it, is to bring up a puppy with a cat so he learns respect from an early age.
-- Whose is it? Whether we’re talking beds, toys or other high-value objects, one pet may lay claim to an item the other wants. The easiest solution is to purchase duplicates so there’s one for everybody. You should also teach the “give it” or “drop it” cue so you can remove the bone of contention and put it away when pets fight over it. With resources such as your time and attention, try to do fun things at the same time with each pet. Take dogs on walks together, pet animals at the same time and give treats at the same time.
-- Battle of the bed. Who gets to share your sleeping quarters when a new pet moves in? An animal who is used to sharing your bed with you may not be willing to share space with a newcomer as well. And it can get crowded with more than one pet on the bed, even if they’re small. Your original pet should take precedence, but a better solution may be to give all the animals their own beds and reclaim yours for your sole use. You might even find that you sleep better.
Learn more about pet relations here: fearfreehappyhomes.com/can-cats-and-dogs-get-along-science-says-yes.
Q&A
Eye loss won’t
slow down kitten
Q: The kitten I adopted came with a bad eye infection. My veterinarian says it’s best to remove the eye, but I feel terrible doing that to him. Won’t he have problems getting around?
A: When we humans contemplate losing our eyesight, we think of all the terrible ways it would affect us: We couldn’t drive or read or look at funny cat videos on social media. But a cat’s visual acuity is much less than that of humans to begin with, and cats rely much less on their vision than we do, surprising as that may seem.
Veterinarians and cat owners are often astounded by the abilities of blind cats, especially those who lose their eyesight early in life. Even if they lack both eyes, they easily chase toys down the hall, jump up on kitchen counters, catch bugs and perform acrobatic feats. They are fearless explorers.
Cats who lose vision in one or both eyes adapt quickly, learning to rely on their senses of hearing and smell, as well as the tactile cues provided by their whiskers. A cat’s whiskers help them sense touch and vibrations, as well as changes in air movement. And a kitten’s brain is highly “plastic,” meaning that they can still forge new neural pathways that allow them to be just as able to get around with uniocular vision or to make greater use of other senses to compensate for a complete loss of vision.
Adult cats may not have the same brain plasticity, but they can also adjust well. If they lose an eye to trauma or glaucoma, you may notice that their balance is as good as ever, but they may take a little longer than a kitten might to adjust to their new condition. -- Dr. Marty Becker
Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.
THE BUZZ
Seek rescues for
reptile adoption
-- You are probably all too familiar with the plight of dogs and cats in shelters, but did you know that reptiles can also be in need of adoption? They are often challenging to care for, and may be given up to rescue groups or shelters when people are no longer able to house or feed them properly. Others are seized by law enforcement agents from wildlife smugglers or other criminals. If you're considering acquiring a reptile, a rescue group or shelter can be a source not only of information, but also of a potential scaly sidekick.
-- The ears have it -- cat ears, that is. A cat's hearing is better than that of dogs and humans. One of the reasons is because cats can rotate their ears and focus each one independently, allowing them to hear well from all directions. If your cat stalks out of the room while you're watching TV, it might be a signal that you have the volume up just a little too high for his comfort.
-- Blood feathers usually break when birds hit something hard, whether that's a window, wall, ceiling fan or the floor. If this happens to your bird and they’re bleeding, don’t panic. Here's what to do. Grasp the blood feather at its base -- you may want to use needle-nose pliers to get a good grip -- and gently pull until it pops out of the socket from which it's growing. Be careful not to jerk the feather, as that could damage the wing. Then apply gentle pressure for a few minutes to the area where you removed the feather. That should stop the bleeding, and it causes the least amount of trauma to the feather follicle, which can then start to grow a new feather to replace the lost one. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker
ABOUT PET CONNECTION
Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet care experts. Veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker is founder of the Fear Free organization, co-founder of VetScoop.com and author of many best-selling pet care books. Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning journalist and author who has been writing about animals since 1985. Mikkel Becker is a behavior consultant and lead animal trainer for Fear Free Pets. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/Kim.CampbellThornton and on Bluesky at kimthornton.bsky.social. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.