We’d been slowly introducing our cat and dog. (Cat is 10 years old, dog is new rescue, almost 2, lab-pit mix).
We have a baby gate/entire room the dog doesn’t enter where the cat has been since we adopted our dog, and have fed them on opposite sides of the closed door. They’ve progressed to a point where we supervise them as they are in the same room together.
Dog doesn’t chase the cat at all, the cat is comfortable in the same room as dog (except when she’s zoom-y). Generally the dog will sniff the cat, vice-versa, and then cat will go about his business and so will dog. We reward the dog for ignoring the cat when he’s around.
We give her (dog) freeze-dried chicken treats often when she does something we like, and the cat is also very interested in them. So when we reward the dog for laying in her bed calmly while the cat is around, he’ll (cat) will come up and sniff/try and have one too. We’ve been feeding them both some of the treats when this happens, (the cat on one side of our bodies, the dog on the other), but the dog doesn’t like it.
When the cat gets a treat too, or she finishes hers first, she starts huffing and snapping at the cat when we feed him treats near her. Not lunging, but jumping up on her front paws sometimes and getting in his face. (Trying to intimidate him away??) We do not want her to bite him, and are worried it could progress to that— but since she’s already getting a treat too, she shouldn’t be so defensive to him.
Additionally, she gets very upset/barks/whines when we pick up and/or pet the cat around her. She doesn’t like the cat getting attention when she isn’t.
Any advice is welcome.
submitted by /u/shinjiweenus
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