Spencer And Cats

[Guest TeddysMom]

Spencer is my cat hater and the cats hang out on the front deck. If he sees the cats he is impossible to walk. I tried to take him out the back door and out the gate so he doesn't see them but one of my cats realizes what is happening and starts following us. I have no idea why this cat does this with only Spencer but it ruins the walk and I have to drag Spencer back to the house. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get around this problem. I feel bad that Spencer doesn't get to go for a walk because of this. This cat will even leave his food to follow Spencer and torment him. Is there anyway that I can train Spencer to ignore the cat and enjoy his walk? I have tried food and just trying to drag him along but nothing seems to work. Any suggestions would be appreciated, I am willing to try anything. I did crate the cat one night but he made such a racket that Spencer heard him and just pulled me back toward the meowing. This cat is the one that goes on walks with Teddy, Spice and Mandy, he seems to like the company of greys.

[greysmom]

Cats know, I don't know how they know, but they absolutely know who is going to FREAK the most by being around the cat. My three will come running from every part of the house to torment my mother, who does NOT like cats. My total cat-loving friends come to dinner and they could care less - just TRY to find them! They KNOW!

 

So it's highly unlikely this cat will stop tormenting Spencer on his own. If the cat and other greys like to walk together, then OK. But when you take Spencer, carry a squirt gun or bottle and firmly discourage the behavior. You probably will not be able to change Spencer's attitude toward cats if he's a zapper. If he's workable with indoor cats, you may ultimately be able to desensitize him towards this one outdoor cat with a LOT of time and training. Just sitting around on the deck with a bunch of super yummy, smelly treats, Spencer and the cat.

 

I would also crate the cat inside the garage or house so Spencer can't hear him. The cat is not going to be happy, so he's going to make noise - loud, skreechy noise. Putting a light-proof cover over the crate might help, like you do with large parrots. You may need to work with the cat to get him used to the crate - put him in there for short periods with yummy canned food, then lt him out, then put him in. Desensitize him to the experience a bit more than just shoving him in and come what may.

 

Good luck.

[Guest mcsheltie]

Put him in the car. Drive a little way down the road (like a block) and start your walk.

 

Or squirt the cat with a water bottle. He'll stop doing that after a couple times.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Just a question, did you know your hound was not cat safe when you adopted him? One other thing that may sound mean, but may help is to put a muzzle on your hound and let him get close to the cat, enough to freak out the cat. Maybe the cat will change his mind about following his "friend" on walks.

[Guest TeddysMom]

Yes I know he was not cat safe when I adopted him but since my cats are not house cats that was not a problem. He gets plenty of exercise since I have a 2 acre dog yard but it just would be nice to go for a walk. This one particular cat just really loves the dogs and want the dogs to like him too. We will work out something because with fall coming, I love to go for walks with the dogs and I want Spencer to be able to go too.