Rich Is Scared Of Cats (Weirdo)

[Guest carriej]

So I kind of suspected Rich was nervous around the cats, but this morning I have learned he is downright scared of them. I do have rather bold cats (and 3 of them) and one rubbed up against him today and he ran off and let out a squeak. This is a 73 pound greyhound... Normal size male, no need to be scared of some kitties.

 

And one wasn't even touching him... Just looking at him and he ran the other way!

 

I have also chocked up part of his whining at night due to the cats all holding stake outs beside his crate at night and watching him.

 

Any ideas to show him the kitties just want to love him? My cats love dogs - they used to all love to pile up on Freeman's bed and have a big snuggle. We used to call Freeman the ruler of the cats. It's ok if they don't snuggle - I just don't want him to be so antsy. They definitely seem to make him nervous.

 

 

 

 

[philospher77]

Same as any other scary thing: pair the presence of the scary object with high-value treats. If the cats are anywhere near him, and he's calm, he gets something super-tasty. At first, that may be just being in the same room as a cat. But the basic idea is that you want him to start associating the cats with super good things, which will make happy endorphins flow when he starts seeing them.

[greysmom]

If you haven't had him very long, give him some time to settle into your home before throwing the cats at him. It's actually a fairly common response. And it's better than the opposite problem. Don't let the cats pester him too much, or he might try and scare them off with a growl or snap (or worse, depending on his level of fear).

 

Be sure you watch their interactions as he becomes more used to them.