Newly Adopted Greyhound Afraid Of Cats

[hbull11]

Hello! My husband and I just adopted our first Greyhound about 4 days ago. We had multiple home visits where his foster parents deemed him cat safe and he is now home with us and our 2 cats. One of our cats (male) loves the dog and wants to be his friend, our other cat (female) does not feel the same and hisses and swats at him whenever he is near.

 

Our new dog is very anxious around them due to this and spends most of his time going from our bedroom upstairs where he seems to have found his safe spot, to the downstairs living room. He goes up, lies down for 10-15 minutes, comes downstairs, checks in, and goes back up. He does this all day. I know we havent had him very long and Im being told that they will get used to each other, Im just worried that he is unhappy and filled with anxiety. He eats well, drinks well, crates well, and is overall a very sweet and gentle boy.

 

For a little more background information, he has been off the track since November and was a failed adoption. They cited separation anxiety, but his foster parents never witnessed that nor have I. After the adoption fail, he went to his foster home for a few weeks where he was with other Greyhounds and bonded with his foster dad. Now hes home with us.

 

Any advice on how I can ease his mind and help the cat/dog tension in the home? He has never acted aggressively towards either cat and actually will not even look at them if they come near. He will actually look up at the ceiling or turn towards a wall if they come near him...poor guy. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[EllenEveBaz]

Congratulations! What is your sweet boy's name?

 

When I had cats and greyhounds, I kept them physically apart for the first few weeks but allowed visual or scent contact so they could get used to each other. I started with doors wedged open only an inch with those rubber wedges, and graduated to sturdy babygates, always with humans present. Then carefully supervised "real" contact. I've seen a trainer on tv get one animal's scent on a towel, and then give the other animal treats or petting on that towel to have them associate good things with that scent.

[3greytjoys]

Welcome to GreyTalk.

 

Congratulations on your newly adopted Greyhound! He's probably still very confused by all his recent changes.

 

Great sign that your Greyhound is trying to ignore your cats.

I agree with Ellen to minimize cat contact while your hound is adjusting to his new forever home.

If possible, give your cats their own private space in other rooms for a while now, and later whenever you're not home to supervise.

 

A tall baby-gate in the family's most used room would be helpful to keep dog in while providing an escape route for your cats, later.

Installing the baby-gate about 5" above floor level allows cats space to dart underneath if dog ever tries to chase cats. (Don't allow any chasing.)

(Don't install gate much higher than 5" or 6" to avoid dog from trying to squeeze underneath.)

Be especially careful to keep the more affectionate cat away from the new dog's personal space, and food bowl.

 

I, too, have found that exchanging pets' scents on towels or bedding items is helpful. I exchange scented items every couple of days to keep scents strong.