I have two cats and brought home a golden puppy 2 weeks ago (Winter). At first both cats hid under my bed. Winter hasn't shown much interest in them unless they run. Then she follows (unless/until I grab her). I've kept Winter off the second floor so the cats have plenty of space to themselves. One of the cats has finally started coming downstairs. She's eating and drinking water. She's hesitant but it looks to be moving in the right direction.

The other cat hasn't really moved from under the bed. At first I was feeding her upstairs. But during the last week I've decided not to encourage her fear and leave food on the counter for both of them. It's quite possible the cat hasn't eaten for days.

I hope this doesn't sound cruel or mean. I just don't want the cat to spend her life under my bed. She needs to move on and start acclimating.

Am I wrong? Should I continue to feed her upstairs?

I guess this is more of a cat question then a golden question. But I can't be the first person to have gone through this....

Feed her upstairs. Cats can develop hepatic lipidosis from not eating, sometimes in as little as 24 hours.

We brought cats into a house with dogs. It took a good 3 months for them to become comfortable around the dogs. Zoey, the oldest cat, rules the dogs and Talley (her sister).

It was 6 months before our cat and dog tolerated each other..really more like the cat (hes 11) tolerating the dog..but it has worked out..besty friends now .. we had to feed the cat in the laundry away from the dog..and we still do...

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Give it time, it's only been 2 weeks. My cat adopted us when Maggie was 2 y.o. after a few scratches across the nose, Maggie learned to respect him and they finally became friends. Maggie is now at the Bridge, A.J. (cat) was 13 y.o. when Hank join our family. A.J. wasn't about to let a young, whippersnapper upset things and quickly set things straight. Now he & Hank are great friends.

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**Fraulein "Maggie" Louise 8/2/95 - 7/20/09**
*At Rainbow Bridge but Forever in Our Hearts*

Cats don't work that way. She's not going to come down until she's good and ready. I agree with BajaOklahoma...please start feeding her upstairs again, it's not fair to her to be without food.

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Karen, Chance, Lucy and Savanah RB



“Everyone needs a dog to adore him, and a cat to bring him back to reality”

We have had three Goldens over nearly 30 years, and have always had cats at the same time. For the most part, the cats and the dogs have lived separate lives. The Golden has always wanted to play with the cats, but never the other way around.

Currently, we have one cat, about 7 years old. She lives in a separate part of the house, away from Max.

I suggest you let the cats live upstairs, away from the dog. Feed the cats in their part of the house if necessary. The cats might adjust to the dog, but do not count on it.

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Dave

You may want to consult this thread: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...dogs-cats.html (Dogs and Cats)

The cats must be experiencing a lot of stress with the absense of food, their normal environment and their usual routine - the three most important things in their lives. It'll take some time to fix their negative impressions of the puppy. I would put puppy away and do some conditioning downstairs to help them feel more positive about the space. Then SLOWLY reintroduce puppy in a fenced area that the cats don't usually use.

Do anything you can to make the addition of the puppy seem like the best thing ever - that means more special time with you, lots of tasty treats and extra play time.

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Jacqueline

"I have just met you and I love you" - Dug (Up!)

We've had Loki since 26th Sept aged 7.5 weeks. Our three cats are used to dogs around them, but had not had an exuberant puppy in the house for some years, so were wary of him leaping on top of them & chasing them. I always feed them in a room where the puppy, now five months old, can't annoy them, but otherwise they all move around the house freely. The cats have plenty of higher places they can get onto to get away from Loki. They sleep in a different room at night, & I will keep the puppy in the lounge with me at times, so that the cats can have the freedom of the house without worrying about being jumped on. It's taking time, but improving every week. Now we are about to introduce a seven month old puppy into the house, so the cats will need more time to adjust, but they actually like having dogs around, once they get used to them. Please, please, please feed your poor cat. It isn't fair that she has to go days without food because you have bought a puppy into the house. She is obvious scared to death of it, & trying to starve her into submission just won't work & will physically harm her. You need to make her feel safe & feed her & the other cat somewhere that they can eat without fear of the puppy bursting in on them. It might take weeks before the cats feel comfortable enough to walk about freely, so please allow them to adjust in their on time. Their quiet world has been turned upside down.

This!! Please make sure your cat ALWAYS eats.. Cats are not able to go without food. Once they get the hepatic lipidosis it is extremely hard to get them better. My cat adjusts to the dogs and will either be around or stay upstairs. We have a baby gate up to keep the dogs from going upstairs. When i had Toby who was cat aggressive she knew it and stayed away. With the three I have now she knows they wont kill her, they just like to annoy her, so she happier now and will lay downstairs.

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Alison and 2 Furry Kids and 2 non furry kids

Lilly- Golden DOB 1/28/11
AKC name: Goldridge Lights Action Lilly RN CCA
http://k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=433352
Sanford- JRT DOB-9/5/06

Bridge dogs
Toby-Boxer 10 yrs. old (rescue) 9/17/2002-11/1/12
Charlie- Boxer (1st "child" together)2/19/02-3/18/12
Julie- golden retriever ( my heart dog) 5/6/96-3/3/07
Ruby- terrier/chow mix (my 1st dog) 8/1/90-1/15/05
Rusty-shih tzu (million dollar dog) 2/5/99-1/20/04

Thank you all. There appears to be consensus, which is sometimes rare on these forums. I just brought food and water upstairs. Thank you.