Leo & Alfie the dog ! updated at bottom

[lisa77]

ahhh bless em 

[lucy]

awww!

[Stuart]

Or Sleeping together ??

I found a few more photo's of Hamish today and thought it was relivant to this post or maybe just another excuse
for Putting up photo's of My Bridge Babes 

Photo not the best quality, but you can see Hamish's reflective collar and just make out an ear 

[lisa77]

with a bit of luck Xmas will be purfect & they will be running around together in harmony ! 

[dolcetta46]

Leo is a good starer.. I thought cats hated eye contact but Leo will not break his stare if you look into his eyes! He can keep them open & not blink for aaages !!!!

The first picture on your sig says it all!!

Glad things are going well for them!!  Hope it will only gets better!!

[Stuart]

So. all in all I think we will be OK with the cat & dog. Hopefully it wont be long & Leo will be a bit less confrontational !

And that's when the Laughing start's Cat's n Dog's use to one another's company will Play together
although the dog will sometime's be Boisterous But Leo will Put Him in His Place 

Well Done

[lisa77]

Alfie was over again last night & it seems to be doing the trick. Leo is still so NOT scared of Alfie at all.. infact quite cocky .. They do recognise eachother.. & each time Leo Hisses less.. last night he didnt hiss at all. We let them get close enough to sniff eachothers noses & Leo (ever so gently) Just tapped Alfie on the mouth twice.. I dont know what he was trying to do tho as it wasnt spiteful at all.. it made us laugh.. Alfi still wants to bounce around & play whenever he see's Leo.. they did settle down & both ended up sleeping last night after staring at eachother for what seemed like hours. !

Leo is a good starer.. I thought cats hated eye contact but Leo will not break his stare if you look into his eyes! He can keep them open & not blink for aaages !!!!

So. all in all I think we will be OK with the cat & dog. Hopefully it wont be long & Leo will be a bit less confrontational !

[lisa77]

Thanks so much honey for your detailed responses.. thanks for your time xx

[dolcetta46]

Just stay put and supervise them closely, either you or your sister whenever they are together, first for a short time only, then if things get better and they get used to each other more a little longer, but never leave them together by themselves.  It takes patience, but I think it is possible.  Perhaps it takes some time for Leo to get used to Alfie.  Also Alfie needs to be discouraged from being overzealous around Leo, which I think is one big part of the problem.  Take it one step at a time, with perseverance I am sure things will get better!!

[lisa77]

Thanks allot for the resonses.. its kind of put my mind at rest..  do you think the muzzle is not such a good idea just for the first little while ?

[CurlyCatz]

terrier types with the bull terriers in particular are renound and famous for hating cats and will kill them.  However there are many thousands of family staffies living all over the country in perfect harmony with the cats of the house.  

What i've often heard of dogs (not just staffies) is they can be totally 100% with the cats in "their family" (which would include leo if they see each other often enough) but maybe they wouldnt be so trust worthy with a totally strange cat who perhaps wondered into the garden.

Bear in mind also that your sisters dog is PART staffie (so could also be part something else that are renound for adoring cats   ).   Has she had him since a puppy ?? if so she will have a very good idea and gut feeling of the dogs reactions and should be very intune with his body language. (how old is alfie ?)

It doesnt sound like leo is afraid of him in the slightest but i understand your concern, i too was with cody and my greys for a start (the dogs came into the house AFTER my 2 dsh cats who were very large fully grown adults, however cody was last in and although not a tiny 8 wks old kitten he was still strange and smaller )  however strict supervision all was well and the 3 now all sleep shut in the kitchen at night.

I'd get your sister to deliberately take alfie around more often, sounds like you yourself are actually a wee bit afraid and therefore you need to gain YOUR trust in your dog , you being wary will unerve alfie so please be aware of that, dogs need people to be confident !!!   Dont leave cat & dog alone together even if you are just going to the loo but with close supervision they could be great friends and will only add to leos confidence, plus he should hopefully have another 20 years ahead of him and you never know you may have a dog of your own in that time  

Just read your last post again and it actually seems like alfie and leo have no problem , just you lol (perfectly understandable though)   Remember leo has far far quicker reflexes than alfie and also they will communicate with each other through body language, plus with you and or your sis monitoring to assess body language / growling, ears, eyes, tail, stance etc etc i am sure this could become a good friendship.  I actually suggest you taking alfie on some walks etc and in different situations and you can assess his response and learn about him.

Also maybe take some of the toys away when alfie is around ?

[lisa77]

Ive seen a staff attack a cat but the owner was a complete  & eb=nded up going to prison & the dog PTS 

All because he used to entice the dog to chase cats ..

Alie is only part staff & vet said he is mixed with all sorts. When she lived in Scotland a guy knocked on the door with Alfie in hand & said "Do you want a dog or it will be PTS"  It belonged to a bunch of drug addicts who lived in a warehouse & was treated badly & neglected. It took such a long time for Alfie to trust anyone but my sis & her partner has been working on getting his confidence back & he has gone from a very shy withdrawn dog who would run & hide if you went to pet him to a playfull, happy big softy . I am proud of her for that as tbh I didnt think she could do it !

Im finding Leo to be the problem !   

[dolcetta46]

I am no expert so I can't swear anything, but from my personal experience Staffies are one of the sweetest, frendriest dogs, the predominant problem might be Alfie pestering Leo too much to play, but I can't see a Staffy actually harming a cat.  I think they get misunderstood because they happen to LOOK like some of the infamous "aggressive" dogs (even them are, in most cases, misunderstood, it is only bad humans train and make them that way.).  But of course, I think Alfie needs a proper training for everyone's peace of mind.

[lisa77]

Ok, my sister now tells me the vet told her Alfie is part Staffy ...(Once she had bought him over again last night!)


He is such a soppy dog tho & not agressive in the slightest. However.. obviously staffies & cats dont normally mix well at all & usually end up with no cat left.

Alfie isnt the problem but Leo continues to race past him with his toys.. every 5 mins he will approach Alfie just to test his luck & all Alfie wants to play !

Im scared now that if Leo swipes at him Alfie may turn & that would be it ... no more Leo...

Is it cruel to put a muzzle on Alfie while they get used to eachother ???

[LOONEY]

Keep with it Lisa. I lost my gsd last week and my staffie was very lonely. They usually stay in the conservatory but because Manson was so sad we brought him in and the cats were like "WHAT IS THAT"!!! Within a few days they were rubbing round him. He is not in all the time so there is a chance for Leo and Alfie. xx

[dolcetta46]

Sounds like pretty much an usual scene of encounter between a dog and still growing kitten, especially if it was the first experience for Leo.  It is no way we can tell as yet, but in many cases they eventually get used to each other, learn to.. well not to be buddy-buddies, to co-exist together fairly peacefully.  Give them a few more chances and see how it goes!

[Stuart]

only Time will Tell 

I've had a few experiances with Cat's n Dogs and usually (depending on the dog mostly, i.e. well trained)
and once Leo realises Dog is not a threat  it is not impossible

[lisa77]

Do you think I should persevere ? Or is it pretty apparent Leo wont ever like him ? 

[lucy]

Leo knows who is boss then!

[JackSpratt]

He's very young, it's possible if he's round your sisters dog often enough he'll just view them as an irritation! My cats are VERY anti-dog sadly.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Leo sounds a very wise kitten 

[blackcat]

poor dog. Shadow got roundly beaten up by Smidgen's half brother when we went to collect him. Soppy dogs are easily intimidated by cats with attitude. Leo will be fine, he may take a little longer to get used to the dog if it is not living with you, but mine became accustomed to several sets of dogs who used to visit regularly.

[lisa77]

My sister has moved back from Bonny Scotland & brought her dog round. Well I was petrified as this dog looks very scary but has such a soppy personality. I was still very cautious  Alfie the dog was put in his dog cage just to be on the safe side & Leo's back arched straight up.. fuzzed up tail & started hissing at Alfie!  Alfie was flinching when Leo was trying to get him through the railings of the cage.. After a while Leo was just lying outside of the cage & was just staring at Alfie !

Do you think if Leo doesnt like him they will never get used to eachother ?

There was me thinking Alfie was going to be the problem !! My sister & Alfie have gone now & Leo has slouched off now to sleep in his carrier which he often uses as a bed !