Help!...

[Furry Friend]

Ahh Gillian thats what ziggys doing.
I know crates for puppy lol We tried putting dog in when he was younger but as soon as the dog sptted ziggy hed try and escape the crate, as dog was banging ziggy ran off upstairs again.
Would get dog flap but dont think either would figure out how to use it

Arr yes ... toffee (our bengal) shes had the dog by the nose round the neck and everything!, one time i had to pull her claw out his face as she was being drgged by the foot whilst the dog ran off It was funny..
Toffee definately puts him in his place, its just ziggy now that needs working on.

I reckon its to do with his heart condition, the dog doesnt help matters though.
The dog is out eeryday from 9am-6pm he goes to my nans whilst im at school. So ziggy has the house with toffs. (Not sure if he comes down as we arent in but he has the chance.)]

Thanks alot anyways for all the advice and reassurance, im sure ziggy will find some courage one day :D

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I think that sick cats do tend to stay mostly in places easier for them to manage, I know that Napoleon did.

[Gillian Harvey]

It makes me feel bad as he sits looking down the stairs

My cat Sam (my profile piccie) had heart failure and he was quite lethargic when first diagnosed and for a time afterwards when he started on meds. He stopped going outside so much too and tended to stay in one place for long periods of time.

[Liz]

The crate is for the puppy not the cat

Also can you take the puppy out for the day and see if Ziggy will come down the stairs. also what are you going to do with the door being open, you can get a dog flap fitted to the door which puppy and cats can use and making it ID Chip readable means they will all have access should they want it

We had all 3 of ours on leads till they got used to the cats which have always been our priority, as my 3 are Border Collies we have had some interesting herding moments and the cats have been allowed to nail the dogs on the nose and for a while all 3 looked like they had been shredded but it taught the dogs who was in charge and they now adore all the cats they have yet to meet Miss Porsche our bathroom bengal though should be fun

I think you have to make the cats top priority and the puppy will soon learn its place in the pack - our dogs know they are the cats pets

[Furry Friend]

 :thanks:Gillian
I dont force him down, kind of try to encourage him if you know what i mean. I think yes he has been knocked around abit too much with all the vet care hes been through
The dog hasnt helped but im hoping he will get used to him soon.
I havent got a problem with the tray being upstairs, and my mom cleans it each day, just that it stinks

Thanks for the help Gillian made me think it could be just him keeping himself away in the quiet. It makes me feel bad as he sits looking down the stairs

[Gillian Harvey]

I don't know, but I would think the reason Ziggy is staying upstairs and keeping himself to himself, is more to do with his heart condition, the fact that he's been through several veterinary procedures and is having to have daily medication,  rather than the addition of the dog, although I doubt the dog has helped matters. I wouldnt bring him downstairs if he clearly doesnt want to, I would let him adjust to the dog, and different routines, in his own time, forcing the issue will just make things worse, especially with his condition.

I don't quite see the problem with a litter tray upstairs, I have a couple of trays upstairs for my cats and as long as they are cleaned regularly they shouldnt be disgusting as you put it. 

[Furry Friend]

  i will try that thanks. We have had crates but he hates them, we did try him with ziggy like you said but as the dog tries to get out ziggy runs off anyway. Mom was thinking zyklene tablets ecspecially now bonfire nights coming, just worred it might react badly to him not sure but ill try it all out :D

Ahhh SNAP Yours is lovely too!!!
Toffee is like that with bloo liz! Pity ziggy isnt too though
I thought about DAP diffusers might make bloo calmer dont know, but the feliway doesnt halp ziggy. Mom bought the plug in and sprray, the house stunk for days i tell you lol

Thankyou for the help!!

[snarf]

snap!



when i introduced this one (Neko) it all went ok but after 6months my Lucifer got a strep virus that really knocked him and Neko realised he could get away with being a little  and that poor luey didnt have the energy to run off, fight back and had lost his voice so couldnt even complain. so luey just retreated and stayed out of the way and let Neko claim his spot on the bed at night.its taken months to get back to normal but it has and too be honest i think their relationship has improved. For Luey, having lots of high up places dotted about so he could get around without neko being able to touch him (Neko has a curved spine and it still building up the muscles to jump) really helped him and having occasional just me and luey nights where id shut the others out of my room and we could have a  safe cuddle  for the night and rebond.
not sure if its something you could try with Ziggy or whether it would work as it also depends on the dogs behaviour as well and i know zilch about dogs

ahh lizs advice sounds like what you need,

[Liz]

Ok having introduced 3 puppies to the Clan cats over the last 4 years can I give some advice that has worked for all 3 of ours

Firstly get a crate for the dog, ensure it has food, water a nice crate mat and get the dog used to it - put puppy training pads inthe crate for overnight we did this with all 3 of ours and now Sky has his crate open all night as he doesn't eat cat food but Sunny and Mist puppy are locked in theirs overnight to no ill effects

Also get a DAP diffuser plugged in for the dog and put him on Zylkene to take the edge off him to - won't do any harm and Fireworks night is only 5 weeks away so useful to get him on to both things - DAP Diffuser is the doggy equivalent of feliway

Keep the dog on a short lead until Ziggy is comfortable coming down stairs, also shut the back door you need to take the puppy out not let it have free access and gets the puppy into a routine quicker it also means that you get to read the dog for its business - Mist always goes in to the kitchen should he need to go he is 24 weeks old tomorrow and we have had him from 8 weeks old so know how hard it is to get the dog in to your routine and as we have house cats as well as the indoor outdoor crew leaving a door open is not an option and coming in to winter not a good thing to be doing

Feel free to pm me for more advice and things to try - my dogs adore the cats and this shows how good introductions can be -this is a former feral kitten Sherbet with my puppy and we always do careful introductions with the dogs and they treat their crates as a safe place 

Also Sky my oldest boy who is 4 wwith his best friend feral Panther

[Furry Friend]

 
I understand where you are all coming from regarding the dog. We never knew ziggy would become drastically ill beforehand
I think tats exactly how ziggy feels towards us, but i cant make him come down if he doesnt want to I spend hours upstairs playing fussing him, but then he goes off again.

I think that ziggy is scared of the dog because when we first brought the dog back home ziggy was on the floor and the dog chased him upstairs which is why he hasnt come down :/ We thought ziggy would be fine with the dog, we thought toffee would be the one that wouldnt come down, but its the other way round.
I thought if he sees toffee is okay with the dog he would come downn too!
Im going to have to take it in stages,
the dog isnt in during the weekdays as my nan has him so ziggy has free run of the house when hes not there.
Is really difficult with him not coming down as we have litter trays upstairs which is disgusting too! I bring ziggy down on his cat tree so he can watch the dog, but after 20mins or so hell go back up again.

Ziggy toffee or the dog arent going anywhere lol, just want peace in the house!!!

[Jiskefet]

I was wondering what the problem with the dog was....
But from Gill'sremark I understand the dog is new, and was introduced at a time that was already difficult for Ziggy.
If so, it wasn't a very clever move, to put it mildly... When a cat is ill or recovering, and therefore under stress as things stand, is just about the worst time to have any changes, let alone bring in a new dog, of even a new cat.

Even if Ziggy hadn't been ill, the decision about taking a dog would need very careful consideration. One would first have to test if the cats would accept one, and if that particular dog would get on with the cats and vice versa. If not, the cats come first. Cats rule.

You simply cannot expect a cat, even a healthy, unstressed cat, to accept just any dog you decide to get and be his normal self. A dog, like a human, is a cat's empoyee. If you want it to work, the cat has to show he is willing to share his house with the dog. Ziggy is clearly stating he doesn't want this dog invading HIS house and claiming HIS slaves.

[Furry Friend]

I agree Gill, the trouble is is that i cant give ziggy much fuss as hes always under the bed, everytime i go upstairs to give him attention he will run off under the bbed again. But i know where your coming from regarding the dog
I will never get rid of ziggy ever, he has been through so much id rather him be at home with us, he has all his medication which he hates having :D Other than that he loves to play with shoelaces, catch spiders etc... I think they had done damage to his brain whilst he was knocked out.
The dog is young and needs a lot of input but the cat is sick and also needs love. I really need some advice
Ziggy has to come out from the bed but with out physically pulling him out i cant do anything for him I feel really sorry for him sitting watching, i just wish he would brighten up again, so i can have my ziggs back again.

[CatGirl]

I entirely agree with you,i have emailed such feelings in the past to some people,usually the cat's there first,but they are normally the first to be got rid of.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I am sorry gonna be a bit blunt her but think the dog needs to get less attention and ziggy much more, or even the dog to go as ziggy was there first.

Sorry

[Furry Friend]

  for advice.
We have spent loads of money on feliways but doesnt seem to help him
I do sit on the stairs with ziggy know and again, and give him a big cuddle before we go to bed. There is a stair gate on the bottom of the stairs to stop the dog getting upstairs.
We have to leave the back door open for the other cat toffee, also the dog to stop him doing accidents 

Ive heard of the zylkene tables and was considering maybe, just unsure about what method to use right now as hes unwell, he needs his boosters all over again as hes missed them but as hes not well the vets advised us not to book him in for them incase they react to him wrongly.

Ziggy is a maine coon yes How did you guess??
I would have thought he would have come down by now but doesnt seem to be willing.
Am hoping with help from the forum i can make ziggy come back down and accept the dog like toffee has done

Thankyou
 

[sheilarose]

Agree with Snarf - feliway works on some animals extremely well. Also sitting on the stairs with him for a few minutes now and again with a few Dreamies and a soft voice will make him love you all over again.

Make sure you wash the scent of doggie off your hands first, as he will accept your own natural scent better without doggie all over you. 

Is the back door still open all day? It may be worth closing it from now on, as Poor Ziggy knows how hard it is on the outside and also knows he's not up to the rigours of the great outdoors these days. Closing in his "safe" area will help him feel secure downstairs as well as under the bed.

Rescue remedy and zylkene are well liked on this forum as calming products (maybe the dog would benefit too if he's hyperactive?) and may help to break his nervous habits.

Make sure the dog gets taken away for a little while each evening to give Ziggy the chance to come downstairs. Make Ziggy a comfy bed on the back of the sofa or on top of a tall cat tree where he's out of reach of the dog but can still maintain contact with you.

Am I right in thinking Ziggy is your Maine Coon? Just wondered if the Maine Coon society have any breed specific advice.

Good luck, I'm sure he wants you back as much as you want him.

[snarf]

Poor Ziggy,
id imagine a feliway plug in would be a good place to start, just something to make the world feel slightly safer. i think id be inclined to sit on the stairs with him also- you coming to him may reassure him that hes still wanted and welcome.
theres a few here with dogs and cats and more experience of the introducing the 2- may be worth amending your thread title to specify abit more?

[Furry Friend]

Hi,
Not sure if i am posting this problem in the right place but oh well

My one cat Ziggy has been through a lot the past few months. He collapsed and had to be rushed to out of hours to be in oxygen for 2 days and nights, he had been knocked out in anisetic 4-5 times, been diagnosed asthma and heart failure. He has bad eye and swollen lips on top of all this. Poor ziggy he has an inhaler and heart tablets a day.
The back door is open 24/7 basically for the 2 cats. Ziggy used to go out each day and drive us mad to get up an let him outside, he was a proper outdoor cat, bought back birds and everything! :D
But since all the operations and the dog arriving ziggy has just lived upstairs under the bed, he comes out to use the tray and to eat then dissapears again. I usually pick him up and bring him down because he sits on the stairs looking down throught the bannister(so he oviously wants to come down)
Because of all his problems hes not as confident anymore and not himself.(mom thinks they have caused some damage to his lungs and minor brain damage)
Basically has anyone got ay ideas on how i can make ziggy ziggy again, and to make him come down stairs and accept the dog etc...
The other night was a hue improvement ziggy came down and sat in the armchair whilst thedog was in the kitchen!! This is a huge progress for ziggy but he took off again upstairs. People say he will come down in his own time but we dont think he will ever.
Has anyone got any ideas to make his come down??? any advice much appreciated