OES and cats ????????
Hate to ask a nubie question - but i will. I did a search on the site and didn't see an answer to my question. I realize this varies from dog to dog, but in general, how do OES do with cats? We have 3 cats coming up on 5 years old, all litter-mates, all street orphans at 10 days old and ours ever since. We also have Apollo, a year old boxer mix rescue. The Mrs would like a oes or bearded collie and I've talked her into a "used" dog - there is a 2 y.o. oes at one of our local rescues - but I can't bring an aggresive cat chaser into the house. Any common logic or can anyone share their experience? TIA Kevin |
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| Sorry can't answer this, but wanted to welcome you to the forum, you will get some very good avice soon. |
| I don't know about OES in general but I can describe my experience. Last year, I adopted two OES. I also have one fairly easy-going senior cat and I was worried about chasing, etc.
My older dog, Chumley (9), spent a couple of days looking anxious about the kitty and occassionally growling when startled by the kitty but at this point (6 months later) she has pretty much no reaction whatsoever to the comings and goings of the cat. They are completely fine together. My younger dog, Maggie (1), was super-enthused about the cat. Her initial instincts were immediately to chase the cat but she does not try to hurt the cat. She crouches, bats, sniffs, and sometimes tries to lick the cat. She seems to want to play with him. She's seems oblivious to all of kitty's warning signs (hissing, grumbling, and swatting). We all hang out together peacefully. THe difficulty was when the cat was coming or going. I've had pretty good success with encouraging Maggie to come to me for petting or a treat whenever she sees the cat. I'd say it is going pretty well and as she gets more used to the cat over time, it is much easier to divert her to something else. It takes some managing but it seems to be moving in the right direction. If your cats are already used to a dog, it is probably easier. I'm not sure that bearded collies would be any less interested in chasing than an OES is . . Good luck with your decision! |
Welcome to the forum 
I think it would depend on whether the dog was raised with cats. My two are fine with our two cats. |
| It varies based on the individual dog and the dog's experiences. Ask the shelter or rescue to kitty-test AND dog-test any dog you plan to bring in. Be sure to ask that if it just doesn't work, if they are willing to rehome him/her. A responsible rescue will work to make the perfect match for both the dog and the family. They will always be there as a safety net for a dog if it's not a good match.
Quote: and I've talked her into a "used" dog
Thank you for recycling  Sadly, there are so many wonderful pets that just never get a chance because there are simply too many. "...It is widely accepted that 9.6 MILLION animals are euthanized annually in the United States..." Source: American Humane
Please post when you've found your newest family member... I know we'd all love to see him or her. |
| I don't know about other sheepies, but when my daughter brought her cat down to visit all Barkley wanted to do was play. The cat, on the other hand, did not appreciate Barkley--one bit! Barkley is 8 months old, and he wasn't raised around cats, but he likes to play with anyone or anything that will move and let him. My fear was that he would unintentionally hurt the cat. He is big and clumsy and rambunctious. I don't think he would have ever harmed the cat on purpose. |
| Welcome to the forum. Jasper is really good with our cat. We had one when he arrived, but she ran away (I hope - I want to think she ran away vs. what probably happened). We have her kitten now, and Jasper does really well with him too. Socks is only about 2 pounds of fur, but Jasper is very gentle. |
Quote: He is big and clumsy and rambunctious.
Are you sure you have a sheepie? The ones I know are small, graceful and calm....NOT - 
Sorry. I couldn't help myself.  |
| Hi Kevin! It seems we're neighbors - I'm in Northridge. Welcome!
Spike has grown up with Sebastian, my 6 year old cat, and still does not make life easy for him unfortunately. Spike is just over a year old now (he came into our house at 7 weeks) and thinks that Sebastian is there as his playtoy. Sebastian tolerates him far better than he should and has never really put him in his place properly, which is why I believe he still is tormented daily by Spike. Spike chases him around and grabs ahold of his neck as a form of play. It's horrible. He's never hurt the cat but I am not all that comfortable with how rough he is with him and I often have to call Spike off him just so the cat will be able to move about the house as he pleases. Most cats will swat at a dog if they're unhappy with the treatment they're receiving or better yet, they will run away and hide until there's a common understanding reached. I'm hoping that when Spike grows up a bit more and mellows out he'll leave Sebastian alone. There have been times that I've caught them grooming each other but those quiet moments don't last long! |
| Hi Kevin,
I think at most shelters they let you know if the dog is good with cats or other dogs. Usually they say, must go to a home with no other pets, or something like that. Sometimes they'll say has no experience with cats, which means you have no idea how he would react. We got Barney when he was 6 months old and he LOVES to chase the cats. He will paw at them and they will bat back and sometimes scratch--I never really worry about the cats, though--they are faster and can get up out of the way if they need to... |
| I brought Daisy home from the shelter with an 8 wk old kitten and already had a 3 yr old cat - Mork (had just lost his sister and I thought he'd like another). Mork had been raised with a German Shepherd but has never cared for any other dogs we've had around so I figured he'd set his own boundaries with Daisy.
Daisy loved both the kitten and Mork, She'd chase and play with both of them but would be very gentle once he "caught" one. I had to give up the kitten when Mork was hit by a car and needed to stay home to recuperate and he HATED the kitten but loved Daisy. When Mork comes into the house (he has his own "door" so he comes and goes as he pleases), he'll walk in and go directly to Daisy and rub up against her. Daisy does occasionally try to chase him, but Mork will just stop and the game is over. In November I brought home a 3 wk old kitten to foster while it still required bottle feeding. Daisy just loved it, she tried to be the mother - cleaning her, keeping tabs on where she was when allowed out and would carefully pick it up and bring her back to me if she thought it was going too far away. She wouldn't dream of hurting it. The kitten was returned to the shelter as planned - Mork HATED it and was vert careful to stay far away from her and her crate. The only problem I have had with having an OES and cat is that I couldn't keep Daisy out of the cat food - she loves it - wet or dry. So I had to put the cat food up where she can't reach it (yet) and hopefully by the time she can I can teach her not too (yeah right) |
| Another common problem with having cats and dogs, is that dogs often think the litter box is a snack bar. Yuck. |
| I have 12 cats (yes that number is correct), two sheepdogs (Baxter and Cassiopia) and 1 american eskimo (Sharkey). We had cats before the dogs joined us...and some cats joined us after Baxter and Cassiopia joined the family. Baxter is extremely laid back and isn't bothered by the cats - in fact, the cats think of him as a mobile heating pad. Cassiopia believes that they are there to entertain her. She has received a couple of scratches on her nose when she want to play too roughly. However she also has her "own" cat and the two will play together for hours
We set up a couple of "dog proof" areas in our house with baby gates. We blocked off the door to the rooms with the gates and cut a small hole in the bottom of the gate that a cat could dash through if necessary. We've found that the gates that are about 2' tall are the best - you can easily step over them if necessary - don't have to undo them. Good Luck, Jennifer, Baxter Cassiopia and Sharkey |
| We got our cat when Sasha was just a few months old. Sasha thought the cat was a great pal, however the kitty spent the first week stratigically (sp?) walking from the top of the couch to the computer desk to avoid Sasha'a need to 'play'. By the second week they were best buddies, and now have all there games they play down to a fine science. Keep us updated...having a sheepie is the perfect addition to a family.
~Twyla |
| I have 4 cats and Sammy gets along well with them in particular the grey and white one who he seems to have decided is HIS pet.
I looked for a OES at the Rescue Organisation before I got Sammy and the one available was placed there because she didn't like cats  but they were good enough to tell me that when I spoke to them. My first OES was a rescue dog and he was fine with cats, see if someone could bring the dog to your home and see how it gets on with the cats and then make your decision. |
Boo is really good with our cat in the house but once outside she thinks she should chase her.  Many a time i have seen boo and coco laying together really cute. |
| a better question may be "how will my cats be with a 75+ lb goofball running around all day"
i have 2 cats. jack loves them, he's such a cheeseball anyway, loves everything/one he sees. you could be stealing jewelry, as long as you have a bone you're good people. the cats don't like him all the time though. not surprisingly, they adjusted to life without him for about a week before we brought him to the new place, now they are frightened to death of him, even though they have all been here 6 mos. |
| Kevin, You may be able to tell from my photos that I have quite an assortment of animals. As many others have pointed out, all will depend on the individual animal's personality. Fred ,my OES, is great with all of my animals. At the beginning he did some cat chasing, but got over that real quick. The best is to see him with the rabbit. The rabbit searches him out and lays beside him. Good Luck. |
| Fletch loves to chase the cats around the house. He usually ends up sliding around on the tile. The cats seem to tease him though. Shadow, especially. She walks the slowest possible right in front of Fletch. She loves to torture him. Then she takes off running. And then Fletch does. It's cute. He only ever nips at the one cat with claws though because he scratches Fletch. Other wise, Fletch is just fine with the cats. |
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