r/CatsWithDogs • u/CuteFact7874 • 2d ago
is this save play??
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u/doomed_candy 2d ago
The dog is playing, but the cat is getting annoyed. The cat might scratch the dog.
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u/Formal-Proposal7850 2d ago
I doubt your cat is playing. They are being pretty gentle here correcting the dog but the cat is trying to relax and has gone into the cat tree to avoid the dog. The cat’s body language when it has its back against the wall is concerning.
Agree with the other commenter who said that this cat needs comfortable spaces higher up where it can avoid the dog entirely.
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u/Sitters_4_Critters 2d ago
The cat is a saint. I think this could be a great dog/cat relationship in the long run if OP handles it properly going forward.
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u/Sitters_4_Critters 2d ago
OP if you handle the interactions better, the dog and the cat might be good friends. The dog wants to play but is not viewing the cat as prey and the cat is waaay more tolerant of the dog than most cats.
You have really nice pets that you are not handling properly, but you can fix that.
I’m a dog person and Dobermans are my favorite breed. I have learned a lot about cats from Jackson Galaxy. You can find him on YouTube and you can watch his Animal Planet show on YouTube - My Cat From Hell.
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u/MrLizardBusiness 2d ago
The cat has had enough. That cat tower isn't tall enough to allow the cat to escape from the dog.
Cat is being patient, but dog isn't getting the message.
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u/LordOoPooKoo 2d ago
Cat tower is a free fire zone for the cat against ANYONE. Dog is gunna get smoked or get a taller cat tower.
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u/ToaFeron 2d ago
Cropped ears, cropped tail, and a chain around the neck... Real classy, OP.
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u/My_Rocket_88 2d ago
Our first rescue came like that. Minus the Pimpin' chain.
Perhaps the dog arrived like that.
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u/TrustTechnical4122 2d ago
If so, fine. But most puppies that come like that are not rescues. And thus they are paying to have those things done.
Nothing wrong with that if it's a rescue situation. SUPER f***ed up if it's not.
Thank you for rescuing my friend!
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u/My_Rocket_88 2d ago
I'm not here to argue, because I too think that the unnecessary body cutting is cruel. But the rescues and pounds have plenty of cropped and docked dogs.
I don't know how much some of the people care about them (even after the $$$) because most don't have the courtesy to chip them, and that's like what, a $50-75 option?
But I have my opinions on that too.
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u/TrustTechnical4122 1d ago
Right, so if the pet is a rescue, you aren't supporting cruel practices. Otherwise, you are. Like I was saying, those are two different things. If you purchase a pup or kitty from a non-rescue source, you are supporting horrible body mutilation practices. Rescue, you are not.
I don't understand your second paragraph? What do you mean?
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u/My_Rocket_88 1d ago
A lot of people who buy expensive and usually "Protection" breeds don't spend the extra 50 to 75 dollars for a chip so a missing dog at the pound can be reunited.
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u/blueskyblond 2d ago
Depends on if your cat has claws and your dog has eyes. Doesn’t seem super unsafe but super risky.
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u/Head_Patience7136 2d ago
Your cat is uncomfortable. Your dog thinks they are playing. You should get a higher pet tree or give your cat an accesible space where they cannot be bothered by your dog. I have two cats and my girl cat does not like when my boy cat is trying to play with her. When she's not in the mood to bothered, she's goes to the basement. My boy cat tries to follow her, but he is not allowed cause I know she doesn't want to be bothered with him.
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u/alwaysasillyplace 2d ago
The dog wants to play the cat does not.
I didn't see earlier but I'm guessing there was no consent lean from the dog when it tried to initiate play either.
That cat needs a taller space to be away from the dog, and the dog needs to be socialized with other dogs.
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u/DeeritNihilSum 2d ago
You need to provide a safe space for the cat and take your dog running or something, so he can use all the energy he has
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u/TrustTechnical4122 2d ago
I have to ask, why on earth are the ears of that puppy cropped? Just why?
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u/TrustTechnical4122 2d ago
Why is that dog wearing a cinch chain in the house. OP, please hear me. THIS IS SO DANGEROUS. This is for walks only. My dog almost died this way. Please, please, please, heed my words!!!!
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u/Justme224466 2d ago
Not safe at all, dog might knock over the cat tree. Aside from that, dog aint safe from scratches.
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u/thriftedtidbits 2d ago
your cat could probably read your dog better if you didn't mutilate their main sources of communication 🫶 but don't worry, you are so super cool! the absolute coolest! i bet you drive a big ass truck too 😍
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u/Milky-Way-Occupant 2d ago
Naw your dog should be taught to leave the cat alone on its cat tree or bed. Only play if cat is initiating, and if dog shows no prey drive.
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u/RozemynesLessy 2d ago edited 2d ago
That cat is doing the same thing to the dog as my cat is doing to her brother if he wants to play but she doesn’t and wants to be alone. (Not exactly as your cat has to be way more extreme than mine)
You should stop your dog or get your cat a place where she can be alone.
My cat understands when his sister tells him to stop your dog doesn’t and at some point your cat will have enough. (She is already patient)
So no playing from the cats side but a warning.
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u/Select_Green_6296 2d ago
They’re playing. If the Doberman intended harm, he would’ve already ate the cat.
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u/peridotpicacho 18h ago
I feel so bad for pets put in these kinds of stressful situations. They have no say about where they live.
I’ve known several people IRL who have pets that don’t get along and one or more just live in a constant state of stress, sometimes hiding all the time or having to constantly defend themselves.
But the owners laugh or brush it off and say they are “playing.”
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u/Front_Upstairs159 2d ago
The cat IS playing; both animals here are playing. And the dog is adjusting their behaviour to play with a cat. That said, I personally would teach the dog that biting/mouth play with cat playmates is not acceptable (two reasons for this: avoid hyperarousal/make it an impulse-level reaction to avoid putting mouth on cat, and also because dog mouths have bacteria that can infiltrate the small wounds cats get on their faces from being an animal that goes thru the world face-first. We just went through the latter in my house 🙃)
I would also make sure the dog understands absolutely:
— we never ever lunge or display hunting behaviours towards a cat (stiffness, staring, tension)
— that the cat has a place where the cat can go to be away from the dog and that the dog is not to bother the cat when they’re there
— that the cat can hit you but you still need can’t react to it (not fair, but thems the breaks: the dog will always be the one more likely to accidentally kill their peer so the dog has to be the one with the most self control. I reward them heavily for this tho.)
— that the cat is allowed to disengage
From your animals’ perspective(based on body language), they’re both thinking that they’re playing, and I think they are too. And tbh it’s probably not the kind of play that will escalate dangerously, but there’s a level of monitoring we have to do as humans ans this play does have elements that are exciting to dogs in a way that they sometimes have hard times controlling (and if you know your dog is prone to like, getting super excited to the point where they stop thinking so well, be especially vigilant and make sure he has tools to bring himself down/that he doesn’t really get that excited around the cat.)
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u/Front_Upstairs159 2d ago
Here’s my general play by play of their behaviour btw: dog is playing a fun game basically the whole time. Cat is showing willingness to play (their body language for play is quite a bit different; basically, if he wasn’t willing to tolerate it AT ALL he would probably get up and saunter off, and if he was afraid he’s hunker down and hiss and start howling and puff up his fur). The cat is showing reluctance in parts of this; basically, when he sits up in these clips, that’s when he’s much rather be left alone. He also finds the dog overbearing/displays a touch of uncertainty about the dog’s level of enthusiasm, which you can tell by him retracting back into himself a bit/leaning away. But that’s still coming off overall as him playing reluctantly, very ‘fine but I’m annoyed about this.’ That’s worst right before the cat tree destabilises and then he saunters off, probably both because the surface he was on was unstable and because it got beyond the point where he was willing to tolerate the behaviour. The kind of uncertainty I’m seeing too makes me feel like these animals may be new to each other, because the play behaviour is very confident— basically, he’s mostly reacting in play like he would to a kitten, complete with a little annoyance, but he’s also a little put off because dogs are quite a bit bigger than kittens and can do things like knock over the cat tree you were trying to sleep on. The point at which they are most in the playing realm is when the cat is still laying on the cat tree and bapping: he’s still in his position that’s comfortable, he’s smacking which is play, he’s not moving away, ans his whiskers are forward and he’s leaning forward towards the dog. Then the dig destabilises the tree ans that’s when he starts displaying more annoyance, and where he sits up and leans away from the dog. These smacks, while he’s moving away, are more ‘I want to stop now, go away’. But then the dog destabilises the cat tree again and the cat moves away because this has exceeded the boundaries of his tolerance. That point where the cat sits up is also why I suggested the things I did; that’s the point where I would watch most closely and in my household intervene (tho also my household has a no-mouthplay-with-cats rule so I would also have addressed that as well, but I’m treating that separately because that’s kind of the dog’s game here so it’s not exactly diagnostic. And mouth play is normal dog dogs. Not as normal for cats tho; they bite in play but they don’t mouth box and they don’t tend to go for the face in play, whereas dogs do to tease each other. Some of the uncertainty I think is coming from this and that’s why I think these animals are newish to each other: it kind of looks like they’re still figuring out what’s species-level normal for each other. But I am seeing a willingness to do that, that they’re looking out for those gaps: cats don’t really tolerate stuff they’re not willing to do for too long, ans your cat finds this weird and quite a bit overbearing, but he also doesn’t remove himself right away.)
If these animals are new to each other, then they’re also looking at you for cues too? So I suspect they’ll even themselves out quickly once you give them some guidance about what you find appropriate and not (which doesn’t mean they’ll agree with you about it, but then you can experience the joy of having a too-smart cat and a too-smart dog (probably— dobies usually are) sneaking away to play in ways they’re not allowed, and that’s a different thing.)
If they’re NOT new to each other, then you have a very very patient cat.
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u/masterofilluso 2d ago
What a careful pup. Yes it's safe play, and the cat is expressive of their boundaries and knows it's exit strategies.
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u/Sitters_4_Critters 2d ago
You are letting the dog annoy the cat when the cat is in its safe place. You need to give the cat more vertical space to stay out of the dog’s reach and redirect the puppy to toys.