Help! Moving Cat from laundry in prep for puppy...

My mum wants to move the cat out from the laundry for when the puppy comes as its the only place we can really put the puppy. We did think about getting a crate however the breeder told my Mum that if the puppy was going to be living in the house as a dog and we had no intentions of using the crate later on there is no point in getting one. I totally understand and mostly agree with her on that, however moving the cat from the laundry after 8 years is going to be tricky...
We have 5 weeks till the puppy comes home....
Ive already moved the bowls to the hallway outside the laundry and she's not impressed however is eating from their...
She's a very ...'special' cat... VERY sensitive to change, and likes her privacy. Mum thinks we should move her litter tray to the same area... however, i know this will NOT be easy. Cats like to go to the toilet in privacy and that is not a private area!!!!!! Further more my cat is ... a little over sensitive, a little bit on ... a BIG bit on the crazy side... What to do...?!
Any suggestions?!

Hey Soma,

I'm giggling at the idea of moving the cat. I don't own one, but I sure have heard they can be pedantic little creatures. I also haven't got any advice on that side of things.

However, I wanted to say my 0.2c worth about the crate training. I would strongly recommend that you do crate train your puppy. Even if you do not intend for him to sleep in it as an adult, there are times when a crate is absolutely invaluable. For example:

if he gets sick/injured and needs to be kept quiet & still;
if you want to take him to someone's house & they don't like dogs inside;
when he goes through his destructive phase (most do);
if you don't want him pooping everywhere
if you want him in the main living area with you, but under control
... the list could go on.

My adult Boxers no longer get locked up in their crates, but by choice they like to sleep in theirs. A few years ago when we had 7 Boxers, we had dreadful bushfires in the area we lived. We all got evaculated, along with thousands of other people, down to a very small local club. We along with everyone & their pets were crammed in for 3 days & nights almsot shoulder to shoulder. Without the crates this nightmare would have been a catastrophy. With the crates, our dogs were safe from other animals, annoying children & the possibility of them running off.

Well, I guess by now, you have figured I am advocate of crate training.

Sooooooo, you're going to try to train a cat? :rotfl: Sorry, couldn't resist that I have had cats all my life and it's anyones guess how it will work moving the litter box. Some cats will respond very well to moving a litterbox. For the stubborn ones, I've had my best luck moving litter boxes by moving them just a few feet at a time over a period of a couple weeks.

I have to respectfully disagree with your breeder about the crate. I really believe crate training is important and you should have a crate. Your dog needs to be comfortable in a crate. I think the safest way to have a dog in a car is in a crate (NEVER loose to become a projectile in an accident), you may need to have the dog crated overnight at the vets or for boarding, etc., etc. I don't see a bit of problem with your dog sleeping with you later on (ours do, they take turns because 12 dogs in a bed would be a bit much!), but they have to be comfortable in a crate. Later on maybe you just feed in a crate. Anyhow, just my opinion on crates.

Leave the cat in the laundry, the poor thing is probably going to be put out enough by the pups arrival without being shunted from her one refuge.

I'd go with the crate, two of mine are crate trained and it's great for all the reasons listed plus you never know when you might have to have your dogs in a strange house overnight with you, at least if they settle in their crate you don't have to worry about mischief Abigail isn't crate trained yet but that's because i've yet to buy a crate big enough for all three

personally, i would lean stongly towards buying a crate.... its invaluable for transporting to and from the vet, classes, etc. also, it gives the dog a "refuge"/den area that is just his (or hers). and most importantly, it your cat is resistant to change to begin with, having a puppy to deal with is going to be hard enough, moving everything on her may be a bit oo much. and when cats get upset enough, liter-box traingin goes right out the window. if she is as "special" as she sounds, she may continue to use the laundry area as the litter-box, whether the litter box is there or not.

unfortunately, my brand of cat litter was not able to be found in stores for a few weeks two years back so i got another style litter by the same company, only difference was that this one was "multi-cat" but same material, size consitency, etc. one of my cats had no problem, the other one wouldn't use the box until we got the old kind of litter....oddly enough she had no problems going in our large potted tree though....but the tree had to be re-potted in the winter and that was no fun project. **YUCK!***

knowing cats, i would recommend trying not to upset her that much. many cats are very resilient, but when you have a cat stuck in her ways, a tornado won't make her budge.

Litter Box Rules

The general rules of litter boxes is supposed to be one for every cat you own and one for every floor of your home.
If you kitty is used to a quite place to do her business then you have to find someplace simlar. (spare bathroom ect.) If not don't move it, your asking for problems.
I would not move her current one yet, but first give her the option of another box. After she finds the new box and is using it then take the old one away.

THE BEST! best best litter I have ever found that cats love is Dr. Elsey Cat Attract™. Using this litter or the litter additive can make a senstive cat feel better about the whole thing.

Cats are sensitve to smells so make sure she has an area that is puppy free!

good luck!
-Kelly

I agree with Ste, the Official Board Cat Expert (as he has more than anyone else! :lol:

An older cat or a sensitive cat may have serious problems being moved -- and you have both. If this is a cat that has access to the outdoors (as opposed to an all-indoor cat) the stress of this kind of situation could cause them to run off as well, so you do really need to plan carefully about introducing a puppy, and moving the cat from its favourite place is probably not the best idea as it will significantly add to the stress levels. Cats are far more sensitive to this type of change than dogs, too.

I'd both get a crate AND an xpen for the puppy (like a puppy playpen) -- that means you can crate the puppy at night but also bring it put where it can safely play in a confined area during the day, or you can leave it when you go out in the xpen as well if you don't want to crate.

Crate training BTW is the easiest way to housetrain so for that reason alone -- plus all the other noted above -- I'd crate train.

I'd suggest getting some Feliway spray or a plug-in for the areas your cat likes to go and also to spritz on the puppy's crate. First off the Feliway will be calming for your cat (these are hormones cats naurally emit to mark things they like -- but the spray and plug in are odourless). And it will help the cat to accept the puppy as the puppy's belongings will be marked in a way that makes the cat think it is something it already likes and accepts (cats are marking you with these hormones when they rub against you).

Feliway is widely available from vets or pet sites like Petedge.com. BTW you can spritz a litterbox you are moving, or a new litterbox, to get cats to be less likely to go outsoide the box in protest.

Just remind your mom that an unhappy cat is a cat likely to urinate and poop outside its litterbox -- true! -- and that might help convince her.

More on Cats and Cavaliers: http://board.cavaliertalk.com/showthread.php?t=8862

Hi,

We have two cats (3-year old boys from the same litter) who are, ummm, a little odd. We now also have a 4-1/2 month puppy who came to live with us when she was 11 weeks old.

Our vet suggested the Feliway plug-in that Karlin mentions. She said to put one in the room that the cats most thought of as "theirs." For us, it is a multi-purpose room off the kitchen, which is where their litter box and food are. It is like a large laundry room. It would have been a great place to confine a puppy, because it is the only place on the first floor that really has a door. Our floor plan is very open and there is nowhere else that can be gated.

So we plugged in the Feliway (Which my husband thought sounded pretty crazy) and put up a gate to keep the puppy out, rather than in. This room is the cats' refuge. Their food, water and litter box stayed in the same place as BP (before Puppy), and they can jump over the gate to get in and out whenever they please. Star the puppy only gets to go in when I bring her in with me (and never during the first few weeks).

Also, Star has a crate. She sleeps through the night in it, and takes naps there. She is in the crate whenever no one is in the house (I don't work outside of the home, and so it's not often she goes in for anything but to sleep). We use the crate (actually bought a second one) when she is in the car - for vet trips, to puppy class, and when I need to pick up kids (and don't have to get out of the car and leave her in it). Best of all, getting in the crate in car means she gets to come along with us to my teenage daughter's softball games, where she is the center of attention, and loves every second of it.

I don't know if it's the Feliway, or what, but our cats have adjusted so much better than we ever thought possible. We were a little concerned that they would just camp out in our bedroom upstairs for the next 15 years or so! Instead, they are incredibly curious about Star, and it's probably the best thing that ever happened to them. First, they get more exercise by jumping over that gate all the time! Second, they are always hovering about, keeping an eye on The Alien (Star) rather then sleeping their lives away. Third, they have pretty much accepted her, and now are even sharing a favorite sunbeam with her (not touching of course, they don't want any icky dog cooties...). They even seem to be attempting a sort of play now, which the three of them are still figuring out.

Sorry about the long post, but we've been really pleased that Star's arrival didn't freak out our cats, who are ummm, a bit nutty...

Good luck!

Barb, I love your post! That about sums up the attitude ("cattitude") of my four -- who now will all sleep with the dogs though the boy cats are happiest with the dogs and Quincy LOOOOOVES the dogs.

The Feliway is like a drug! I also thought it wouldn't have that much of an effect but the first time I plugged one in, I had all four down lolling on the couch like they'd been smoking opium. I keep one around now to plug in when I am away travelling and the cats are on their own. My friend comes by daily to feed them etc but the Feliway helps keeps them very laid back and calm. They are widely used and sworn by in cat rescue too.

thanks everyone! I'm just trying to convince the olds that I’m right! Moving the cat I know will have.... catastrophic (hehe pun) effect…. She is a reformed ‘random’ pee-er and I’m POSITIVE moving her out of there laundry will lead to a pee-assault….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Feliway infusers don’t work with my cat (we tried that when she kept peeing), nor did clomicalm (drug used to calm nervous cats down) As a last resort I got a vet at work to research another drug and she was given a MPA injections (once ever 6 month) and they work a treat (it has the same effect as progesterone during pregnancy stops her coming on false heat…yet another story… and chills her out).:grin:

She’s mostly an indoor cat (by choice) she seems to think the great outdoors is a conspiracy and outside the walls of our garden lay ninjas or such out to get her…
When upset she vanished into the house and if virtually impossible to find so I’m sure at first she’ll become ghost cat.:rotfl:

Over the weekend I’ve been nagging my Mum about the crate and telling her all the horrible things that could go wrong if we upset the cat (muahahaha e.g. Mum.. she may PEE on the carpet and rugs again!!!!!!!!) And my mum is starting to lean towards the crate again (tehehehe)…
The breeder wasn’t saying you SHOULDN’T get a crate, she was just saying it’s not essential. I already have a carrier for the car so that isn’t really an issue. My other idea was to set the puppy up in a play pen in the family room. What are your thoughts on that?icon_nwunsure

Mum also suggested sectioning off the laundry so the half she uses stays hers and the other half is puppy’s. But… what are the chances she’ll used her tray with a whining puppy in the same room!!!!!!!
ANYWAY I’ll stop with this long post…!
Look what I bought today…

soma said:

The breeder wasn’t saying you SHOULDN’T get a crate, she was just saying it’s not essential. I already have a carrier for the car so that isn’t really an issue. My other idea was to set the puppy up in a play pen in the family room. What are your thoughts on that?icon_nwunsure

Look what I bought today…

Click to expand...

We have an x-pen we set up in our living room for our puppies during the day. We just buy a piece of sheet vinyl from Menards to set the x-pen on to protect the floor. Just an FYI if you do this, don't buy the cheapest vinyl they have, move up a couple steps in quality. Even the little puppies can tear pieces off the low quality stuff. And I am still an advocate of crating a puppy at night. Once they are totally reliable (could be at least a year), then they can start sleeping with you. Our dogs don't get into the "sleeping in the bed" rotation til at least a year old.

We also have that book, plus a bunch others. Between that book and this board, you should do well with your puppy.