Random snapping at cat

corbinam

corbinam

Moderator
Bentley has never snapped at the cat before...EVER.

Last week I gave him a bone (while DH was out with Lexi) and the cat came up to look at it (wasn't going to eat it or anything, just smell it) and Bentley snapped at him in a very angry way. I have never seen him do that before. He has never ever exhibited any sort of resource guarding behavior. We even make it a point to take his bones, dinner, etc...at random times and he never seems to care. Lexi often stands next to him while he is chewing a toy and he doesn't care.

Tonight we came home from a basketball game and DH took Lexi out. The cat came up and was rubbing up against Bentley (as usual) and then they started playing. All of a sudden Bentley freaked out, and angrily snarled at and him and chased him (not in the fun play way). I had to grab him away from the cat.

What is going on? He had a blood test at the end of the summer and nothing stood out.

The only thing that has changed is that he and Lexi are now crated during the day. It's a long time, but we make sure to take them for 30 minute walks in the morning and afternoon, and also do trick training once a day, and agility several times a week.

I also noticed that both times Lexi was out of the house. Not sure if that is relevant or not.

What is going on?
 
So, the cat is loose and the dogs are crated during the day?

:biggrin2::biggrin2:

Let me tell you what happened in my house.

My dogs turned on my cat.....but in a scared, get me out of here way almost over night one day.

I was really surprised and did not know what happened.

I finally put a webcam on the dogs in their crate and watched from my parents across the street.

No more than 15 minutes after I left the house, my cat was rubbing herself all over the dog crates (they are wire) meowing loudly. Then....she began to stick her front leg through the crate wires and swat at my dogs :eek2:

She's a witch!

She also will stick her paw under a door jam and grab their legs as they walk by.

I wonder what happened to poor Bentley when you were out :lol:
 
danisgoat said:
So, the cat is loose and the dogs are crated during the day?

:biggrin2::biggrin2:

Let me tell you what happened in my house.

My dogs turned on my cat.....but in a scared, get me out of here way almost over night one day.

I was really surprised and did not know what happened.

I finally put a webcam on the dogs in their crate and watched from my parents across the street.

No more than 15 minutes after I left the house, my cat was rubbing herself all over the dog crates (they are wire) meowing loudly. Then....she began to stick her front leg through the crate wires and swat at my dogs :eek2:

She's a witch!

She also will stick her paw under a door jam and grab their legs as they walk by.

I wonder what happened to poor Bentley when you were out :lol:
Click to expand...

We haven't had any aggression but we have this same scenario with the dogs crated and the cat loose. When the cat got used to Mikos he started going into my sons room where the dogs are crated and walking past or laying in front of the crate. This would make Mikos bark so we keep the cat out of the room when the dogs are crated. Danisgoat is right, perhaps poor Bentley is being teased!
 
Dani, that's really interesting! I could definitely see Bimmer doing that. Maybe I'll put a blanket on the crates today (our house is too open to block the cat from the room) so at least he can't see the cat.

After Christmas we're going to start working to allow them out of the crates again, so hopefully it will go away...

Thanks!
 
corbinam said:
Dani, that's really interesting! I could definitely see Bimmer doing that. Maybe I'll put a blanket on the crates today (our house is too open to block the cat from the room) so at least he can't see the cat.

After Christmas we're going to start working to allow them out of the crates again, so hopefully it will go away...

Thanks!
Click to expand...

My cat is also 17 now.....so I guess at this point in her life she gets to be queen :lol:

But my poor dogs, especially Chloe, are scared to death of her. They walk around her in wide berths around the house. If they look at her, she yeows a them. It is actually comical.
 
I don't have a cat, but have had cats in the past. I can see that scenario happening. When I was a kid, we had a cat who used to hide and then jump out and swat at my Mom as she walked by. I can see Bimmer doing that to Bentley and Lexi. Frustration on the part of Bentley because of this, perhaps.
 
I think you are all right--pent up frustration.

Typically it's the dogs who torture the cat and he is a good sport about it (if he moves at more than a walk, the dogs are all over him--they have perfected their "cat herding" skills).

It's also sort of hard to see my little buddy snap aggressively like that since it's so out of character for him. If he had a history of standing up for himself, I feel like I wouldn't have been as shocked/worried.
 
Interestingly enough, Riley recently Growled and snapped at our cat too. The cat (Freddie) tends to try to push Riley away from his morning food (and lick/eat it) since Riley gets a small amount of wet food mixed in dor breakfast (and for his supplements). Well...the other day Riley decided that enough was enough and snapped at the cat. I made sure that he was willing to allow me the food easily and my husband as well, so no food aggression thankfully. I chalked it up to sibling rivalry!

Oh, Riley also torments/herds the cat all the time :wink2:
 
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