Shelties and cats

[Megansmom]

I have a 15 1/2 y/o female cat and a 13 y/o female cat, neither of them like Megan in any way shape or form . Mindy is just now after 6 months of having Megan, staying in the same room as Megan. Rainy took it in stride, but doesn't let Megan get within a few feet of her without hissing her head off.

Just be careful and make sure your cat gets lots of special attention

 

[MissSuzie]

May cat Panda, may he rest in peace, was 11 when I brought Meggie into the house. At the time, Panda was easily twice her size (he was 22 pounds!) and he instinctively knew she was a baby. He was declawed, so I didn't have to worry about him scratching her, but he swatted her often to tell her he had "enough." They learned to play somewhat, but I would say that Meggie thought Panda was her friend and Panda thought Meggie was a nusance.

My daughter's sheltie, Lilly, was here at about three years of age. She chased Panda incessantly and it stressed him out terribly. He was diabetic and his blood sugar got all messed up from the stress.

So my theory is, if you bring in a pup you'll have a lot less trouble.

 

[Toffee's Mom]

No problems,
Psychological effect on Kitteh: 0
Psychological effect on Toffee: Priceless

First born kitteh had trained Toffee within seconds of meeting... but my anti-social cat took two months of sneaking around, giving me dirty looks, sleeping on top of Closet etc etc
Then one night I wake up and the two of them sharing a couch... She likes Toffee more than the other cat, sleeps on bed together with him now

Just give them time and a safe place.
This is Toffee's poodle over for a play date and cat takes over couch and makes it awkward, as he has trained the Poodle now too, lol (Saturday)

Other photo is Anti Social Cat taking Toffee's food bowl over, after she now trusts him! (last year photo)

 

[Toffee's Mom]

can't remember how to delete post, sorry was a double enter

 

[Caro]

My previous sheltie and cat (Benny and Sam) got along so well it broke my heart. Ben and Sam became such good mates that Sam would follow Ben everywhere (yes a cat shadowing a sheltie) and when Sam jumped over the fence Ben would cry.

When Ben died Sam was traumatised. He would just lie around in Ben's kennel or in Ben's favourite spot at the window and yowl. He would only eat from the dog bowl and would drag around bens things. This went on for two years the constant crying and searching for his buddy. It was so heart-wrenching to watch (wish I had known about anti-depressents for animals back then). Then when Sam got epilepsy he just decided he didnt want to live, he just cried nonstop and didnt move from Ben's spot. I was so upset by the whole affair I swore I would never get another pet because I couldnt cope with the grief.

My current kitten just adores Tully - like a sister. Hope I'm not setting myself up for more heartache.

So yes, cats and shelties can be very good together.

 

[skstylez]

hey thanks guys, some great/touching stories in here. I showed it to my dad earlier and he was more than convinced (though he was already in a good mood). The claw trimming is a perfect idea and he was pleased to hear that. I hope our sheltie will be able to play with our cat, our cat seems very calm now, and i have seen how energetic shelties are (and a pup just makes things better)

Unfortunately the bi-black was sold while i was sleeping, so i guess i will be joining the gang of brownies and milk! But thanks once again, i can't thank you enough for all the feedback and on such short notice!

 

[Smudge]

Gizmo, my first sheltie, loved our cat Tuna. Gizmo and Tuna were best pals. Sadly, our computer that had pictures of Tuna and Gizmo together crashed. I have pictures of Gizmo (only two were saved), but none of Tuna. Tuna was a tuxedo cat.

Smudge is a different story. I think the neighbor's cat has mentally ruined him. It is also a tuxedo cat (we call it Tux, but I don't know what his real name is). Tux has stolen all of Smudge and Fluffy's outside toys. I know it's him, because when I go to work early in the morning he will have their rubber bones in his mouth. When I open the door he runs away with them! So now Smudge and Fluffy only get their outside toys when I am outside with them. Fluffy seems unfazed and uncaring one way or the other about Tux.

It doesn't help that Tux will sit in front of the fence and groom himself. It drives Smudge wild. The picture is of Tux as a kitty.

 

[Cedarsmom]

I have a cat, Misty, who has outlived 5 dogs. He will be 25 in two days. He has gotten along with all of them. He went to the vet last week for his annual checkup and he's still doing well. Every year he goes, the vet always says " He's still alive!!??"
Cedar harasses him occasionally by bumping him with his nose, just to get him to play. Misty will sit and bat at the dog as he zooms around the cat. Finally Cedar will stop and start backing up to him so that the claws won't get him in the face anymore. It's pretty hilarious to watch. I attached a picture of the two of them this past February on a cold day. It must have been a good day to stay close to the fire.

 

[corbinam]

I can't add any advice as we added a kitten to our family after we had Bentley. I can tell you that you have to be patient. Bimmer (the kitten) hissed for about 2 days straight at the dog, and then they decided that they were best friends. To this day, Bimmer thinks he's a sheltie and he will chase Bentley and Lexi around the house, then they'll trade!

Here are some shots from when Bimmer was a baby

 

[OntarioSheltie]

Our cats were elderly also when we brought home our first sheltie.

SO the day has finally come where i am able to get a sheltie!! I am so excited! We are lookin towards the bi-black, one of my best friends had it and i fell in love!

The only thing in our way is the cat. We have a 14 y/o cat and love her. She seems pretty healthy for 14, maybe not as energetic much more mellow ever since she fought a raccoon around 2 months back. she DID have a friend back before our neighbors moved, a cat next door, and there was another stray cat that she barely got along with that some ###hole neighbors left behind. What i am trying to say is she takes a while to ADJUST to anything we bring or do.

Now i KNOW she will be able to adjust to a puppy coming in, but my dad, thinking i did not do any research, wonders if it causes psychological effects (which to me sounds absurd). Our cat is free, we let her out any day that isnt too wet or too cold, and she comes back in from time to time if the door is open, for food, and in the evening. Of course we would not let her out the first few days we get the puppy, but my dad is still afraid.. of something. Any experiences/ideas/comments?

When my parents brought our first sheltie home almost 9 years ago, I was very worried about my cats. My sweet girl Natasha, at the time 13, I was the most worried about. She'd never had any dog experiences before and i was afraid she'd be tramatized. Boy was I ever wrong! It only took her about a week to get used to the puppy and she was wonderful with him. Natasha would allow Milo to cuddle up to her, jump around in her face and drop his toys on her (an invite to play). They were good friends till she died 4 years later.

Mangey (Mr. Mange E. Beast), my laid back ex tom cat who was 12, I was sure would adapt in no time. Boy was I EVER wrong. Mangey never got used to him and used to try and attack him. When Milo got older he'd try and egg Manegy on. Eventually there was a truce of sorts and the dog lived upstairs while Mangey lived downstairs in our finished basement.

It really depends on the cat I guess. Although Mange was fairly laid back most of the time he did have a history of attacking strange dogs who wandered on his property. It happened a long time ago and we also thought it would be different if we introduced them properly. Something we definitely should have taken into account. It was always annoying but something that we learned to deal with. It also helped that our cats were also allowed to go outside (although he was fat and lazy and we had to force him) so it wasn't as if Mangey never saw the light of day.