My dog is attacking my cats. How do I stop this dangerous behavior?

It does sound like he's trying to play with her but he's being too aggressive to her, and I would recommend slowly reintroducing Lio to her. Take Lio who is aggressive, and put him in his own room with his own food, water, and litter box. Keep the door closed, and for a few days, feed them both treats on other side of door so they associate each other's smell with a good experience. Then let the other cat in the Lio's room while he is in a cat carrier. They can smell each other, but not be in contact. If either becomes upset or show signs of aggression, remove the second cat from the room, and try again later. Praise them when they interact appropriately. When they are interacting well with each other through the carrier, you can let Lio out of his room, and see how he interacts with the other cat. Praise them when they interact appropriately, and separate them with any sign of aggression or upset. I would get a cat tree with lots of shelves to give the cats vertical space to get away from each other. I would keep Lio in his room when you go out until they are comfortable with each other.

Hi there. Without being able to evaluate Oreo in person and watch her behavior with the cats, it's hard to say why she is doing this. It may be play-related behavior, fear-based aggression, or predatory aggression. Specific treatment recommendations will vary depending on the underlying cause. This is a very dangerous situation for your cats because Oreo is such a large, powerful dog, so I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person. You can search for one here: www.dacvb.org or here: www.ccpdt.org In the meantime, I would recommend keeping the cats physically separated from Oreo (in another room with the door closed) at all times to prevent any further problems until you can get a professional in to help.

Arlo sounds like quite a character! Some cats can be quite aggressive with other animals, and I suspect Arlo is one of this kind. It may be wise to keep some parts of the house "off-limits" to Arlo where only your dog is allowed to go, and to receive attention in, so your dog doesn't start to feel left out. You can control when you give both animals treats and affection, so it should be easy to prevent Arlo from attacking your dog if these are events that trigger the aggressive behavior. Easy--feed them in separate rooms, and don't let them have access to one another when either is receiving treats or affection from you. They should work things out on their own eventually, but you don't want your dog to feel like he has to start defending himself against the cat.

Oh dear! This is potentially a very dangerous situation for your cat, so I would definitely recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist if you want to keep both pets - he/she can evaluate your dog in person to help determine the level of risk involved, and will put together a detailed training plan to work on the problem. Generally, treatment for this problem would involve rewarding the dog for calm behavior around the cat, while also managing the situation carefully to ensure that there are no injuries - this may mean that the dog needs to be on-leash at all times around the cat, or they should be separated using a baby gate or some other physical barrier during training sessions until things are calmer. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

It is never a good idea to introduce a new dog into a household where there are existing problems with the dog in residence. You neen to get Leo's behavior under control before even thinking about getting a puppy. If Leo is food-motivated, have your parents or boyfriend keep a handful of treats ready when you are about to demonstrate any kind of affection towards them. As you do, have the other person give Leo a treat. Praise him if he has been good. Soon, he will come to associate these acts of affection with something tasty. If food doesn't work, you may need to try shaking a toy instead. If you are continuing to have trouble, you can click on the prompt to initiate a consult, where we can talk much more about this. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If he is attacking you and not trying to play then he should be confined, you should always keep him up to date on Rabies, and you should discuss behavior modification drugs with your Vet, like prozac. I would get it in a liquid form you can put in his food. I would purchase feliway diffusers for around the house, one should go in his room. You can play with him but as soon as he gets over stimulated you need to stop and walk away. If he starts to get aggressive and is coming towards you squirt him with a water bottle. It is inappropriate behavior for a cat to attack you and injury you that badly. You need to strongly consider if this is the kind of relationship you want from a pet. This may not be an easy thing to break him of. I hope this helps and i wish you the very best!

Cats can behave like this after any separation (even just as short as a trip to the vet). Generally this behavior will calm down. For now, separate food, water and litter box so that there is not competition. Also try a pheromone diffuser in the house to see if this helps to calm them down. Separate them if things become too aggressive and then reintroduce once they have calmed down. Best of luck with Lucy.