My cat is acting scared and stressed around new dogs. What can I do?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | neutered | 11 months and 9 days old | 8 lbs
Hi! My sister has her dogs with us at the moment and when they moved in my cat began acting very scared/paranoid with pretty much everything around him,I know he doesn’t like dogs but he doesn’t interact with any of the dogs so I’m not sure if that’s the issue. He hissed at my sister which is very out of character and is fluffing up his tail at odd moments. I’m wanting to know what I should do to help or make him feel safe, or if there’s something that might be physically wrong? Thank you :)
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on July 10th, 2018
Having dogs in his home territory is likely to be very stressful. Natural calming aids such as royal canin calm food, zylkene or adaptil diffusers may help, as well as creating complete dog free zones with cosy bedding, litter tray and food/water for him so he does not need to cross open spaces to get to them
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on June 11th, 2018
Cats are easily stressed by any changes in their environment, so it may take them several weeks to get comfortable with their new roommate :) It's definitely good that the dog doesn't chase them or pay much attention to them. To help make them more comfortable, make sure that they have a safe area such as a spare bedroom or office, that the dog does not have access to. This area should have their food and water bowls, litter boxes, scratching posts or cat trees, toys, etc. This way, they always have a safe haven to go back to if they get anxious or uncomfortable around the dog. You can also try using Feliway pheromone diffusers around the house, along with a daily natural calming supplement such as Zylkene or Composure to see if this helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
I just rescued a dog, and already have two cats. I've had the cats since they were kittens, and they are 3 years old, but have never been around dogs. My dog is a 3 year old pit bull, and was "cat tested" at the SPCA and they said he did well. At ho
Lately my cat is always on alert, scared and hiding. Maybe it is because another boy cat comes frequently and threatens it. How to help my cat?
My cat has lived with dogs and cats before. We have been living just him and I though for the past two years. Whenever he has come into contact with animals since then he gets very defense (hisses, growls, etc.) there is a possibility we could be mov
An outdoor cat my family has recently been feeding has made her(?) home inside of our house after it started snowing and ran inside, to the much dismay of our other cats and dogs. Any way we can help them adjust? I don't believe she's a true feral ki
My cats were just rehoused to me from my dad who was neglecting them. They are very unsure of their surroundings and they keep growling and hissing. They got along fine before but now they are attacking each other. We also have a dog and im worried o
Meowgi is an indoor/outdoor cat. Shes never had an issue until a tomcat came to our front porch and I had to separate their fight. She came in and I checked her several good times and shes physically okay. She wont go outside for the last week now (3
Hi there, I am going to be dog sitting a friend’s dog, however I have a cat who is generally quite anxious. Any advice on how to make this a easy as possible for my cat.
We have a 3 year old rescued Poochon that loves me but is terrified of my husband. She is always on alert when he is home. She cannot relax when he is home unless she is sitting with me. What can we do to help her to get over her fear? We have had he
HELP. I brought my cat over to my neighbors who i was spending the night with whom had a cat. (context, my cat has grown up with an extremely friendly temperate in which he literally is kind and nice to everyone) and his cat tried to attack my cat in
I have a 10 month old Ragdoll and she is seriously scared of going downstairs to my family (of 5 small children). My kids have never hurt Ella (the kitten), but they do run around a lot. I don't want her to be scared to come downstairs whenever I com
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
