An Update On Tiger And Cooper
I didn’t quite get the bedroom foyer to the “finished” point that I wanted to reach before I shared another update with y’all, so today, I thought I’d share an update on Tiger (our stray cat-turned-outdoor cat) and Cooper (our dog). Several of you have asked for updates so let me get you caught up.
I’ll start with Cooper. Cooper is about 11 years old, although we’re not 100% sure how old he is because we adopted him from the Humane Society, so all we have to go on is their guesstimate of his age when we adopted him. At that time, we were told he was five years old, but he’s always had the energy of a puppy the whole time we’ve had him, so I really don’t know. But if their estimate of his age was accurate, that would make him 11 years old.
And getting this dog to sit still for a picture is virtually impossible. He just wants to run, play, sniff all the things, mark his territory, etc. Obedience training has been a complete bust with this one. 😀
Anyway, about 2.5 months ago, Cooper started regurgitating his food, so on the evening of July 4th, I took him to the emergency vet clinic where they did scans and ran tests. The scans showed that he had a tumor of some sort in his chest that was causing a condition called megaesophagus, and that secondary condition is what was causing him to regurgitate his food.
And then that same week, he had a huge cyst come up on his hind end in the span of one day. It ruptured, and the whole thing was very gross, so I had to take him for follow-up vet visits for that over the next four weeks so they could keep an eye on it and see if it would heal or if he needed surgery.
Because of the megaesophagus, I started feeding Cooper his regular food (Farmer’s Dog) mixed with lots of water to make it easier for him to swallow, and I made him sit upright while he ate and then stay seated for 20 minutes following each meal. I also started feeding him smaller meals more times throughout the day.
Here’s the crazy thing. I remember back when I took him to that emergency vet clinic, they were telling me the different options I had, and one of them was to put him down. That night. They offered to put him down that night on July 4th, and gave me that option because of the “ticking time bomb” in his chest.
Well, ever since we got through that whole episode — those very trying two weeks with the regurgitation and then the huge cyst on the back of his right leg/hip area — Cooper has been perfectly fine. He has had no regurgitation at all. His energy level is just as it has always been. He’s weight is normal. Everything about him is exactly as it was before I took him to the emergency vet clinic on July 4th.
It just seems very odd to me. I don’t want to pay to have more scans done because (1) that costs a lot of money, and (2) they have to anesthetize him to do that, and at his age, I don’t want to risk having him put under just for the sake of curiosity. It took over 24 hours for him to get back to normal after the last time they did that, and it just seems too risky to do it again when it’s not really necessary. But I joined a couple of groups on Facebook for owners of dogs with megaesophagus, and I see the condition those dogs are in, and it breaks my heart. Cooper shows no signs of any of that. He seems to be thriving, and I don’t have any way to explain that. He’s just his normal hyper self, and all he wants to do is run, jump, twirl, and play. And eat.
Tiger is also doing really well. He hangs around our house pretty much all day every day. He sleeps on top of our van or under our van. He spends his days hanging around our property. And every morning, I can find him here, waiting for his food.
He is the sweetest, cuddliest cat ever. He loves to he held. He loves to be scratched. And I want to bring him inside so badly.
I’m just worried about how he and Cooper would get along. When Cooper sees Tiger through the door, he goes absolutely crazy. Barking, growling, jumping.
I thought perhaps he would have calmed down by now since Tiger has been hanging around our house for almost a year (I think). But he hasn’t calmed down at all. I don’t know how to “introduce” Tiger to Cooper in a way that I would feel safe doing so that I can bring Tiger inside.
But I’d love to find a way because I want sweet Tiger to come inside before winter gets here. I don’t want him to have to spend another winter outside. So if you have any tips on how to get these two to live together in peace and harmony (or rather, to get my very excitable, hyper dog to live in peace and harmony with Tiger), I’m all ear. Even if Tiger remains mostly an outdoor cat, I want him to have the option of coming inside when he needs to or wants to this winter without having to quarantine him in one room away from our other two animals like I did last winter. I mean, if that’s my only option, that’s what I’ll do. But I’d rather not have to quarantine him when he’s inside. I want him to be like a normal indoor cat when he comes inside, but I don’t know how to get Cooper to allow that. So I’m all ears if you have suggestions.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
I’m not sure why, but I don’t find emergency vets to be the most accurate in their diagnosis. My 22 year old cat had a bad moment, and I took her in. They said kidney failure (not unreasonable at her age) and the only recourse at her age was to put her down. I decided to take her to her vet the next morning. She had a kidney infection, not failure. After a course of antibiotics, she fully recovered and lived another 2 years in excellent health. I hope Cooper continues to do well!
Same… The emergency vet missed an ear infection twice. Two different vets. As soon as I got our cat to her regular vet, the first thing she said was that she has an ear infection.
I had a nurse tell me once that the Doctors who work at Urgent Care centers are Doctors who can’t get a job anywhere else. I don’t know if that was true or is still true, but maybe it applies to Emergency Vet’s also.
Question first… will you be insulating and some heating in your work shop before winter. If so, what about putting a pet door in the door or garage door for kitty. So if you cannot get Cooper and kitty to be friendly that’s an alternative. At least she will be out of the cold and wind.
We won’t be able to do that before this winter. But last winter, I did leave the garage door cracked so he could get in, and then I left a heating pad (the kind for cats) in there so he could sleep on it.
I will tell you what I had to do for my cat when I got a reactive dog (and I don’t think she would have hurt her, but did get very upset when the cat would hiss or growl at her). My cat has her own room with a chair wedged into the doorway so she can come and go (she likes to sneak out when the dogs are elsewhere in the house or at night). She has a door that fits into the bottom of her room’s window. That door leads out onto an enclosed catio. She has a TV (cartoons and YouTube cat games evenings and weekends). She has a water fountain. I spend at least 1/2 hour sitting with her every evening. I had to have my reactive girl dog put down a few months ago because of a tumor involving her larynx. The two dogs I have now like the cat just fine and the cat isn’t afraid of them, but she still spends her time in her room and on her catio.
I’ve had a similar experience with a horse as you have had with Cooper. Thought she was at death’s door and suffering and then she inexplicably got better. They say “better one week early than one week late” but I think there are no rules and no guarantees, just enjoy the moment.
I don’t have suggestions for introductions, but I will say that all 3 of my dogs go nuts when they see other dogs on the other side of a door/gate/fence. They bark and growl and act completely fierce. If that same dog actually comes into their backyard or the house, they don’t care in the slightest. It’s just a barrier thing. So if you can find a way to safely introduce them, it may not turn out to be huge issue.
That’s so interesting. I’ve actually seen videos of that. Two dogs barking and growling and acting very aggressively towards one another when there’s a barrier between them, but when the barrier is removed, they’re just fine together. I might just give it a try and let Tiger in and see how Cooper reacts. Since cats are quick and can jump high, there’s plenty of areas where Tiger can go to escape Cooper if things go sideways.
Just keep Cooper on a leash the first few times they meet to prevent him from chasing Tiger. That way Tiger will be able to make a complete getaway if needed.
Agree. Keeping Cooper confined will allow kitty to move about without fear of being attacked, and letting Cooper see the cat in HIS environment will tell him the cat is a family member, not an enemy. (in theory!)
My dogs are like this too. if you got Tiger in a cage could you bring him in that way and see how Cooper reacts? The cage would still be a barrier, but not in a “there’s a cat in MY yard” kind of way.
With Cooper’s temperament, I’d keep them separated. Coop may begin to mark his territory inside and you don’t want that! Since you have a workshop now, can Tiger go in there via a cat door? In my old neighborhood in Ohio, people are using XL totes with a hole cut in the side for feral cats in winter. They put old towels inside so they have a warm/dry place to sleep. At this point though, I’d keep Tiger outside; he seems to be thriving!
Towels shouldn’t be used because they can retain moisture. I believe it’s best to use hay or straw- I can’t remember which- but one doesn’t hold on to moisture
I think she bought a Cat house last year for winter (a very NICE one!) but I think she wants to have Tiger be a family member.
Generally for introductions you’d keep them in separate rooms, potentially for up to a month (until they calm down). Feed them by the door so they get used to each other. Then you can start switching their spaces where you’d put Cooper in Tiger’s room and Tiger in the rest of the house. Then you can move on to supervised face to face introductions if everyone seems calm. Sometimes it has to be a slow process, but since Cooper already lives with a cat, he probably just needs to come to view Tiger as a member of his family by Tiger being in the house for a while.
I agree with several of the posts. Dogs are frequently over-reactive when they feel trapped or restricted. When given some control over the situation, they are much calmer. I notice that on walks with my dog. On a leash, she and other dogs lunge and bark at each other, but once we get to the off-leash dog park, they seem to forget all about their disagreements.
Not sure if introducing them in “neutral” territory is an option – so Cooper won’t feel threatened by having another animal in the house. As in – if possible have them introduced in the back yard. Cooper may be reacting now….because he can’t “meet” the cat – or investigate him. Have someone with you to help out….have Cooper on a very slack leash. Once Cooper gets used to the cat….he may be bored of him….or they just might end up being friends. I fostered dogs for a number of years….and never brought a new dog directly into our house – always introduced them on neutral territory so no one felt threatened or put out. Hopefully it works with cats meeting dogs as well. Best of luck! Glad Cooper is doing so much better too!
I came here to suggest adding a cat door to your workshop but I see others have already suggested this. I hope you find a way to keep everyone safe, warm, and happy during the winter months.
I have had many stripped cats with white boots and belly and they are the best natured, most loving cats ever! You can introduce them, you would just have to do it slowly, through a door. Bring him in, and let him hang in one room for a while, then slowly introduce them. Also, check out the Clawsable Cat house for outdoor cats. Heated, waterproof and insulated. With a sleeping space, and a space for food and water.
Since you have a door between the studio and the rest of your home, I would suggest closing it when you want to bring Tiger inside, and have a litter box in your 1/2 bath back there. Then when he goes back out, open the door and let Cooper and your other kitty (Felicity?) back in the room, so they can get used to Tiger’s scent. Then take things slowly from there. It worked for me!
Did something happen to your other cat? That may be more of a problem with them getting along then Cooper
I was wondering this same thing – What about Felicity?
Agree with the outdoor/barrier problem between the cat and dog. I had a dog that was a cat killer with outdoor cats, but lived with 6 inside cats just fine. A lot of times it’s just working towards the dog understanding that the new cat is “in the family” and not a danger/stranger that should be driven off. Lots of in-sight but safe interactions, transferring smells (take Tiger’s bedding and bring it inside/spread around so Cooper gets used to it), and I have one bedroom that I keep fitted for a temporary screen door that I install when introducting new pets to existing ones. A few scres and light weight hinges mean they can see/smell each other but not get through (pet resistant screening is necessary). I also make sure when they’re first out together, that there are no dead ends where a dog can corner a cat, which occasionally takes rearranging some furniture (corners with no up to get out option are bad) and using the cheam door props that hold doors open just a crack for the cat but not enough for the dog. It can work out, but does take time.
When introducing pets, I usually start with a closed door between them for a few days just so each gets used to the scent. Someone suggest feeding them by the door but I don’t recommend this because if one or the other barks or hisses, it can make the other animal fearful of their bowl. When the barking/hissing has quieted down, I open the door but use my good pet gate topped with an inexpensive baby gate stacked in the doorway so they can get used to both seeing and smelling each other. The gates are always against the jamb on the dog side so if they press on it it holds. When the barking/hissing has completely stopped for 2-3 days, I remove the baby gate but leave the pet gate a while longer as an excape route for the cat. This has worked well for me for over 25 years.