My Shih Tzu is aggressive towards cats. Can I safely adopt a 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

I hate to hear this is happening. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to give advice without being able to observe the behavior. Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Most people are not familiar with reading canine body language and training. Because of this, I recommend to work with a professional trainer. Researching on your own will also be helpful. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say. You can find many books written on the topic and there is a trainer named Victoria Stilwell who I think is particularly helpful. Neutering him may help but will not likely solve the problem. In general, neutered males are less aggressive than intact males. Best of luck.

It sounds like Cece has serious aggression issues, and I would not recommend bringing another animal into the house if she killed your last cat. She will need professional behavioral training if there is to be any hope for having another animal in those, and I highly recommend hiring a behavioral expert to work with her. You can ask your vet for a recommendation, but please keep in mind that aggression is a very difficult behavior to work with, and even training may not be successful. I would not bring another animal into the house unless the behavioral expert says it is ok to do so. Otherwise, you may have to accept you cannot have other animals around Cece.

It is very normal for mother cats to be protective of their kittens. I recommend to continue keeping them separated until the kittens are weaned and adopted out. Then things may get easier. I also recommend to have your cat spayed as soon as the kittens are gone as this may help to gentle her a little bit and prevent more kittens. Make sure to keep the pets from having any more negative interactions. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Most people are not capable of correctly interpreting dog body language. For that reason, your best option is to work with a professional trainer. Researching on your own will also be helpful. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say. You can find many books written on the topic and there is a trainer named Victoria Stilwell who I think is particularly helpful. Best of luck.

I am sorry to hear of your loss, some dogs will never acclimatise to cats and will act as a predator -prey species regardless of age or infirmity. I would not recommend another cat or kitten as he is likely to attempt to attack again.

So sorry that he is exhibiting this behavior. That does sound scary! I think you should call the shelter where you adopted him and give them an update. I am not sure if they have any prior history to know if this is a typical behavior for him or something new but he doesn't sound like a good fit for you. It could be that he is just scared and needs more time to adjust but if he is being aggressive toward you than I am not sure it is a good idea to keep him and he may need to go back to the shelter. Give them a call and discuss the situation with them. I don't want you to get hurt!