Do My Cat and Dog Love Each Other Too Much?

Our pet’s body language is often baffling! What looks like intense affection can often hide behaviors that can mean something else entirely. When your cat and dog refuse to leave each other alone, how can you tell what is a positive interaction or not?

This is the struggle Abigail is having with her elderly cat Titus and puppy Totchka. The moment Titus has access to Totchka, he tackles her for a session of intense grooming. While Totchka appears to tolerate the attention, her seemingly playful response causes some tense interactions. Abigail wanted to know how to spot when the interactions are not positive as well as ways to train both pets to share their space without any obsessive behavior.

To listen to the episode, press play below.

Key Moments

[00:24] Introduction and Cast of Characters: Titus the elderly cat who tackles and forcibly grooms Totchka the puppy

[05:30] Examining an interaction - the duration, the body language, the environment and the human response.

[09:27] Why separating the pair before and after the interactions might not be the best plan.

[11:17] Using management and setups to safely teach Titus and Totchka to interact appropriately with each other safely.

[15:41] How reinforcing natural behaviors can help pets offer appropriate behaviors during problem interactions.

[17:35] Next steps: Recognizing progress and what to do next.

If you too want to be awesome like Abigail and join me on the podcast for a Dog and Cat Chat, DM me on Instagram @praiseworthypets to book in a time!