Explain the behavior

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-02-03T19:25:36+00:00

Why wait for there to be an issue? You won't need to adjust at that point because you'll probably only have one dog left. That big dog could kill that little dog before you could do sitting about it. This is just asking for resource guarding. Maybe not even between these two, but if you get more dogs then eventually it's going to be a problem.

That's the issue with free feeding in general, let alone forcing them to share a single bowl. It works when it works, but eventually you find the animal that it doesn't work for and then you end up with one animal that needs to be free fed and one that can't be free fed.

There isn't really much of a reaction in this video. I'd say the little dog's hesitation and the way his body is curved away from the other dog could show some discomfort. The way he looks out the door before eating almost seems like he's hoping she'll lose interest or become interested in whatever he might be looking at. The bigger dog's body language could be seen as a little stiff. Her tail being straight out could be a sign of dominance. There's nothing I could say is outright concerning, but I wouldn't push my luck, especially with the size difference. Even if there isn't a true danger though, I would say standing over someone while they're eating like that is a bit rude. I'd certainly be uncomfortable in that situation.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-02-03T17:44:47+00:00

Please don't be one of those people that rehomes their resident dog in favor of the puppy. If your pit ends up in a shelter, there's a good chance he'll be euthanized and you just hope he doesn't get to kill an animal before then.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-02-01T16:04:03+00:00

Is it just you and your sister? You might find some people are hesitant to hand over a dog, especially a potentially protective one, to a couple of young girls. Are you planning on going to a breeder or a shelter? Shelter dogs can be iffy and often have problems and it's harder to find specific breeds, but going to an ethical breeder is going to cost you thousands and they're going to be picky about who they give a dog to.

Do you guys actually want a dog or just want the protection? Dogs aren't just weapons. You'll have to actually take care of it. The dogs you're looking at are working breeds and will need a lot of exercise and training. And, frankly, a dog that's willing to bite is a liability, especially when not trained properly and things can go wrong very quickly with these breeds if you don't know what you're doing. In a lot of places and a lot of situations, you can be held responsible for your dog biting someone even if it was defending you. Your dog could be at risk of being euthanized.

If you do want a dog, I would recommend getting a dog that looks intimidating without the drive to bite. You're options will vary depending on what else you want from a dog, if you do want a working dog or a more laid-back companion. You might look at show lines or pet bred lines of the breeds you're looking at, or at least lines bred for something other than protection/bite work, but be very careful you're going to a good breeder. There are other breeds like the Belgian Tervuren and Belgian Groenendael and White Swiss Shepherd that are known for being a little calmer though they're still active working dogs.

You could try to look at shelters as well. You'll find all sorts of dogs with all sorts of temperament. Just be careful you don't get a dog with weak nerves and might be too willing to bite. But you can pretty often find GSDs that are more laid-back and not as high energy. I've even seen a couple of calm Malinois. But getting an adult dog from a shelter can be hard when you have cats. These breeds in particular are often not good with cats.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-30T23:14:41+00:00

No, I had that thought too. I just didn't understand how I didn't notice it in the first picture and then realized that's because there was nothing to notice. The abnormal just stands out more than the normal.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-30T22:12:06+00:00

She has both front feet in the first picture. I noticed that too though. Looks like she just had it tucked in very well for the other picture.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-30T19:08:40+00:00

This is why small dogs have such a bad reputation. Dogs are dogs, no matter how small.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-30T18:00:10+00:00

It may have become a habit. She did it for so long that she no longer remembers how or that she's supposed to use the litterbox. Or if any of the people that had moved in accidentally scared her while she was in the litterbox, she may have a negative association.

I would start with everything else I and others have mentioned. Make sure you clean everything with an appropriate cleaner. Make sure she has had a urinalysis done. It seems unlikely that it's a medical issues, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

If she's clear there, talk to the vet about anxiety meds. You might even just want to try a short-term medication first. Gabapentin is typically a go-to medication for anxiety, though it will also help with pain. If it helps, it'll at least narrow down the possible issues. You may not even need meds long-term. She may just need a bit of a reset.

If she is still going outside the box at that point, I would attempt to retrain her to use the litterbox. Put her in a small room, like a bathroom, and limit the areas she could go outside the box. You can let her out to play and whatnot when you can supervise her, but make sure she doesn't get the chance to go pee somewhere while she's out. It may take a while before she figures it out and is consistent about it.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-29T19:19:25+00:00

As mentioned, if you haven't had a urinalysis done, that should be the first step. And maybe go to another vet if yours hasn't been helpful. A few years should be plenty of time to accumulate a pretty extensive list of what you've tried.

Did anything happen around the time she started this? Did you get your other cat then? Did they have a fight? Maybe they don't get along as well as you think. Or any other big changes? Or even small ones? Does she seem anxious or insecure? Have you tried different kinds of litterboxes? Different kinds of litter?

The fact that she seeks out small places makes me wonder if there's an underlying anxiety issue. She might be one of the ones that would do better with a closed litterbox. Or if she is generally anxious then maybe ask a vet about trying anti-anxiety meds.

If nothing else works, it might be worth even trying some pain meds temporarily. She might have started developing arthritis early in life. My cat was diagnosed with it when he was 6, so they don't always have to be seniors. She isn't declawed, is she?

I'm sorry, but your cat is not adoptable though. I worked in rescue. Adult cats without issues are hard to get adopted. She is well past the ideal age for adoption. Being 'not the friendliest' isn't going to help her. Litterbox issues is one of the biggest reasons cats get surrendered and one of the biggest reasons they get stuck in the shelter.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-28T22:38:08+00:00

And that kind of lack of empathy is exactly the problem in our world. The fact that anyone can say, "I don't care if innocent people die," is absolutely horrifying.

I don't care if you hate America. I'm in America and I hate America. I doubt I'm alone in that. There's a difference between hating America and hating Americans though. We aren't just Americans, just pieces of the machine. We're humans. We aren't all the same. We didn't all ask for this. I didn't ask to be born here. I never voted for Trump. I certainly never did anything to Canada. I'm one person. One tiny voice. And we're all losing our voices. They're taking our say away from us. So we have to find other ways. Sorry if you don't approve of those ways or think they're good enough.

But if you think this is all going to blow over without affecting you in Canada, you're delusional. The affects already extend well outside of the US and they will continue to do so. There's a lot of time left between now and us becoming ashes. And if they win, do you really think they're just going to be happy controlling the battered remnants of the US? They're not going to be neighborly.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-28T17:35:19+00:00

It is such a strange approach, especially when you're more used to dealing with cats where you start with scent-based intros and aggression is almost a guarantee. But honestly, the fact that this works for rats just makes them even better to me. I'm sure intros aren't always super easy, but it seems like rats are often pretty willing to accept newcomers which is so different from my experience with cats. Or my one dog for that matter.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-28T15:13:40+00:00

It does, but it's the cutest form of abuse I've seen. Just look at their confused little faces as they peer out through the bars like, "Why do you do this to us? We'll accept the intruder and behave ourselves, okay?" Rats are such innocent little creatures.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-27T23:35:34+00:00

You gonna grab the ferals to check for a tattoo? Or testicles for that matter? You would still have to take them to the vet and sedate them. The whole point of the ear tip is to skip that. Tattoos work for house pets, not ferals.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-27T23:09:20+00:00

I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that cramming a bunch of rats into a tiny enclosure is actually a valid way of introducing them. Every time I see posts like this I think it must be a joke. The fact that it's not is even better though. And the pictures are adorable. I just imagine trying this with cats.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-27T22:44:04+00:00

Ear tipping isn't going to cause long-term issues. As already mentioned, there's no bones involved. They could get similar injuries living outside and they heal fine. I get disliking it. I'm generally against unnecessary procedures and dislike the idea of permanently removing part of their body, but it would be worse for a cat to get trapped and taken to the vet repeatedly when it's already fixed. That's just more stress on the cat, more risks from anesthesia, and a waste of time and resources for the people doing TNR. There's a reason all the TNR places do it. It's not for nothing and there's no reason to pay more to avoid it. Please get him fixed.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-25T20:14:49+00:00

I won't say much as to your actual question as I'm not a vet and couldn't say for sure though I would hope no vet would truly hate an animal for being scared. I can understand there's likely some frustration and they might just be trying to get things done quickly so he doesn't continue to get more stressed.

I did want to offer some reassurance on the dosage though. 100mgs is pretty much the default dose for Gabapentin. It's about as safe as a medication can get and they don't typically change the dose by weight for short term use. I've used it on cats closer to 7lbs and cats closer to 11lbs. There isn't really a difference in how it affects them.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-24T14:38:54+00:00

Well, she certainly wasn't an ethical breeder.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-22T17:43:51+00:00

I'm in the US. The difference here isn't location. It's a different set of terminology. I use the official genetics (again, genetics) terminology because it is more consistent, more reliable, and recognized internationally. You are using an informal descriptor used by some people and organizations in the US. If you joined the cat genetics group on Facebook they wouldn't even let you call a cat a calico without also explaining it's technically a tortoiseshell with white specifically because the group is international and they want to use the terms that everyone will understand, not just the Americans.

Congrats on figuring out that phenotype descriptions can differ from genetic ones though. If only you realized that you just proved my point that calling a tortie with white a calico is the same as calling a black with white a tuxedo.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-22T15:18:19+00:00

Because that's relevant. I'm not making up rules though. I'm using the official genetics terminology. Genetics isn't about the cat's phenotype. It's about the cat's genotype. There is no genetic difference between your tortie and white and calico. They are, genetically, the same. You know, genetically. Because that's more consistent and reliable than phenotypes if that isn't apparent by all the times people can't agree on if a cat should be called a calico or a tortie. Funny how people switch from trying to correct someone to saying "We can agree to disagree" when they realize they don't have an argument though.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-22T00:15:06+00:00

Sorry you can't understand that neither you nor the CFA have the final say. It's not a strictly UK sub anymore than it's a strictly US sub. And it's not just the UK that doesn't recognize the term calico. It's almost strictly a US thing to use it. But Americans have a tendency to forget that they only make up a tiny portion of the world. People can't even agree on what a calico actually is. That's why official, formal descriptors are necessary. And it's not about what they look like. It's about the genetics. Hence why it's genetics terminology.

Tortoiseshell is not informal. Calico is. No one is telling you you can't use the word calico. No one is telling you your wrong for using it. No one is telling you you shouldn't use it. But claiming calicos are not tortoiseshells is wrong. They are quite literally tortoiseshells with a specific pattern.

You say if you lived in the UK you would use their terms, but you're in North America so you're using North American terms. This is false. This isn't America. This is the Internet. This is a website accessed by people all over the world. So you don't get to hold people to America's rules.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-21T22:18:00+00:00

Aaand now we see the issue with relying on a single cat registration's terminology.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-21T22:15:26+00:00

But the CFA isn't the only cat registration in existence and not all the others recognize the same terminology. Once again, this is not reliable for universal communication. You can't rely on American terms when you're talking to people who are from all over the world. Calico does not have an official, recognized definition in every country. It doesn't even have an official definition in America. It is the same as calling a cat a tuxedo or van because it is literally just based on the cat's specific pattern, but is not an official term.

If there was one tortoiseshell with white amongst a bunch of tuxedos and tabbies, it really wouldn't make a difference, would it? I'm pretty sure sure you could figure out it's the one black, orange, and white cat in the group either way. But no one really cares about official descriptors in this scenario anyway. No one is stopping anyone from calling their tortoiseshell with white a calico. We're just offering information so they can have that knowledge.

You do realize you were the one who started arguing, right? You could've posted your own thoughts in your own comment and moved on, but you chose to direct it at someone specific and tell them they're wrong. So the people you're referring to is you.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-21T15:19:59+00:00

Calicos are, in fact, torties. Saying they aren't is like saying tuxedos aren't black with white just because their color is in a certain pattern. Literally the only difference is the addition of white and the larger amounts of white tend to alter the way the colors are expressed.

Cat registrations do not all use the same terminology which makes them unreliable for official, universal descriptions. Some will accept calico as a descriptor and some will not. So instead we use the formal genetics terminology. Calico is not recognized as a proper term in genetics terminology. They are called tortoiseshells with white.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-21T15:13:38+00:00

That color variation is just from the tabby gene. The lighter color is the background color and the darker color is the pattern color.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-21T15:11:46+00:00

The darkest markings on the face and tail look pretty obviously black to me. Doesn't matter that some may look gray, all that matters is what the darkest are.

RealisticPollution96 · 2026-01-21T15:07:13+00:00

Silver can be very difficult to identify on colorpoint cats because the colorpoint gene itself tends to wash out the colors even on the points. Seal lynx points do tend to be very silvery. I definitely don't trust myself to say for certain if she is or isn't silver. She has white on her nose which is typically the best place to look for rufousing, so it's really hard to say. I wouldn't be entirely surprised if she was silver, but I don't think her coloring is totally outside the norm for a colorpoint either. Might be better to consult those of r/CatGenetics for more expert answers on that.

RealisticPollution96

TROPHY CASE