How to stop my pets from attacking each other
Sudden aggression between pets, such as a dog resource guarding food or a cat attacking a smaller animal, leaves owners scrambling to separate them. This makes homes unsafe for existing pets and often forces owners to face difficult decisions like rehoming.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Keeping bird cages behind closed doors
- 2Keeping bird enclosures away from cats using glass or plexiglass walls
- 3Never keeping predators and prey in the same room
- 4using a crate during high-value food times and when cooking
- 5separating pets when not present
- 6working with a professional trainer
- 7considering rehoming to a pet-free home
- 8keeping dogs separated
- 9using baby gates
- 10hiring a trainer
- 11rehoming the puppy
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Apparently, Dust somehow managed to get his hands on the parrot and INHALED HIM.”source ↗
“My mother is coming home at around 5 PM, and I am currently sitting here wondering how exactly I’m supposed to explain that the cat she loves has turned her beloved parrot into a limited edition missing-parts situation.”source ↗
“ALSO HOW TO SURVIVE MY HURRICANE MOM'S WRATH”source ↗
“I rescued a large dog three months ago and made the mistake of human food scraps that the dog was eating when the cat ran up to him. He resource guards and pinned and snapped at the cat a few times until I separated them.”source ↗
“Still. I am looking at options for rehoming as the other sub suggested that it will never be safe for my cats. And my cats were here first.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4How to keep a small pet safe from an energetic dog
- 4How to stop a puppy from chasing the cat
- 7How to get strangers to stop petting your dog without asking
- 6How to stop a cat from attacking after bringing home a puppy
- 8How to stop one dog from constantly harassing the other
- 6How to stop one cat from eating another cat's special food