Introducing Cats and Dogs

Six year old American shorthair cat fighting with a six year old English Springer Spaniel.  The two have been friends (and occasional enemies) since they were both one year old.

Can you introduce a cat to a dog's home?  Or a new puppy to a cat?  Yes!  But it does take patience and working with both animals.  Here are a few tips to make life easier for you and your pets!

1. Introduce them slowly.  This is not something that will happen instantanously, so be prepared to have separate living spaces for the dog and cat for up to a month or more.  Both of them need supervised time together, but also a safe retreat away from each other.

2. Try first introducing both animals to something that smells of the other, such as a blanket, while in their separate, safe, environments.  You can also allow them to smell each other through a closed door.

3. Try controlling the dog, not the cat.  Even most puppies are larger then the average house cat, and can easily inflict unintended harm to the cat.  Control your dog and allow the cat free choice to come closer or run away.

4. Trim the cat's claws prior to introduction.  Kitty can still do some damage with those claws, so make sure they are trimmed down first!

5.  Even when they are starting to get along, keep their food areas and litter box separate.  One easy way is to put the cat's food on a counter they are allowed on, out of reach of the dog.  You can also find gates with "cat flaps" or little gates within them to block off a litter box from the dog.

6. Did your dog suddenly start sneezing during play time with the cat?  No, he or she is not allergic to the cat, they are signalling that they are doing just that -- Playing!