# Sticky  How to introduce dogs and cats successfully



## Sairy

Or at least give them them the best chance of success. Nothing is ever guaranteed, but there are plenty of things you can do (or avoid doing) in order to help both parties live together happily. Whilst it is lovely when dogs and cats actually enjoy each others' company, it is unrealistic to expect this to happen. What we want to aim for is for them to be pretty indifferent towards each other, and to be respectful of each others' space. If they end up becoming friends then that is a lovely added bonus.

I decided to make this thread because this topic comes up quite a lot and it isn't a simple answer of a few sentences. So rather than keep typing out the same stuff over and over again I thought it would be good to have a place where the advice can be kept, ready for future posters. Please feel free to add in any advice you have to this thread. I will try to make this post as easy as possible to read. I have written this from the perspective of introducing a new puppy or dog to established cats. A lot of the concepts will be the same if doing the other way around, but if anyone wants to write something up about doing it that way then that would be great.

Choosing the right puppy/dog

The first thing you need to think about is the breed of dog you want. Along with all the other important things to think about (exercise, grooming requirements etc.) you need to consider the breed's suitability with cats. Every dog is an individual and there are never any guarantees, but some breeds tend to be more likely to chase (and possibly kill) cats than others. Terriers and sight hounds are usually best to avoid (there are exceptions as individuals) due to them being hardwired to chase small furry things. It is important to set your future dog and cat up for success right from the outset.

If buying from a breeder

You will have the best chance of success if buying a puppy from a responsible breeder. Not only will you be able to see the mother and get a good idea of the traits in the lines, but you will be bringing home a dog at a young, impressionable, age. There will be no history of chasing cats and you can teach the behaviours you want right from the outset. Ideally, it would be great if the breeder had cats that the puppy could experience from a young age - this is a bonus. However, I would not discount puppies from breeders who do not have cats.

If rehoming a dog from a rescue centre

You will find that most rescue dogs will be described as not being suitable to live with cats. It is quite unusual to find dogs who can be homed with cats.
If you do come across a dog who can be homed with cats then please please please ask questions about how the rescue have come to this conclusion. How do they test the dogs with cats? Some rescues will place a soft toy cat on the floor and if the dog does not react to it then they are considered safe to live with cats. Others might just show the dogs a cat on the other side of a pen and guage the reaction. Neither of these give you much information at all so you really need to be cautious about this. Also, even if the cat testing is done well it is important to bear in mind that things may be different in a home environment so it is really important that you put the necessary management and training in place.

If rehoming directly from the dog's existing home

Find out as much information as possible, but always bear in mind that someone may give you false information if they are desperate to get rid of their dog. Ideally, it would be best to take a dog who already lives with cats (this is no guarantee that the dog will get on with your cat, but it at least gives them a better chance). If the dog lives with cats then observe the dog's behaviour in the presence of cats. Is he quite relaxed and not paying much attention to the cats or is he on edge, excited and trying to get to the cats?


Before bringing the puppy/dog home

Don't leave introductions until you bring your new dog home. Dogs and cats both have sensitive noses and can get a lot of information from scent. A good thing to do is a scent swap. Get two cloths. Rub one on your cat and one on your new puppy/dog (the breeder will hopefully help with this). Then swap them over so that the puppy can get used to the scent of the cat and the cat can get used to the scent of the puppy/dog. It's great if you can feed from these cloths to build a positive association, so you could place some treats on the dog-smelling cloth for your cat to eat off, or place the cloth underneath the cat's food bowl. If you cat is unsure then just move the cloth a bit further away so that the smell is not as strong.

Bring home all your puppy/dog equipment (bowls, crate, puppy pen etc) well before the puppy comes back. Most cats will need time just to get used to the equipment, so give them at least a few days but possibly longer if you have a nervous cat.

Arrange your setup so that the cat has priority access to all its usual resources (food, water, litter tray, outside, bed etc). The cat should be able to access all of these without having to go near the puppy. It can be extremely stressful for cats if their resources are blocked. Also make sure that the cat has plenty of high spaces to jump up on (this may involve investing in a new gymborie).


Bringing puppy/dog home

Introductions should be gradual, but you will find that how quickly things progress will depend a huge amount on both the dog and the cat. The overall aim is that you want the cat to feel safe and confident around the puppy and for the puppy to leave the cat in peace and not obsess over it. I have put this section into steps and I haven't given them a timeline as I think it is important that you consider your own animals and go at a pace that suits them. With mine, my puppy was around 6 months before I had her offlead outside with the cats.


Step 1: Allow the animals to sense each other behind a gate or door. The ideal thing to use is a puppy pen, but you could create a space using a small room and a baby gate. You may find that the cat hides upstairs for a while and this is fine - just let him emerge in his own time. Make the area around the puppy's pen or crate a nice place to be for the cat. When the cat does approach the pen allow them to sniff each other for as long as you feel is appropriate. Then distract both with food (I find that nice cooked chicken works well with both cats and dogs). Watch the body language of both parties and separate them if the puppy becomes too excited.

Step 2: Once both parties have been able to get used to each other behind bars, you can remove the barrier. However, it is important that you have the puppy on a lead to prevent any chasing from happening. The ideal place to do this is indoors in a room where the cat can jump up onto a surface if it needs to escape. Again, allow the two to sniff each other and then distract away from each other with tasty treats. Reward the dog for looking at you, or even just looking away from the cat.

Step 3: Repeat step 2 plenty of times. Keep the puppy on the lead or house line around the cat at all times so that you can quickly get control before any chasing occurs. In the meantime, teach your dog essential cues such as sit, stay, leave and come. This will really come in handy when you have your pup offlead around the cats. Continue to reward any disengagement with the cat (moments when the dog is not looking or focussing on the cat). Prevent the dog from fixating on the cat - watch for body language, in particular if the dog stiffens, stalks or hard stares at the cat. If this occurs then immediately distract the dog away from the cat and engage in a game.

Step 4: Once you are happy with interactions whilst the dog is on-lead, you can try taking him off his lead. This should be done indoors in a room where the cat can jump up onto something to escape the dog if necessary. Again, do not allow the dog to chase, antagonise or fixate on the cat. Hopefully by now your dog will have learnt some of the cues mentioned above, so you can put these into practice to teach your dog how to behave around the cat.

Step 5: If your cat goes outside then this is the last place I would allow the dog to be off-lead. The reason for this is because outside is a whole different ballgame to inside. There are more distractions, more smells and usually a larger area. A larger area means that a cat can run and if a cat runs a dog may well want to give chase. So keep the dog on-lead until you are sure that chasing will not occur. When you do allow him offlead, supervise him closely.

Step 6: There isn't really a step 6. Just keep things going. Keep rewarding desirable behaviour from both parties and use whatever management techniques (lead, baby gate, pen etc) you need to keep things running smoothly. Don't feel bad about using barriers to separate the dog and cat. It is much better to be over cautious now than to allow things to go wrong. When things go wrong they are not always easy to put right.
Do's and Don'ts

Do's


Bear in mind that dogs don't generalise very well. So although your dog may be fine with your own cats, they will differentiate these with other cats and may well chase other cats. So if you plan to take Fido round to Aunt Margaret's, who has 6 cats, make sure you plan very carefully so that you can keep all animals well-managed and, if needs be, separated completely.
Watch for paw swiping (from either party) as this can cause injury to eyes, particularly in flat-faced breeds where the eyes are more exposed.
Reward desirable behaviour from both parties
Help build the cat's confidence by making sure if has easy access to all its resources, it is able to escape from the dog and give it lots of nice treats in the presence of the dog.
Make use of equipment to help you manage both animals. This can include baby gates, crates, puppy pens and leads/house lines
Be patient. It can take some considerable time for animals to adjust so just let them go at their pace
If you are unsure about anything or struggling then seek advice from a *good *trainer or behaviourist. It is better to do this sooner rather than later, but really do your research before hiring someone as it is an unregulated industry and a bad trainer can do more harm than good.

Don'ts


*Don't ever EVER let the dog chase the cat.* If you take nothing else from this thread then please absorb this. I hear people all the time saying "I can't stop him chasing the cat" but you can. You can put the dog on a lead, you can use pens and baby gates. There is absolutely no excuse for dogs to be chasing cats (or the other way around!). This behaviour will not get better as the dog grows up. He will not grow out of it. The more he does it the more it will become engrained because it is FUN! It can then lead onto predatory behaviour and then you really have a problem on your hands (and your cat's life could be at risk).
Do not let either party antagonise the other
Do not try to rush things. Let the animals take their time
Do not try to confine the cat. Some people put the cat in a crate and bring the dog in. This is not a good way to introduce the animals and will likely result in one very stressed-out cat

That is it for now. I hope someone finds this helpful. There is no doubt stuff that I have missed, and as things come to me I will add them in.


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## tabelmabel

Great post @Sairy


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## Sairy

tabelmabel said:


> Great post @Sairy


Thanks. I hope it will be of some use to someone.


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## tabelmabel

Sairy said:


> Thanks. I hope it will be of some use to someone.


Absolutely! Hopefully it can be made into a sticky so it is easy to locate when people need to be directed to it.


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## SusieRainbow

It is now a sticky. I just wish this info/advice had been available when I first got my dogs but luckily for all concerned puss was a feisty madam and they all got on wonderfully ! By sheer chance though.


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## Sairy

SusieRainbow said:


> It is now a sticky. I just wish this info/advice had been available when I first got my dogs but luckily for all concerned puss was a feisty madam and they all got on wonderfully ! By sheer chance though.


It does make it easier if the cat is prepared to stand its ground. Unfortunately, too many people spout the view that they will sort it out between themselves and that doesn't always happen.


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## Teddy-dog

Fab advice! I do find myself trying to answer dog/cat threads and, while I don't mind, it's nice to have something to point them towards! 

Love how you outlined not to let them chase. I think when dogs are puppies it's cute that the little pup is chasing the cat but when they grow up and are more serious about it it's not so funny! That was our number 1 rule when we brought Ted home (especially because of the type of dog he is!)


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## Emlar

Lots of good advice. Thank you!


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## Torin.

Excellent post @Sairy, and thank you to the mods for making it a sticky!

Just to expand on a couple of important points and to add some:

1) As well as cat-testing history with the dog, *it is very useful to have some idea of what your cat thinks of dogs*. If you have any friends with dogs then lending them a blanket to put in the dog's bed for a bit and then bringing it home smelling of dog and seeing how your cat behaves is useful. If your cat goes outside, can you call a favour with a friend or neighbour with who owns a dog which is known to be safe around cats, to walk by focused and on lead, to see how your cat reacts. As with interpreting from the dog's side of things it's not 100% fact on how your cat will behave with a dog in the home, but these are safe ways you can get a little insight to your cat without causing them excessive stress.

1a) If you are adopting from a rescue and their cat-testing policy for dogs is to bring the dog around to your house and see what the dog does when meeting your cat for the first time, walk from them. It's a massive red flag. Firstly this is absolutely not the way to go to start safe and positive introductions, and will massively shoot yourself in the foot and make the actual introductions harder. Secondly it's giving absolutely no thought to the welfare of the cat, and their behavioural needs.

2) As Sairy said, it's best to *feed the cat their meals in a location where the dog will not have access at any point*. This will reduce general cat stress during the introduction period, as they can relax while eating, rather than needing to be 'on guard' at all times. This is more ideal than merely shutting solid doors between them just at feeding time, as it's more concrete 'proof' to the cat that they can trust you (when you have, of course, just brought a doglump into the home!). Prior to owning a dog I fed my cat on the kitchen floor, but during dog intros and for a good while afterwards, I only fed the cat in an elevated location. Of course I also used some meals for the food-based training as expanded on above with a baby gate, but it's unfair to a cat for them to consume all their food this way.

3) Give your cat elevated travel routes around the main dog area. "make sure that the cat has plenty of high spaces to jump up on" is the minimum really. *Ideally you want to not just provide elevated areas in the room to jump up to from the floor out of the way of the dog, but to create a whole above-ground travel zone*. Stand in the doorway and pretend you're a cat. How far around the room would you be able to walk and/or jump without stepping on the floor? Can the cat go from one doorway to another without standing on the floor? Can the cat go along more than one wall of the room? Can the cat enter the room above ground in the first place? You may have to move some human furniture to bridge certain gaps, or to put a cat tree or similar in the space to provide more cat-friendly routes. It's unlikely that you'll manage a complete circle of the room above ground, but you should be aiming for as much as possible. Sometimes this can be irritating from a human pov, but the main thing to remember is that this is a short term awkwardness.

Allowing your cat to freely traverse above ground results in a cat who is much calmer and more relaxed. They have safe exits. They don't end up trapped on an elevated island with no way to move other than back down to the floor. They're not needing to depend on the humans they previously trusted who have now brought a dog into the home.

A calmer and relaxed cat is more likely to walk confidently and slowly, rather than dash around, so is less likely to trigger a dog's chase reflex. In addition you then have the cat and dog safely sharing the space at times of the day not linked to mealtimes, giving you more opportunity to practice the engage-disengage game. And above all, more time safely together to get used to each others' smells and watch each other's behaviour more directly hanging out together.

Here are photos of the main above ground route adaption I did while heavily utilising this method when introducing an adult cat to a 19m terrier cross:
a) I nabbed a table from another room and encouraged the cat to use it as a route. It was awkward and in the way when fully expanded, but it was very helpful for cat.
b) I opened up a weird built-in drying rack thing, and, using sticky-back velcro, stuck a carpet offcut to it, so that it would be an attractive place for the cat to sit without any sort of limb or tail temptingly hanging down below. I heavily reinforced cat sitting up there with treats, and dog was fed underneath (cat was fed on the other side of the room, it was just a nice place for him to hang out).
c) I placed the dog crate in between them (blocking the radiator, but it was worth it for me), and gave it a solid top to be a bounce jump between table and rack thingy. I heavily discouraged the cat from using the crate top as any sort of stopping point (no treats or praise were ever given there); it was just for passing through.









I later made the fold-out dryer into a proper cat bed with an old sofa cushion. This photo is taken just a month into my cat/ dog introductions:









4) If you have a bolder cat, please be careful with regards to keeping house lines on the dog. In that *a trailing line that moves and stops at intervals as the dog moves, and sometimes moves in unexpected ways, is exactly the sort of toys that many cats love to play with*. If your bold cat starts to stalk the house line as prey and you don't step in, you can end up with far bigger problems on your hands.

The easiest work-around if this is your situation is to more heavily rely on the other management tools at your disposal. So again with the elevated travel routes, puppy pens, crates (only for the dog, never crate the cat). You cannot own too many baby gates; most cats can jump over these easily, but they block most dogs. Many baby gates can also be doubled up height-wise if you need more height for your dogs. They sell 2nd hand pretty cheaply, and are easy to sell on again later.

You can also, rather having the dog free to move trailing a line, instead use fixed points to tie your dog to. See in the first photo above where there is a dog lead hanging down? That was one dog tether point. Sofa feet are other good ones. Depending on size of dog and if you own your own home you can create others too e.g. eyebolts in the skirting board. You can also use yourself as a tether point - some people refer to this as "umbilical tethering" like an umbilical cord in the womb. Basically anything where the dog is restricted, but there's no loose end trailing on the ground.

5) *Remember to play with your cat still, and give them quality cat-human bonding time with you*. New dogs, especially puppies are very exciting, and a lot of the management work that goes into introductions will focus your energy and attention onto the dog. But your cat's had their world turned upside down and also lost a lot of their interaction with you time too.
Ensuring your cat gets enough people time too will -
If you have a bold cat: stop jealousy creeping in, and reduce the likelihood of cat intentionally riling the dog up (less of to get some sort of attention from you.
If you have a shy cat: regularly remind them that you care about them, and are looking out for them and their safety.

6) When you are further down the road with intros and both dog and cat are largely comfortable with each other's presence inside, *using dog food enrichment toys like Kongs or long-lasting chews can help* you move from 'dog is always attached or limited in some way' to the dog being technically free to move around as they wish, but heavily focused on something that keeps them still. Here's a photo of my cat doing something that would have given me a heart attack at the time, if I hadn't known that dog would be 100% ignoring cat because the chew is so good. You absolutely need to supervise these sessions closely to ensure cat is away _before_ dog has finished.









If you like your infographics, then here's a good one explaining the engage-disengage game Sairy's explained in steps 2-4 above:









And here's a photo of me doing just that, rewarding cat for staying near me on bench, and dog for looking at me not the cat:


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## KaneEcwit

Wow and thanks, But my dog is 2 years.


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## Sairy

KaneEcwit said:


> Wow and thanks, But my dog is 2 years.


A lot of the stuff that is written in here can still apply. Have you recently adopted your dog or have you had him/her for a while?


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## WoofkiDotCom

Wow, that is one comprehensive post Sairy. Really nicely done.


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## Vanessa Windust

Sairy said:


> Or at least give them them the best chance of success. Nothing is ever guaranteed, but there are plenty of things you can do (or avoid doing) in order to help both parties live together happily. Whilst it is lovely when dogs and cats actually enjoy each others' company, it is unrealistic to expect this to happen. What we want to aim for is for them to be pretty indifferent towards each other, and to be respectful of each others' space. If they end up becoming friends then that is a lovely added bonus.
> I decided to make this thread because this topic comes up quite a lot and it isn't a simple answer of a few sentences. So rather than keep typing out the same stuff over and over again I thought it would be good to have a place where the advice can be kept, ready for future posters. Please feel free to add in any advice you have to this thread. I will try to make this post as easy as possible to read. I have written this from the perspective of introducing a new puppy or dog to established cats. A lot of the concepts will be the same if doing the other way around, but if anyone wants to write something up about doing it that way then that would be great.
> 
> Choosing the right puppy/dog
> 
> The first thing you need to think about is the breed of dog you want. Along with all the other important things to think about (exercise, grooming requirements etc.) you need to consider the breed's suitability with cats. Every dog is an individual and there are never any guarantees, but some breeds tend to be more likely to chase (and possibly kill) cats than others. Terriers and sight hounds are usually best to avoid (there are exceptions as individuals) due to them being hardwired to chase small furry things. It is important to set your future dog and cat up for success right from the outset.
> 
> If buying from a breeder
> 
> You will have the best chance of success if buying a puppy from a responsible breeder. Not only will you be able to see the mother and get a good idea of the traits in the lines, but you will be bringing home a dog at a young, impressionable, age. There will be no history of chasing cats and you can teach the behaviours you want right from the outset. Ideally, it would be great if the breeder had cats that the puppy could experience from a young age - this is a bonus. However, I would not discount puppies from breeders who do not have cats.
> 
> If rehoming a dog from a rescue centre
> 
> You will find that most rescue dogs will be described as not being suitable to live with cats. It is quite unusual to find dogs who can be homed with cats.
> If you do come across a dog who can be homed with cats then please please please ask questions about how the rescue have come to this conclusion. How do they test the dogs with cats? Some rescues will place a soft toy cat on the floor and if the dog does not react to it then they are considered safe to live with cats. Others might just show the dogs a cat on the other side of a pen and guage the reaction. Neither of these give you much information at all so you really need to be cautious about this. Also, even if the cat testing is done well it is important to bear in mind that things may be different in a home environment so it is really important that you put the necessary management and training in place.
> 
> If rehoming directly from the dog's existing home
> 
> Find out as much information as possible, but always bear in mind that someone may give you false information if they are desperate to get rid of their dog. Ideally, it would be best to take a dog who already lives with cats (this is no guarantee that the dog will get on with your cat, but it at least gives them a better chance). If the dog lives with cats then observe the dog's behaviour in the presence of cats. Is he quite relaxed and not paying much attention to the cats or is he on edge, excited and trying to get to the cats?
> 
> 
> Before bringing the puppy/dog home
> 
> Don't leave introductions until you bring your new dog home. Dogs and cats both have sensitive noses and can get a lot of information from scent. A good thing to do is a scent swap. Get two cloths. Rub one on your cat and one on your new puppy/dog (the breeder will hopefully help with this). Then swap them over so that the puppy can get used to the scent of the cat and the cat can get used to the scent of the puppy/dog. It's great if you can feed from these cloths to build a positive association, so you could place some treats on the dog-smelling cloth for your cat to eat off, or place the cloth underneath the cat's food bowl. If you cat is unsure then just move the cloth a bit further away so that the smell is not as strong.
> 
> Bring home all your puppy/dog equipment (bowls, crate, puppy pen etc) well before the puppy comes back. Most cats will need time just to get used to the equipment, so give them at least a few days but possibly longer if you have a nervous cat.
> 
> Arrange your setup so that the cat has priority access to all its usual resources (food, water, litter tray, outside, bed etc). The cat should be able to access all of these without having to go near the puppy. It can be extremely stressful for cats if their resources are blocked. Also make sure that the cat has plenty of high spaces to jump up on (this may involve investing in a new gymborie).
> 
> 
> Bringing puppy/dog home
> 
> Introductions should be gradual, but you will find that how quickly things progress will depend a huge amount on both the dog and the cat. The overall aim is that you want the cat to feel safe and confident around the puppy and for the puppy to leave the cat in peace and not obsess over it. I have put this section into steps and I haven't given them a timeline as I think it is important that you consider your own animals and go at a pace that suits them. With mine, my puppy was around 6 months before I had her offlead outside with the cats.
> 
> 
> Step 1: Allow the animals to sense each other behind a gate or door. The ideal thing to use is a puppy pen, but you could create a space using a small room and a baby gate. You may find that the cat hides upstairs for a while and this is fine - just let him emerge in his own time. Make the area around the puppy's pen or crate a nice place to be for the cat. When the cat does approach the pen allow them to sniff each other for as long as you feel is appropriate. Then distract both with food (I find that nice cooked chicken works well with both cats and dogs). Watch the body language of both parties and separate them if the puppy becomes too excited.
> 
> Step 2: Once both parties have been able to get used to each other behind bars, you can remove the barrier. However, it is important that you have the puppy on a lead to prevent any chasing from happening. The ideal place to do this is indoors in a room where the cat can jump up onto a surface if it needs to escape. Again, allow the two to sniff each other and then distract away from each other with tasty treats. Reward the dog for looking at you, or even just looking away from the cat.
> 
> Step 3: Repeat step 2 plenty of times. Keep the puppy on the lead or house line around the cat at all times so that you can quickly get control before any chasing occurs. In the meantime, teach your dog essential cues such as sit, stay, leave and come. This will really come in handy when you have your pup offlead around the cats. Continue to reward any disengagement with the cat (moments when the dog is not looking or focussing on the cat). Prevent the dog from fixating on the cat - watch for body language, in particular if the dog stiffens, stalks or hard stares at the cat. If this occurs then immediately distract the dog away from the cat and engage in a game.
> 
> Step 4: Once you are happy with interactions whilst the dog is on-lead, you can try taking him off his lead. This should be done indoors in a room where the cat can jump up onto something to escape the dog if necessary. Again, do not allow the dog to chase, antagonise or fixate on the cat. Hopefully by now your dog will have learnt some of the cues mentioned above, so you can put these into practice to teach your dog how to behave around the cat.
> 
> Step 5: If your cat goes outside then this is the last place I would allow the dog to be off-lead. The reason for this is because outside is a whole different ballgame to inside. There are more distractions, more smells and usually a larger area. A larger area means that a cat can run and if a cat runs a dog may well want to give chase. So keep the dog on-lead until you are sure that chasing will not occur. When you do allow him offlead, supervise him closely.
> 
> Step 6: There isn't really a step 6. Just keep things going. Keep rewarding desirable behaviour from both parties and use whatever management techniques (lead, baby gate, pen etc) you need to keep things running smoothly. Don't feel bad about using barriers to separate the dog and cat. It is much better to be over cautious now than to allow things to go wrong. When things go wrong they are not always easy to put right.
> Do's and Don'ts
> 
> Do's
> 
> 
> Bear in mind that dogs don't generalise very well. So although your dog may be fine with your own cats, they will differentiate these with other cats and may well chase other cats. So if you plan to take Fido round to Aunt Margaret's, who has 6 cats, make sure you plan very carefully so that you can keep all animals well-managed and, if needs be, separated completely.
> Watch for paw swiping (from either party) as this can cause injury to eyes, particularly in flat-faced breeds where the eyes are more exposed.
> Reward desirable behaviour from both parties
> Help build the cat's confidence by making sure if has easy access to all its resources, it is able to escape from the dog and give it lots of nice treats in the presence of the dog.
> Make use of equipment to help you manage both animals. This can include baby gates, crates, puppy pens and leads/house lines
> Be patient. It can take some considerable time for animals to adjust so just let them go at their pace
> If you are unsure about anything or struggling then seek advice from a *good *trainer or behaviourist. It is better to do this sooner rather than later, but really do your research before hiring someone as it is an unregulated industry and a bad trainer can do more harm than good.
> 
> Don'ts
> 
> 
> *Don't ever EVER let the dog chase the cat.* If you take nothing else from this thread then please absorb this. I hear people all the time saying "I can't stop him chasing the cat" but you can. You can put the dog on a lead, you can use pens and baby gates. There is absolutely no excuse for dogs to be chasing cats (or the other way around!). This behaviour will not get better as the dog grows up. He will not grow out of it. The more he does it the more it will become engrained because it is FUN! It can then lead onto predatory behaviour and then you really have a problem on your hands (and your cat's life could be at risk).
> Do not let either party antagonise the other
> Do not try to rush things. Let the animals take their time
> Do not try to confine the cat. Some people put the cat in a crate and bring the dog in. This is not a good way to introduce the animals and will likely result in one very stressed-out cat
> 
> That is it for now. I hope someone finds this helpful. There is no doubt stuff that I have missed, and as things come to me I will add them in.


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## Vanessa Windust

I once spent best part of 24 hours introducing a new dog to my existing cat when I moved into a house that came complete with a dog.
My cat trusted me so I sat on the floor holding the dog who was shaking all over with the excitement of wanting to get the cat. I wrapped myself around the dog and gently petted and calmed her while now d the telling the cat to come closer - I always have a close communication with my animals right from the start, talk to them a great deal with simple clear words so they end up with a wide vocabulary.
Before 24 hours were up, they accepted each other, end of problem. I gave everything else a miss, no cooking, spent all that time just concentrating on what I was doing between the cat and dog. It was worth it, never had a problem with them after.


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