When you love both dogs and cats, a home with both can be your goal. Whether you have just decided to add a new dog or a new cat, or you need some tips for an existing couple who are not too excited about each other, there are things you can try to help them get together or at least tolerate each other. This may not always be possible, but with the right steps a peaceful coexistence is usually achievable. Read on to learn how to get there.
Choose the right cat and dog combination
Before you even get to the point to introduce a dog and cat, make sure you choose two that will be compatible. There are certain dog breeds that tend to get well with cats, and there are breeds with strong swap drives that may not be safe for a cat. However, a personality match is probably more important.
If you can introduce a dog and a cat in the puppy and the kitten, you are more likely to be successful because they want to grow, play and learn together. Pairing a puppy with an older cat can also work well. However, choosing a new dog or cat of any age that has lived harmoniously with the other species can also prove well. Apart from that, be aware of how their ages, energy levels, levels of aggression and social trends can collide.
Start them on the right paw
Once you think you have chosen a good playmate for your dog or cat, slow and make stress introductions are key. It can take weeks or months to get a cat and a dog that is comfortable with each other, so calm down if it seems to take a while.
When you bring the new pet home, keep them in their own room with all necessities – food, water, a bed, toys and a litter box if the cat is the new addition. While the cat and the dog will not see each other, the space under the door will allow them to sniff each other and start getting used to each other’s presence.
You can allow more fragrance examination by having the new pet venture in the rest of the house, while the other is stored securely in another room and you can change bedding or rub the rags on each pet and leave them with the other. This can also be made into a positive affiliation by giving your pets goodies when they smell each other.
After a few days of this, you can move on to feed them on the opposite side of the same door. This will again allow for positive reinforcement as they will both enjoy their food and they will be distracted so that they will get used to each other to be in the background. As the days wear, you can replace the door with a sturdy baby port so they can see each other while eating.
Have carefully their first proper meeting
When you are ready for a proper introduction, you will put them in the same room with some kind of barrier, keep your dog on a leash and allow your cat free movement. This is best done after taking your dog on a quick walk so that they are practiced properly without exalted energy. Make sure your dog also has a good grip on the stay, sits and puts commands so you can reassure them if they get too excited. When they remain calm and follow these directives, rather than being hyperfixed on the cat, give them goodies.
Continue to give both goodies when they are around each other and behave calmly. You can also distract your dog with toys or appropriate games if they get too homemade on the cat or show hunting behavior. Keep a handle on a leash when you also look for confrontational body language. In dogs it would include a tense attitude and staring, a stiff tail, blowing teeth, curly lips or attached or straight up ears. Cats in the meantime would have expanded students, a fast swinging tail and attached ear.
If things get a little tested, take a break for a few days and start again. If things are going well, however, keep it up for a while until you are ready to try dropping a leash, but still has a clench in case of a confrontation. Always be in the room with them during these meetings until you are sure they will be fine alone together. It should not be rushed.
Help to preserve peace
Although things seem to be okay with your dog and cat, it is important to allow them that their own space is important. Feed them separately in different rooms, let them their own beds and toys, and keep the dog away from the litter box. It is important that the cat, which would be more vulnerable and usually less social, have their own space, only they can access, complete with food, water, their bed, other enrichment and comfort articles and their cold box. You can keep this room separate by using a cat door or a baby gate. Apart from this room, they should also have vertical rooms such as cat shelves and trees for escape in the rest of the house.
It is always important to give your dog enough exercise and mental stimulation to their own health and well -being, but it is also good for your cat’s well -being. The less exalted energy your dog has, the less they are suitable for bothering the cat.
Finally, make sure to give each of your pets enough individual attention and bonding time so there is no competition.
Find ways to play with both
Although these steps at least have to lead to tolerance, cats and dogs can often become something similar to friends. If they are thick as twenty, you can strengthen this bond by playing with them together. The options include retrieval, such as either a simultaneous throw of two toys or one if you know that there will not be too much krangel. You can also play hiding with them together, with both searching or even blowing soap bubbles for both of them to hunt and pop.
If they are not so interested in these activities, you can at least relax on a lazy day together.