Unfortunately, some dogs and cats will not be harmonious under the same roof, and it will not be safe to leave your dog and cat alone together. The reason is that dogs and cats have quite different characteristics that will not necessarily blend well. However, many pet owners find their cat and dog can become good housemates under the right conditions. This article will explore how to achieve this happy outcome.
Ideally, Raise Your Dog and Cat Together
If you raise a puppy and kitten together, you have a good chance that they will at least learn to tolerate each other from the get-go. And your pets may develop a lasting friendship that includes playing and taking naps together. However, if you already have a dog and are thinking of getting a cat (or vice versa), you need to take certain precautions, as follows.
Initial Introduction
When your two pets meet for the first time, make sure your cat is at your dog’s eye level. You also need to keep a firm grip on both animals to provide them with a sense of security – it helps if two people are involved. If one animal seems scared or aggressive, immediately remove the cat and try again later. Whatever you do, don’t try to force the situation because this will tend to make matters worse.
Give your dog and cat carefully supervised time together for just a few minutes several times a day. You should not even contemplate leaving your dog and cat alone together until they have become more relaxed around each other.
Absolutely NO Alone Time
Never leave a dog and cat alone together until you are one hundred percent sure they are comfortable with each other. It is simply not wise to leave them unsupervised while they are still checking each other out. One animal or the other could be bitten, scratched, or worse. A dog can injure or kill a cat very quickly, and a cat can also harm a dog. Your number one concern should be to ensure that both animals stay safe. Even if there are no physical injuries, an unsupervised interaction could cause a traumatized animal to remain terrified of other animals going forward.
Cat Considerations
Even if a cat can cope with occasionally seeing a dog from a distance, he may dislike having a specific dog living in his home which he regards as his territory. This may be the situation if your cat is still scratching and hissing even after you’ve devoted much time and patience trying to get your pets to like each other.
Dog Considerations
Some dogs are fine living with felines; others simply cannot live safely with cats. Sometimes, a dog is ok with a particular cat — depending on the cat’s age, activity level, and temperament — but not other cats. Unfortunately, it is possible that your dog might never be able to safely share space with a cat. If you feel that you can’t trust your dog around your cat, you cannot leave him alone with your cat.
Final Thoughts
Many dogs and cats will happily coexist if given enough time to get acquainted. However, if you find that you can’t leave your dog and cat alone together, you may have to face the problem of finding a good new home for one of them.
Midlands Pet Care
We hope that your pets are happily coexisting. However, when the sad day comes that you lose one of them and you live in our area, give us a call. We will provide your pet with a burial or cremation that honors the friendship they have given you.
- If you don’t live near us, we also have some wonderful memorials to help keep their memory alive. For instance, if you have a treasured photo of your dog and cat snuggling together, we can provide a special photo urn for it.