The truth about cats and dogs - how to introduce a new dog to a cat household

The Truth About Cats and Dogs

It doesn’t have to be a ‘dog eat cat’ world - dogs and cats can and often do live together peacefully, although creating a harmonious family can take some effort, planning and careful guidance. It does depend on a lot of variants including the breed and age of the dog and its past life. In some cases, the dog and cat may even become good friends, although tolerance on both sides is more often the general outcome.

Some cats and dogs become best friends

When introducing a new dog into the household, it is important to remember that dogs can kill cats easily, even if they are only playing. Some dogs have a high prey drive – especially breeds like Lurchers, Bull Terriers and German Shepherds so be very cautious. Even placid dogs need to be monitored until acceptance has been achieved – on both sides.

Forethought and careful planning is necessary before bringing a dog into a home with existing cats. Be sure to do the following: • Create a safe place for your cat/s where the new dog can’t get to it.

Using a baby gate or cat door is one solution. • Keep the cat’s food and water dishes in a safe area too, so that the cat continues to feed in safety. Also, cat food is too rich for dogs and dog food lacks vital nutrients for felines so

the two shouldn’t be mixed. • Check your dog understands basic commands, such as ‘sit,’ ‘stay’ and

‘leave.’ This will be helpful with introductions.

The Introduction:

Before the introduction, exercise your dog and feed him, this will help to relax him.

Put the cat in a safe place and let the dog explore the house for half an hour or so. This will allow him to take in the ‘feline smell.’ Then take the dog out and let the cat meet the ‘canine smell.’

Pet behaviourist, Rosie Bescoby of Pet Sense, says: “A prime objective is to avoid causing the cat to hiss, bat the dog or run away - this means the cat is already stressed and finds the dog scary. We want the cat to remain calm and relaxed and we should not proceed unless they are.

“If there is any tension, we would remove the dog immediately and make sure the next session is made much easier and set them up for success. It may be that the scent transfer stage itself takes days or weeks so I really want to emphasise how slow this whole process needs to be.”

Next stage: Put your dog on a short leash and be ready with lots of treats to reward good behaviour.

Let the cat and dog check each other out at a distance. Pet and talk to your dog soothingly. Give your cat and dog some treats and praise.

Repeat these short visits several

My personal experience of introducing a rescue dog into a multi-cat household

Introducing a large Newfoundland cross Labrador who is also a rescue dog with no cat credentials is quite challenging. It is also testament to the adaptability of pets that they accepted each other after a relatively short while. I am also lucky enough to have seen a true affectionate bond established between our dog and one of our cats.

Our first dog was introduced to cats as a puppy and was born into a cat household and therefore raised with cats. This was the ideal scenario and led to a problem-free co-existence.

However, we took the major step of introducing a new, large, adult, rescue dog (Labrador x Newfoundland) into our multi-pet household (we have three rescue cats) with some initially alarming results. Despite the regulatory shelter ‘cat check’ which just monitored his response to a cat emerging quickly from a cat basket and taking off fast in the other direction, Spartacus (the dog in question), was desperately interested in our cats when he first came home.

He does not have an aggressive nature, but did want to chase them. Our three cats were initially very intimidated by his size and when he went anywhere near them fur flew in all directions.

We enlisted the support of a pet behaviourist, but actually she was more of a dog trainer and her suggestion of holding the cats while Spartacus inspected them didn’t go down well with me because I felt that it would be unfair to the cats and would be viewed as a breach of trust.

So, instead, I would crate him in the kitchen, while the cats ate in the same area. I also kept him on his lead when we were all together in the living room. Outside was a little more tricky, but actually, our female cat who is a bit of a ‘tart’ would follow him around at the time of his last toileting visit out of doors and gradually over time they became used to each other.

What I wasn’t expecting was for true love to be established between Spartacus and Beano, our large black and white male cat.

They cuddle up together on the sofa and more surprising than this is that Beano presents himself to Spartacus to be washed, meowing and nuzzling Sparty’s cheeks until he complies. Once Spartacus begins, he will wash the demanding feline for several minutes until one of them decides they have had enough.

Beano always initiates this action and loves the resulting rough washing, purring throughout the entire procedure.

I asked pet behaviourist, Rosie Bescoby of Pet Sense, what this means. She said:

“In cats, grooming each other is a form of bonding and scent transfer which they bestow upon members of their community.

“Dogs lick things instinctually and your house cat just happens to be the current target of your canine’s tongue. Licking is almost always a positive thing so do not stress when your dog licks your cat.

“Licking or grooming can also be a form of submission. A dog will lick other members of its pack that it views as being superior, so Spartacus may feel he should do Beano’s bidding.”

times a day gradually giving your dog more leash as appropriate.

Getting the cat used to the presence of your dog is important and using a crate for the dog for short periods only (if he is happy with this), may help and make the cat feel they have the upper hand. Perhaps feeding the cat outside the crated dog to encourage it to get used to him.

“It is fine to use a crate as long as the dog remains relaxed in the crate watching the cat move past and it is fine to feed the cat in the presence of the dog as long as both are relaxed. We want to avoid using any corrections at all - we want the dog to associate the cat with being calm and relaxed, not aroused and then corrected,” Rosie commented.

Once your dog and cat get along during leashed visits and are calm in each other’s presence, you are ready for the next step. Let go of the leash but be ready to grab it or step on it if he attempts to go after the cat.

Keep the lessons regular and only when everything is going smoothly should you take your dog off the leash and supervise the two closely.

If introductions don’t go smoothly, seek professional help. Conflicts between pets in the same family can often be resolved with professional help but make sure you use a pet behaviourist who specialises in dogs and cats.

Rosie says: “Even dogs who have previously lived happily with a different cat can react very differently to a new cat, and the same can be said for cats who have previously been best friends with a dog. Regardless of your cat/dog’s previous experience with the other and irrespective of their personality, ALWAYS err on the side of caution and introduce them slowly and carefully. A messy introduction is hard to rectify.”

Julie Hill from Shrewsbury in Shropshire has introduced a new dog into a cat household on a couple of occasions. This was her most recent experience:

“We have three cats. Leo was 8, Dizzy and Storm were 7 years old when we introduced German Spitz Klein puppy Mischief to them.

“Initially we kept her on a lead, and as she was accustomed to and happy with a crate, sometimes she was in her crate when the cats were around. This was particularly useful for our mealtimes, as it meant we could relax and eat, rather than having to keep one eye on canine-feline interactions.

“We are lucky that all three cats came from homes which included dogs, and they were introduced as kittens to our Labrador and Bichon Frise. They were used to dogs, but not to puppies and Mischief was very small and very fast, so she was quite an adjustment for them.

“We praised them all when they interacted pleasantly, and our cats are very nice and calm. I’m always worried that they might inadvertently scratch a dog’s eye though, so we took time and care to introduce them and supervise them. Initially the cats were wary of Mischief, and kept their distance, but she is a very sociable and determined little dog, so gradually, they all became friends. Within weeks all four would be sharing the sofa, stretched out, snoozing happily.

“I always get the feeling that none of them see themselves as “cat” or “dog”, but just as one of the gang.”

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