It’s true! Not all cats and dogs need to behave like their stereotypes, but to make sure your household is a place of peace and calm, you need to deal with their introduction properly and be sure that puppy gets a bit of instruction.
Nonetheless, a great deal will depend on the temperament of your cat. Cats that to have a timid character, rescue cats can be prone to this, can respond badly to the first appearance of a dog. Such cats should be left unaccompanied. Both animals are hunters by nature, so their instinct is to chase anything that tries to run away. Plus, puppies and kittens are both curious and like to investigate anything, kittens though, don’t tend to suffer fools gladly and, if anything untoward happens, it can affect them well into adulthood.
When any puppy sees a cat for the first time it’ll want to investigate. Being a hunting animal, if the cat runs away, the puppy will chase after it and in no time at all, the cat will quickly get scared of the puppy. Cats that look for refuge high up will get barked at, as a sign of the puppies frustration of not being able to play with his new acquaintance! If it comes to this, the cat can become so traumatised, it will leave home.
Indeed, it is critical to condition the puppies behaviour if any chance of a long-lasting friendship is to succeed.
On the whole, the best type of dog to introduce into a household with a cat is one that has a calm and placid temperament and unlikely to react to sudden movement. Skittish, highly strung, or dogs that have been bred for pursuit are unsuitable, the poor cat will have a nervous breakdown. A puppy also needs to learn the instruction “NO” rapidly.
The most crucial time is the first five or six meetings between the two. On no account simply dump the puppy down with the cat and see if they “get on”. Puppies are usually kept in the kitchen for a month or so for house training, but it is also a good way of enabling the cat to come and visit and, more importantly, retreat when it wants to. After about a week, try placing the cat in a carrier on a table or somewhere where the puppy cannot get at it. Do this for around fifteen minutes, two or three times a day, so they both get used to each others scent. If you feel that the puppy barks to much, try using treats as a distraction. It is sometimes a good idea to do this just before feeding time so the puppy is hungry and can be more easily distracted with food.
After a week or two and if the cat seems comportable, introduce the two with a lead on the puppy to curb any sudden movements whilst they investigate one another. At this moment, all you are trying to do is build familiarity, so don’t let them play and never force the cat to come near the puppy. You can use treats to encourage the cat, but be sure you also distract the puppy from trying to play with the cat. If, after the first 10 or so meetings, there are no ‘fight or flight’ reactions, the cat will start to relax. As the cat relaxes the puppies excitement should also reduce and overtime the cat will accept or even enjoy the company of the puppy.
Hopefully, all this effort will produce results, and you have a happy household with both cat and dog, and what better way to celebrate this new alliance than a professional pet portrait, a momento that will remind you of happy times for many years to come.
