We just adopted a dog from the Wake County Animal Shelter today and will get to bring her home on Wednesday. We already have a 4 year old cat at home. We tested the dog out with cats at the animal shelter and she did great, she didn't bark at them or chase them, basically just sniffed. Our cat has had mixed experiences with dogs, the first one was with a Pomeranian that she absolutely loved, the second one was with a Yorkie and she hated it, hissed and swatted at it. I've read some stuff on the internet already with tips on introducing them, but hopefully someone can tell me what actually works and what doesn't.





[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 12:43 AM. Reason : !]

5/21/2007 12:39:20 AM

dog, meet cat. cat, meet dog.



.. but seriously, gg on rescuing your dog ... we got our dog from the wake county shelter 6 years ago. she is an awesome dog.

5/21/2007 1:24:01 AM

Try introducing them slowly...don't just throw them together! Bring the dog in, have her sit or down. Bring the cat in, let them sniff noses, or whatever.Treats for both if they are behaving well in the same room, no treats if they freak out. If they do well, put the cat down and see what happens. They may take to one another immediately or it may take a week, or more, for them to settle in together. Every animal has different personalities and behaviors so its not surprising your cat liked one dog and not another.

5/21/2007 7:25:11 AM

Another question: Is this usual? We wanted to get our cat updated on her shots before we brought the dog home, she needs rabies and distemper. She is an inside cat and is not ever exposed to anything, but the vet tells us she needs a full exam, fecal float, etc., etc. etc, I don't mind the full exam, but they keep wanting to do all of these extra tests on her that I feel are unnecessary and charge us 150 bucks when all I think is needed are the shots. Will she be OK if we just take her to Petsmart and get the shots?

5/21/2007 10:12:45 AM

You need Cesar Millan

5/21/2007 10:17:32 AM

Quote :

"If they do well, put the cat down "

5/21/2007 10:18:26 AM

your cat will be pissed

Fluffy still hasnt gotten over us getting Goober two years ago even though she comes in and out as she pleases and he is not allowed inside

5/21/2007 10:23:16 AM

put a child/pet gate up so the cat has a room or area of the house that it can retreat to without the dog following it. (good idea if the litter box is accessible to the dog - many dogs will eat cat poop)

5/21/2007 10:39:28 AM

i've heard the best idea is to have them in to separate rooms for a little while and let them meet by sniffing each other under the door, then introduce them slowly... either way eventually they should get used to each other, unless you have a cat hating dog

5/21/2007 11:23:02 AM

^ Haha, no, the dog is good, its more the cat I am worried about!

5/21/2007 11:26:57 AM

We just did this and the two have to kinda figure each other out. The cat will hide and snoop while the dog will roam around. The dog is the one to be worried about cause the cat will let it know whos boss if it gets too friendly.

5/21/2007 11:41:27 AM

get the Feliway plugin things to make the cat chill out during the adjustment period

5/21/2007 11:55:09 AM

Quote :

"If they do well, put the cat down and see what happens."

I hope you aren't implying carrying the cat into the meeting. If you don't know how they'll react, I'd suggest never being in physical contact with the cat, unless you want to leave with extra scars.

It's easier to control the dog than the cat. I've used the trick with the dog and cat on opposite sides of a closed door, but it'll take a lot more exposure than that to calm things down, usually. The easiest thing to do is to have the cat in a room where they have hiding spots, like a bedroom with a bed that the cat can get under but the dog can't. Bring the dog in (on a leash), and let them look at each other. In my experience, the cat will usually run and hide under the bed way before it'll ever start trying to maim the dog.

5/21/2007 12:07:44 PM

these work pretty well.

5/21/2007 12:09:12 PM

and if that doesn't work out



[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 12:20 PM. Reason : .]

5/21/2007 12:19:17 PM

As to the vaccine question. Most vets will not just give vaccines without doing the regular check-up, just like people docs won't just hand over a prescription without an exam. In most cases it's just to make sure the cat is healthy, everything is going well, and the cat can handle the vaccines. If you don't have her have a regular check-up, I'd recommend having it done just to make sure everything is a-ok.

As for the introduction, you want to do it in a neutral area! Very important. Like a car, parking lot, where both can be contained but no one rules the roost so to speak.

I've been told to leave the cat in a room of the house and let the dog explore as well, this way the cat will smell/hear the dog and get use to its scent and the dog can establish itself. However, I've never had to introduce a dog to an existing cat, so I'm not entirely sure what the best method would be. Good luck

5/21/2007 1:57:17 PM

when you introduce the dog to the cat, be sure he knows that the cat is his new chew toy.

5/21/2007 3:12:07 PM

when you introduce the dog to the cat, be sure he knows that the cat is NOT his new chew toy.

5/21/2007 3:25:11 PM

give the cat a steak.
or just rub it all over the cat.

5/21/2007 3:51:28 PM