| It's important to have realistic
expectations when introducing a new pet to a resident pet. Some pets are
more social than others. For example, an eight-year-old dog that has never
been around other animals may never learn to share his/her territory (or
his/her people) with other pets in the household. However, an
eight-week-old puppy separated from his/her mom and littermates for the
first time, might prefer to have a cat or dog companion. If you are
introducing your new dog to a resident cat, it is important to know that
cats are territorial and need to be introduced to other animals very
slowly in order to give them time to get used to each other before there
is a face-to-face confrontation. Slow introductions help prevent fearful
and aggressive problems from developing. PLEASE NOTE: When you introduce
pets to each other, one of them may send "play" signals which
can be misinterpreted by the other pet. If those signals are interpreted
as aggression by one animal, then you should handle the situation as
"aggressive."
Confinement
If you are introducing your new dog to a resident cat, confine your cat
to one medium-sized room with her litter box, food, water and a bed. Feed
your resident pets and the newcomer on each side of the door to this room.
This will help all of them to associate something enjoyable (eating!) with
each other's smells. Don't put the food so close to the door that the
animals are too upset by each other's presence to eat. Gradually move the
dishes closer to the door until your pets can eat calmly, directly on
either side of the door. Next, use two doorstops to prop open the door
just enough to allow the animals to see each other, and repeat the whole
process.
Swap Scents
Switch sleeping blankets or beds between your new dog and your resident
animals so they have a chance to become accustomed to each other's scent.
Rub a towel on one animal and put it underneath the food dish of another
animal. You should do this with each animal in the house.
Switch Living Areas
Give your new dog free time in the cat's room(s) while confining your
other animals. This switch provides another way for the animals to
experience each other's scents without a face-to-face meeting. It also
allows the newcomer to become familiar with his/her new surroundings
without being frightened by the other animals.
Avoid Fearful And Aggressive Meetings
Avoid any interactions between your pets that result in either fearful
or aggressive behavior. If these responses are allowed to become a habit,
they can be difficult to change. It's better to introduce your pets to
each other so gradually that neither animal becomes afraid or aggressive.
You can expect mild forms of these behaviors, but don't give them the
opportunity to intensify. If either animal becomes fearful or aggressive,
separate them, and start over with the introduction process in a series of
very small, gradual steps, as outlined above.
Precautions
If one of your pets has a medical problem or is injured, this could
stall the introduction process. Check with your veterinarian to be sure
that all of your pets are healthy. You'll also want to have at least one
litter box per cat, and you'll probably need to clean all of the litter
boxes more frequently. Make sure that none of the cats are being
"ambushed" by another while trying to use the litter box. Try to
keep your resident pets' schedule as close as possible to what it was
before the newcomer's appearance. Cats can make lots of noise, pull each
other's hair, and roll around quite dramatically without either cat being
injured. If small spats do occur between your cats, you shouldn't attempt
to intervene directly to separate the cats. Instead, make a loud noise,
throw a pillow, or use a squirt bottle with water and vinegar to separate
the cats. Give them a chance to calm down before re-introducing them to
each other. Be sure each cat has a safe hiding place.
Dog to Cat Introductions
Dogs can kill a cat very easily, even if they're only playing. All it
takes is one shake and the cat's neck can break. Some dogs have such a
high prey drive they should never be left alone with a cat. Dogs usually
want to chase and play with cats, and cats usually become afraid and
defensive. Use the techniques aforementioned to begin introducing your new
cat to your resident dog. In addition:
Practice Obedience
If your dog doesn't already know the commands "sit,"
"down," "come" and "stay," you should begin
working on them. Small pieces of food will increase your dog's motivation
to perform, which will be necessary in the presence of such a strong
distraction as a new cat. Even if your dog already knows these commands,
work with obeying commands in return for a tidbit.
Controlled Meeting
After your new dog and resident cat have become comfortable eating on
opposite sides of the door, and have been exposed to each other's scents
as described above, you can attempt a face-to-face introduction in a
controlled manner. Put your dog's leash on, and using treats, have him
either sit or lie down and stay. Have another family member or friend
enter the room and quietly sit down next to your cat, but don't have them
physically restrain her. Have this person offer your cat some special
pieces of food or catnip. At first, the cat and the dog should be on
opposite sides of the room. Lots of short visits are better than a few
long visits. Don't drag out the visit so long that the dog becomes
uncontrollable. Repeat this step several times until both the cat and dog
are tolerating each other's presence without fear, aggression or other
undesirable behavior.
Let Your Cat Go
Next, allow your cat freedom to explore your dog at her own pace, with
the dog still on-leash and in a "down-stay." Meanwhile, keep
giving your dog treats and praise for his calm behavior. If your dog gets
up from his "stay" position, he should be repositioned with a
treat lure, and praised and rewarded for obeying the "stay"
command. If your cat runs away or becomes aggressive, you're progressing
too fast. Go back to the previous introduction steps. If you cannot get a
handle on your dog's behavior, a good quality training class can put you
back in control of your dog so that your cat can enjoy her home too! Do
not allow your dog to chase ANY small animals. That will only undermine
training your dog to leave your cat alone.
Positive Reinforcement
Although your dog must be taught that chasing or being rough with your
cat is unacceptable behavior, he must also be taught how to behave
appropriately, and be rewarded for doing so, such as sitting, coming when
called, or lying down in return for a treat. If your dog is always
punished when your cat is around, and never has "good things"
happen in the cat's presence, your dog may redirect aggression toward the
cat. Allow your cat to approach your dog. By all means, allow your cat to
walk up and investigate your dog but watch carefully so that your dog does
not attempt to chase your cat. By allowing this to happen, your cat will
gain trust in you and your dog that nothing bad is going to happen to her.
Your cat will begin to realize that sharing a house with a dog (who is not
allowed to approach her) isn't so bad at all!
Give your dog an outlet for his chase behavior. Teach him to chase a
ball, Frisbee, tether ball or squeaky toy rather than your cat. Regular
exercise can help your dog remain calm around your cat.
Directly Supervise All Interactions Between Your Dog And Cat
You may want to keep your dog on-leash and with you whenever your cat
is free in the house during the introduction process. Be sure that your
cat has an escape route and a place to hide. Keep your dog and cat
separated when you aren't home until you're certain your cat will be safe.
Precautions
Dogs like to eat cat food. Eating cat food can cause kidney and liver
problems in dogs because the protein and fat content in cat food is too
high for dogs to digest appropriately. You should keep the cat food out of
your dog's reach (in a closet or on a high shelf). Eating cat feces is
also a relatively common behavior in dogs. Although there are no health
hazards to your dog, it's probably distasteful to you. It's also upsetting
to your cat to have such an important object "invaded."
Unfortunately, attempts to keep your dog out of the litter box by
"booby trapping" it will also keep your cat away as well.
Punishment after the fact will not change your dog's behavior. The best
solution is to place the litter box where your dog can't access it, for
example: behind a baby gate; in a closet with the door anchored open from
both sides and just wide enough for your cat; or inside a tall, topless
cardboard box with easy access for your cat.
A Word About Kittens And Puppies
Because they're so much smaller, kittens are in more danger of being
injured, of being killed by a young energetic dog, or by a predatory dog.
A kitten will need to be kept separate from an especially energetic dog
until she is fully-grown, and even then she should never be left alone
with the dog. Usually, a well-socialized cat will be able to keep a puppy
in its place, but some cats don't have enough confidence to do this. If
you have an especially shy cat, you might need to keep her separated from
your puppy until he matures enough to have more self-control.
When To Get Help
If introductions don't go smoothly, seek professional help immediately.
Animals can
be severely injured in fights, and the longer the problem continues, the
harder it can be to resolve. Conflicts between pets in the same family can
often be resolved with professional help. Punishment won't work, though,
and could make things worse
Back To the Top
|
Milo
Zoe