Dogs & Cats – How To Make Your Dog & Cat Become Friends In Just A Few Hours

The secret to starting and maintaining a loving relationship between your dog and a new cat (or vice versa) lies within how carefully you introduce them to each other. You have already made the decision to bring a different species into the house so invest as much time and care as you can in order to ensure that both of your animals start off with a positive experience with one another.

The introduction between a cat and a dog can best be broken down into the following six steps:

Step 1: When you first bring home the new dog or cat, confine each of them to a specific area of the house where they cannot see one another. The object is to allow the two animals to smell and hear each other without seeing each other. This arrangement gives the newcomer plenty of time to get used to his or her new living area, while your resident pet is safely confined on its own.

Step 2: During this time apart, grab an old towel or T-shirt and rub it all over the new dog or cat. Then take the towel and bring it into the room where your resident pet is at. Place the towel next to the dog or cat so that they can get used to the new pet’s scent. This is the first step in getting each animal used to one another.

Step 3: Allow this arrangement to go on for about an hour or two. After this time period is up, switch up the scene. Place each animal in the room where the other was at beforehand, and be sure to give a scented towel to the new cat or dog, with the other pet’s smell rubbed on it.

Step 4: Next you will create a positive association with one another by having each animal on different sides of a closed door. Place some treats or pet food for both of them next to the door. The goal is to get each animal to enjoy their food while knowing they’re close to one another. This starts a positive association between the joy of food and knowing that both pets are doing something fun while sensing each other’s presence.

Step 5: Continue with this arrangement until you notice that the animals are less curious about sniffing each other from underneath the door. Your next move during this introduction period is to allow each animal to see one another, but still being divided by a gate or screen door. There may be some initial tension which will eventually subside through treats and petting of both animals.

Step 6: Once they are both calm and relaxed, slowly allow more interaction to happen. For example, you can bring them both into the same room, but keep your dog on a leash while you sit on the couch. The cat will approach your dog at its own pace. Should your dog become overly excited and aggressive, a quick spritz of water is plenty for discipline. Your job is to prevent your dog from creating the habit of becoming excited and wanting to chase the cat. And the cat must come to understand that the dog will not harass it.

Dogs & Cats: How To Judge Whether Or Not Your Dog Will Like The New Cat

When you first introduce a dog and cat together, 9 times out of 10 the cat will be the one that is fearful and the first to bolt away. There are of course rare exceptions, especially for smaller dogs that are poorly socialized. I remember one of my Chihuahuas who would never go near a cat again after the very first one he came close to hissed and swatted at his little nose, tearing a big gash across it!

The manner in which a dog reacts to a new cat can fall into several categories. Some dogs will immediately perceive a cat as prey and will do everything they can to chase the cat with full intentions of hurting it.

Other dogs will be less aggressive and more on the curious side towards the animal. This curiosity can turn into play or aggression, which depends on the way the cat responds to the dog. The dog may want to play at first but the cat may feel threatened, become defensive, and start acting aggressively. This can trigger and provoke the dog’s own aggression.

Then there are dogs who seem to fall in love at first glance when they see a cat. They are relaxed when in the cat’s presence and view the animal as the ultimate play toy. Hopefully the cat will respond in the same manner and there will be no problems between them.

In most cases, it is very difficult to determine what each animal’s intentions are during the first few hours of socialization. If you are not sure how the meeting is going and whether or not the situation could turn aggressive, you can always seek the assistance from a certified animal behaviorist or other knowledgeable consultant that studies dog and cat behavior.

Rules Of The Introduction
If you plan on bringing a new cat or dog into your home where you already have a pet residing, the manner in which you introduce the two animals can mean the difference between a long-lasting relationship or aggression and injury to one of them, which will most likely be the cat.

Your goal during this introduction is to help both animals become familiar with one another in small baby steps, or doses, if you like. Friendship between a cat and a dog depends upon friendly familiarity.

The very first introduction should be a positive experience for both of the animals. As we’ve mentioned before, always be on your guard for the cat’s protection and safety. And when your animals cannot be supervised, they should all be separated until you get back home.

The length of this introduction phase can vary. Sometimes cats and dogs can become best friends in a matter of days, while other situations could take weeks or even months before the animals start tolerating each other.

You must be willing to put in the time in order to babysit these meetings for however long it takes. It may go fast or it may move at a snails pace. Either way, your responsibility in guiding the animals together and maintaining the peace is key to a successful friendship.