cat + dog = ?

Question

we have a 12 year old cat. my son wants to get a puppy. will there be huge problems getting the 2 animals accustomed to each other?

Answer 1

Possibly. The cat might get jealous of the dog. Maybe you can bring the cat to the animal shelter with you, and the cat can pick out your new pet.

Answer 2

There will obviously be problems...but I think you can definitely do it.

Get a puppy, but don't go for a very large breed like an Alsation - although, saying this, labradors are quite large, but they are generally a breed that gets along well with other animals and are GREAT with children.

Otherwise get a medium to smaller breed - perhaps a Jack Russel, which are sturdy little dogs, that seem more like big dogs disguised in a small dogs body! None of that annoying yapping that you get with some of the smaller breeds!

I reccommend getting a puppy from a breeder or home where they have cats already. This may take a little longer to find, but the benefits are good. The puppy will already be socialised towards cats, and will have the proper respect for them.

In preparation of getting the puppy, be sure to block off your cats favourite bedroom with a gate, so that kitty has got a safe place to retreat to when the puppy is too boisterous. Kitty also needs lots of places to hide, lots of affection and start feeding her either in the blocked off room, or on a higher surface, like a table, so pup doesn't bother her while she's eating.

Invest in some catnip, and give your kitty vast quantities of it to help calm her nerves also!

If youp pup has already had experience with cats, and knows that a puffed up hissing ball of fury is a sign not to come any closer, I think that the introductions should go well. As your cat has been alone for quite a while, you may even find that she's quite interested in what the puppy actually is. She'll know what a cat is, but may not have come into contact with a puppy before!

I believe that with older cats, getting a dog is actually easier on them than getting another cat as cats and dogs don't compete for exactly the same things!

Answer 3

Dogs and cats can get along. It is easier to have a dog first then get a kitten, but it works the other way too.
We had a cat for six years before we got another animal and it happened to be a puppy. Initially the cat totally disliked the puppy because he wanted to play and she did not. We had to watch them carefully, but in a matter of days the puppy had learned, after a few rebuffs by the cat, not to try to play with the cat and the cat had learned to tolerate the puppy. The puppy learned that the cat ruled the roost so to speak. It helped that we contained the puppy in a small area or in one room until paper trained and the cat could come and go as she pleased. The cat could also get away from the puppy by getting up on chairs, a couch or beds. The dog was never allowed on the furniture. Later years the animals were pals. You would see them lying together inside or walking together when they were outside.

We have pictures of that same puppy as a grown dog wrestling with another cat that we got later. They would actually seek each other out and play wrestle and never hurt each other. The first cat was always the queen.

Answer 4

Don't get a very energetic dog.....better to get a calmer one if possible to help with the getting along. It will be hard for your cat since she is getting up in years .

If the shelter has a separate room to introduce each dog and see how your cat reacts would be a good idea to bring your cat to pick out the dog....but that might be awful stressful for your cat.
You know your cats temperament.........is she a calm laid back type or still frisky? That will also show how she will react to a spunky puppy......perhaps you could get one past the 6 months and trained or with some training. the shelter should have some background on the dog to check to see if it's been in a home before with cats.

Make sure the cat has an escape she can go to where the dog cannot get to just in case she needs a breather from him. And always good to crate a dog at night [at least when you first get them and they are being house trained] and that can be her free time from the dog.

Answer 5

Did people tell you that a puppy and cat would get along? Or that a dog and cat would get along? My cats hate puppies, but they get along very nicely with my now adult dogs. Puppies, as you have noticed, insult the dignity of cats. Puppies just play differently from cats.

The more you keep them separate the more difficult it will be to teach the puppy to be better mannered around the cat. I would absolutely keep them separate when you cannot observe them. Your puppy may not intend to kill the cat, but it could happen anyway.

Try keeping the puppy on leash as much as you can, encourage the cat to come into the room and observe the puppy carefully. You want to correct the puppy for *thinking* about pouncing on the cat. So look for the puppy to give the cat any attention at all, give a corrective tone "Ach!" and get the puppies attention on you - reward the puppy for turning its attention away from the cat. If you wait until the puppy takes a step toward the cat then you have waited too long. Try to avoid using the leash for correction. The leash is for safety and insurance. Use your voice and your body language to get the puppy to turn its attention away from the cat. Reward with a toy. Make sure to notice and reward the puppy if it has not focussed on the cat all on its own - in other words you don't want to make the puppy think the only way it can get praise is to look at the cat then look away.

Answer 6

I think there will be since the cat is used to being the only animal in the house. Some people I know brought a dog into the house with their female long-haired cat and she started disregarding her litter box as a way of expressing her stress. To this day, she still does it and they have tried everything. Be careful! I would see if you could bring home the dog before you commit to buying or adopting it to see how they get along.

Answer 7

At 12 years old, the cat will probably take a while to adjust. I would stick with getting a puppy vs. a dog, and be prepared to spend time teaching each to respect the other.

Make sure you are also prepared to take the time to lavish *each* with affection - you don't want jealousy (altho your resident cat will undoubtedly have a little). However, if your son is old enough to take the dog outside to play & you can spend some extra time with your kitty, you'll be well on the way.

In time, you may find they could actually be best buddies!

:-)

Answer 8

make sure you get a breed of dog that will not harm or bother the cat. You also might want to consider a slightly older dog who won't be so playful. It should be OK though. Most likely the cat will ignore the dog unless the dog bothers it. If the dog bothers the cat, the cat will either leave or beat the crap out of the dog depending on the personality of the cat.

Answer 9

Because you are getting your dog at an early age, he will get used to the cat, and soon not even care if it's in the same room, but it will take a while because puppy's will at first see your cat as a play thing, and in the mean time your cat might get stressed and start spraying, and once that starts it won't stop.
I would get an older dog, that is already used to cats.

Answer 10

I once had to deal with this. Most older cats don't respond well to new pets, even other cats. Puppies just want to play and they tend to play hard. It will take time. Keep them separated when you're not at home and take it slow getting them acclimated. In time the dog will ignore the cat and the cat will ignore the dog.