introducing a puppy to a cat?

Question

we've had the male cat [Simba] for four years, we got him when he was a kitten and we are now thinking of getting a female chihuahua. are there any particular strategies? and does the way you introduce two animals depend on the age sex and species?

Answer 1

Funny you asked somethin like that..
My Mom's had her cat, Suzie, for about a year now and just recently got a male chihuahua, Chico..he's about a pound and he can fit in the palm of your hand so we were really afraid Suzie was gonna tear him up if she didn't like him..
We've had Chico for about 3 weeks now and they roll around together in the floor like best buds, it's adorable...
When Mom brought Chico home, she just made sure she still paid a lot of attention to Suzie so she wouldn't get too jealous and wanna rip him to shreds..but after she realized he just wanted to play, which is probably what yours will do too, she was just fine with him..
Good luck!

PS-
Chihuahuas are such great dogs!! Easiest one we've trained so far and so sweet!

Answer 2

I have 5 cats and a Chihuahua. The cats are 7 to 17 years old now and the dog, Isabella "Izzy" is 5 years old now.

When I got Izzy, I wasn't sure how mine would react either. She was so tiny, just about 8 oz at 7 weeks old.

When I brought her in, of course all the cats wanted to see what I had! I sat her down and the female cats didn't pay much attention to her. The male cat was 2 at the time and about 12 pounds. Izzy started running towards him and he took off running away from her! Then he stopped, turned around and gave us the most indignant look...as if to say...I'm running from THAT!

Having a dog in the house was different for a while, I nor the cats were used to something that barked! But I had always wanted a Chihuahua and a good friend gave her to me. The transition was fairly uneventful and everyone gets along great.

When she was a puppy, the oldest cat would groom Izzy, still does some, but the cat is sick (renal failure). It was so cute to see Izzy snuggle up to Maybelle and get her face and ears washed! I just wish I had a picture of it!

My advice is to watch Simba for his reaction to your new puppy. I hope it will be as easy as my story. If not, just give them a little time to adjust to each other and the change in the household.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Wow that is weird.
I had a cat called Nala (lion king)
And then we got a mini chihuahua.
But we had only had our cat for about 3 months and then we got the chihuahua.
If your cat is an inside cat and very attached to you,
the chihuahua will try and break that bond,
and there will be trouble.
My cat and dog never got along.
Then Nala died,
And we got a new little kitten a couple of months ago,
and the chihuahua wasn't very welcoming.
If you want the chihuahua,
get it!
But the whole cat and dog thing,
lets just say they probably will not be best friends no matter how much you try.

Answer 4

the dog and cat are going to clash they are both needy animals. i would keep the cat in a room away from the dog for a couple of hours. let the dog get a feel of the house. when you do feel comfy introducing them hold the puppy and then if they decide to attack you can intervine. i dont recomend you do this alone. it may take a while but they will find their place and role in the family just be patient and supervise

Answer 5

Be aware that your cat is most likely going to go after the dog at least once. It's a dominance thing. "MY HOUSE" statements. Make sure both animals are spayed/neutered to reduce territorialism and they should figure things out well enough between the two of them once each knows which is the dominant animal.

Answer 6

keep them apart for some time, gradually let them smell each other's things, then let them see each other from a safe distance, then let them smell each other, then when they have stopped hissing etc. let them be together.