How do you get a cat and a puppy to get along?

Question

The cat is 20 yrs. old and growls at the puppy. The puppy is 10 weeks old. They have been together for a few hours.

Answer 1

Cats are highly territorial and he will view the dog as an intruder trying to steal his territory and take his place. Territory means everything to a cat, it's the source of food, love and shelter, all the things they cannot afford to lose, which is why they often feel so threatened by a new pet. Cats and dogs do have a different body language to each other, for example, a raised paw means a dog wants to play, but to a cat, it's a threat. There will be misunderstandings between them at first, but they will learn each other's language.

If your cat hisses or reacts badly to the puppy, do not discipline him, otherwise he might feel even more resentful towards him. At his age, your cat probably enjoys some peace and quiet, and a boisterous puppy, might be too much for him to cope with at times, so make sure that he has somewhere like a closet, that he can escape to when he wants some peace and quiet. Ensure that he has plenty of high places he is allowed to sit, so that he can watch the puppy and get used to him, without fear of attack. If he has a litter box, make sure that is somewhere the puppy can't get too either, because if he's ambushed whilst using it, that can lead to problems with him avoiding the litter box. Give your cat lots of affection and reassurance, so that he doesn't feel he is being replaced by the puppy. When they behave nicely together, give them both food rewards, as this will help them associate each other with good things.

The web articles below have lots of advice and information on introducing cats and dogs which will help you.

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=cattodogintroductions
http://www.messybeast.com/first-impressions.htm

Don't be tempted to force them together, let your cat dictate the pace, as too much stress at his age could be harmful to his health. Be patient, it can take animals a while to relax and get to know each other, but it really is worth taking things slowly.

Good luck.

Answer 2

A few hours isn't long, for the cat to adjust to the "interloper" in it's territory! Besides, that puppy isn't going to hurt the cat. Since the cat is older, wiser, it will growl and hiss til it "gets it's message across" to the pup. If that doesn't work, the cat will finally swat the puppy across the nose (may take more than one time), and teach it who's BOSS. If the cat is too old to get out of the puppy's way, you COULD separate them physically, but I think the best thing is for the CAT to "teach" the pup. Mine did, and they all get along, now. Hope this helps.......Good luck.......

Answer 3

20 years? WOW, that's an old cat!

The cat is going to growl at the intruder until he gets used to the puppy. Don't interfere unless you suspect a real danger. You can expect some hissing and growling for at least two weeks.

At that age, your kitty may never get used to the puppy. So you'll just have to train the puppy to leave your cat alone.

Good luck!

Answer 4

You don't in those circumstances. The cat will either come around or it won't.

Just start training the puppy to leave that geriatric cat alone. The stress could be really bad for it.

Answer 5

Don't force the issue. If you were older and had some clumsy kid trying to get you to play and taking most of the attention, would you welcome him with open arms? I think not. Give them room and time. Don't lavish attention on the pup unless you want him learning that he is your number one kid. It is just like with children.