Acclimate a Cat to a Dog

Introducing a cat and a dog to one another when they haven’t grown up together can be stressful for both animals. However, you can take steps to help both of them acclimate to one another safely and in their own time. Regardless of whether you want to introduce a new cat to a home with a dog or vice versa, some simple actions to help familiarize the animals with one another will lead to a harmonious, multi-pet home.

Acclimating an Established Dog to a New Cat

 * 1) Practice your dog’s basic commands before bringing the cat home. If you already own a dog and plan to bring home a new cat, then start by working extra hard on your dog’s obedience to basic commands before introducing the cat. While your dog will be curious and likely want to invade the cat’s space to sniff and play, the cat will need room and time to adjust. Work on “Sit,” Down,” and “Stay,” especially, so you can keep the dog from overwhelming the cat immediately.
 * 2) * If you can, practice the commands with your dog in a busy area with other people and distractions. The idea is to make sure that your dog will still listen despite the excitement of the cat.
 * 3) * If you’re still working on basic commands with your dog, then check out the information available at How to Teach Your Dog Basic Commands.
 * 4) Try to introduce your dog to other dog-friendly cats first. If your dog’s very first encounter with a cat is when you bring your new pet home, then he’s more likely to become excited in a way that’s stressful for the cat. Ask friends who have both cats and dogs if you can bring your dog over in a controlled setting where he can meet and acclimate to a cat that’s not scared by a dog first.
 * 5) Leash your dog. You should have your dog on his leash when you bring the new cat home, as well as any other time they can potentially end up in the same room together through the acclimation process. Even if the meetings will take place inside, you can place your dog on his leash to give you a bit more control over the situation. This will allow you to keep him back in the event that both your commands and distractions fail.
 * 6) Keep the cat isolated to one room of the house. You will likely have to keep the animals separated for some time until they demonstrate that they can coexist. If your cat is the newcomer, then you don’t want to overwhelm her with both a dog and a brand new big home. As soon as you bring the cat home, take her carrier to a single room with all of her bedding, food, water, toys, and a litter box. Seclude her there and make sure the dog does not have access to this room. Depending on how quickly your cat appears to acclimate to the general new surroundings, you may want to give her several days in this room before introducing her to your dog.
 * 7) * To help her get used to the smell of your dog, allow your dog to sleep on an old t-shirt of yours and then move the shirt into the room with the cat and vice versa. The two can begin sniffing each other before the actual meeting.
 * 8) * If the acclimation process takes more than several days, begin alternating which animal you confine to a specific room. This will allow the cat to begin exploring the rest of the house more freely, and they’ll both be surrounded by each other’s scent in the process to help the acclimation along.
 * 9) Provide your dog with distractions. When you do finally put the two animals in the same room together, you want to keep your dog occupied enough to allow the cat to explore and approach on her own terms. Consider distracting your dog with his favorite toy, especially if it’s a toy you can stuff with a favorite treat and let him work at that instead of bothering the cat.
 * 10) * It’s also a good idea to take your dog out for a run before the meeting. This way he can expel some of his pent up energy, and he’ll be that much calmer around the cat.
 * 11) Make sure your cat has a clear escape route. Do not place your dog or allow him to move in such a way as to block the only exit to the room. You want the cat to have an escape route if she feels overwhelmed. Feeling trapped by the dog will only increase her anxiety during the visits. If she needs to run away, then having the freedom to do so will help with subsequent visits as well.
 * 12) * As she explores the rest of the house, you may also want to keep a cat tower or perch in one of the common areas. This will always give your cat a high spot away from the dog when she needs a break.
 * 13) Keep the session to five or ten minutes. The goal for the introductory session is to remove the cat while everything is still going well. Keep the session to five or ten minutes—before your dog can lose patience with the toy and commands and get too curious about the cat.
 * 14) * If your cat arches her back, fluffs up, and hisses, then she definitely feels stressed and threatened by your dog. Unfortunately, your puzzled dog will likely stare, and a direct stare is a threat or challenge to the cat who is then likely to feel even more anxious and threatened. Remove your dog from the room—giving your cat a wide berth—the second the situation turns stressful for either one because it’s only likely to spiral. You do not want to start a vicious cycle of either animal fearing the other.
 * 15) Provide your cat treats and attention. Speak calmly to the cat for the duration of each visit, and try to make the experience as pleasurable for the cat as possible. Sit on the floor and if your cat comes to you, make a big fuss of her and feed her treats. The goal is simply to make the initial visits positive experiences.
 * 16) Feed both animals on opposite sides of the same door. Between the short meeting sessions, you can also take other steps to help both animals adjust, such as feeding them on opposite sides of the same closed door. This will help them get used to the idea of another animal being around.
 * 17) * If the cat is too scared to eat, then move the bowl a sufficient distance away from the door until she is no longer frightened, and edge the dish an inch or two closer to the door with each subsequent meal.
 * 18) Continue making use of the short meetings. It will require time and patience, but continue daily engineered meetings between your dog and cat under the controlled circumstances. They will likely go through a period of sniffing at one another, but ultimately, you want to maintain the supervised interactions until your dog stays calm and ignores your cat, and your cat stays calm, eating and going about her business in the dog’s presence.
 * 19) * Increase the interaction times while still keeping your dog leashed as the animals acclimate. The goal is to have each animal content and relaxed in one another’s company. After this, you can try allowing your dog off his leash around the cat.
 * 20) Try an unsupervised interaction. You want to supervise the cat and dog around one another for a substantial amount of time before ever leaving them alone together. Allow for a month of good behavior together without any signs of either feeling remotely threatened before moving on to unsupervised time.

Acclimating an Established Cat to a New Dog

 * 1) Learn how your cat perceives your home. Your cat regards your home as her territory, and she will see your new dog as an intruder. If you allow the dog to rampage through the house—a bad way to introduce a dog to a new home regardless of the circumstances—then this is an extreme challenge to your cat. This will automatically make her hostile to the dog no matter how sweet he is.
 * 2) Keep the dog confined to one room. Rather than shutting the dog behind a closed door, use a baby gate or other roadblock to keep the dog confined. This will allow your cat to explore the dog on her own time with an easy method of escape if she wants it. Choose a room that isn’t essential to the cat—where she commonly sleeps or where her litter box is—and that she rarely visits.
 * 3) * To help your cat get used to the smell of your dog, allow your dog to sleep on an old t-shirt of yours and then move the shirt into one of the cat’s favorite rooms and vice versa. The will allow the two to sniff each other without having to nose at the separation gate.
 * 4) Distract your dog when the cat comes around. If you notice your cat getting curious and inching closer to your new dog’s pen, try to distract him during these moments. Give him a favorite toy, practice new commands, etc. The goal is to keep his attention off your cat, so she can watch and investigate without him bothering her.
 * 5) * Though not always possible with a new puppy or dog, you should try to teach your dog basic commands before placing them in the same room together as well, so you can command him to “Sit” or “Stay” if he begins taking too much interest in your cat.
 * 6) Let your cat explore your new dog’s crate. Especially if your new dog is a puppy, then wait until he gets sleepy and takes a nap in his crate and place the closed crate in one of your cat’s favorite rooms. Behind the closed gate of the carrier (and in a more familiar room), your cat will likely be emboldened to approach and sniff at the dog even more.
 * 7) Introduce the two while you have the dog on a leash. The first time your two pets meet without a gate involved, ensure that your new dog is on his leash to give you more control over the situation. You should also give your dog a favorite toy or treats to distract him and allow the cat to investigate without his attention focused on her.
 * 8) * It’s also a good idea to take your dog out for a run before the meeting. This way he can expel some of his pent up energy, and he’ll be that much calmer around the cat.
 * 9) Make sure your cat has a clear escape route. Do not place your dog or allow him to move in such a way as to block the only exit to the room. You want the cat to have an escape route if she feels overwhelmed. Feeling trapped by the dog will only increase her anxiety during the visits. If she needs to run away, then having the freedom to do so will help with subsequent visits as well.
 * 10) Let your cat determine the pace. For each meeting between the two animals, let the cat set the pace for the interactions. Bring the leashed dog into one of the common rooms and call your cat in. Keep the dog leashed and distracted while she sniffs around and explores. Provide her plenty of treats and praise during the process as well. As she relaxes around the dog (and begins associating him with treats), you’ll notice her giving in more and more to her interest in the dog.
 * 11) * The process will still require patience. If the dog begins paying too much attention to the cat and she becomes visibly stressed, then remove him back to his gated portion of your home.
 * 12) * Don’t force your cat to stick around longer than she wants either. Even if your dog ignores the cat, she’ll likely get bored or tired of being around the dog and wander off. Let her go her own way, and try another visit between the two later on.
 * 13) Continue making use of the short meetings. It will require time and patience, but continue daily engineered meetings between your dog and cat under the controlled circumstances. They will likely go through a period of sniffing at one another, but ultimately, you want to maintain the supervised interactions until your dog stays calm and ignores your cat, and your cat stays calm, eating and going about her business in the dog’s presence.
 * 14) * Increase the interaction times while still keeping your dog leashed as the animals acclimate. The goal is to have each animal content and relaxed in the another’s company. After this, you can try allowing your dog off his leash around the cat.
 * 15) Try an unsupervised interaction. You want to supervise the cat and dog around one another for a substantial amount of time before ever leaving them alone together. Allow for a month of good behavior together without any signs of either feeling remotely threatened before moving on to unsupervised time.

Tips

 * Don't try to rush the process. Acclimating dogs and cats, like any new situation, takes time. There may be setbacks, but try not to get discouraged. Cats and dogs can live happily together and may even become friends.
 * Consider purchasing a cat tower for your cat as well. A high perch will always give your cat the option of getting away from your dog to a safe place. Even if the two get along, she will always be less stressed around the dog knowing that she has a safe place she can retreat to.
 * Be diligent in teaching the dog obedience skills. Practice sitting, staying, and heeling in a variety of situations. This will help the dog control his impulses and allow you time to intervene if necessary.
 * Synthetic cat and dog pheromones are another way to provide each animal access to the other's scent before an actual introduction.

Warnings

 * Even after the two animals behave well together, never enclose them in the same room without supervision. Your cat should always have an escape route to get away from the dog when she wants.
 * If rescuing a dog, ensure that you ask the employees at the shelter how the dog reacts to cats. Most shelters will test for this type of aggression to ensure that the dog ends up in a suitable home. Be honest and upfront about having a cat at home.
 * Stop any chasing as soon as you can. If your dog gives chase to the cat during one of the visits when he’s not on his leash, then put a quick stop to it. You want to do everything you can to stop the cat from associating the dog with stressful situations.
 * Think very carefully before creating a mixed household involving a cat and a breed of terrier. While there are many exceptions of terriers who live in peace with cats, their instinct is hard-wired to chase cats. This instinct is especially strong in Jack Russell terriers. Unfortunately, if they chase and catch a cat, they may do serious physical harm to the pet.
 * Trim your cat’s claws before the first meeting and regularly thereafter. While most people worry about their dog hurting their cat, the inverse is also a distinct possibility.

Things You'll Need

 * Leash
 * Cat and dog treats
 * Cat bed
 * Baby gate
 * Dog crate
 * Secluded area for kitty