How to Get a Cat Used to a New Puppy
Ideally, you want to introduce a cat to a puppy (as opposed to a grown dog) as the puppy has no history of chasing or teasing cats. The puppy is also smaller and easier to train to get along with the cat. Even the smoothest introductions, however, will cause some sort of stress for both animals.
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Instructions
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Confine the cat, puppy and yourself to one room where the cat can run freely and hide from the puppy if need be. Be sure you can see both animals. Sit back and relax and set the puppy down, making sure he is securely on leash.
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Allow the dog and cat to wander where they will. Don't force the two to meet but allow them to go to each other on their own. Praise them for being good during the encounter. Do not allow the puppy to chase the cat or encourage that behavior. Do not allow the cat to be aggressive towards the dog.
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Bring the cat and dog together three to five times a day for five-minute introduction sessions. Always keep the puppy on a leash when he's around the cat until they are friendly to each other. Despite being on a leash, allow the dog to explore the room as well. Praise friendliness and correct any aggression with a stern "no!"
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Gauge how your cat and puppy are reacting to each other (see Warnings below). When they are both comfortable, take the dog off-leash during one of the intro sessions. See the tips section on how to tell when the puppy is ready to go off-leash. Continue to supervise off-leash sessions and don't try to rush their "friendship." Once the animals are completely comfortable with each other, you can start increasing the length of time they are together off-leash until you can leave them alone together.
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Tips & Warnings
Never rush the introduction period for the cat and puppy. Both pets need time to adjust to this traumatic event. Do not encourage either cat or puppy to run in the house as this can trigger prey drive in the puppy. To have a better watch over the animals during introductions, you can bring another calm person with you. You can watch one animal and he or she watches the other. Your puppy is ready to go off-leash if you can call him to you while the cat is present. If he doesn't respond to you, he is too distracted by the cat and needs more time around the cat while on-leash.
Always make sure you can see both animals and what they're doing. If you see the puppy stiffening, staring, barking or whining, do not let him near the cat. If he tries to lunge at the cat, quickly correct the puppy. If the cat is raising her back or hissing and growling at the dog, do not let your dog wander. The cat may try to attack the dog. Instead have the dog sit and stay so the cat can get used to him. Reward the dog for ignoring the cat.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Nilebluejazz
