Pets, how do you rear a dog and a cat together under one roof?

[sawyen]

I was thinking of having a new cat and a dog around the house to cheer things up...

No particular reason why dogs and cats together.. probably I do like cats as well.. . I was just wondering whether there's a suitable time when I should actually introduce them to each other? or do I get them to live together while both were still doggies and kitties? Really worried that the dog might actually hurt the cat instead.. or vice versa.. But I've seen ppl having cats and dogs together and are just fine..

Any advices from the HEXUS pet professionals here?

[XA04]

I don't have a cat at the moment. But with 2 previous dogs, and 2 previous cats (one at a time), we had the cats first.. and then the dog.

Cat's seem to keep to themselves. The cat will probably be a bit irritated by the dog at first.. but will settle down.

The dog will probably be fine.. especially if he's young - he'll just want to play.


So, Cat first, then Dog. Or cat and dog at the same time.


Probably not a good idea to get the dog first because he won't like another pet joining their territory.

Edit: Best to get the dog young too.. cat not too young... got to be mature really.

[Tumble]

my cat's 14... we've just aquired a dawgie who's 6... all I can say is, boundaries have been set, the dog isn't fussed about the cat, cat don't know WHAT the dog is... let alone what to do with it, and is slowly coming round to sharing the house with her.. gonna be fine

[Mrs Dak]

Our cat and dog exist happily together. The mutt knows the cat is always right
Had the cat first as well.

[s29feb]

I think if you were to 'rear' any animal it would'nt be too happy







Sorry could'nt resist

[MadduckUK]

[sawyen]

thanks for the tips guys! will take a trip down to the local pet shop this weekend and see what happens..

[XA04]

You could ask for their advice at the petshop too.

[charleski]

II was just wondering whether there's a suitable time when I should actually introduce them to each other? or do I get them to live together while both were still doggies and kitties? Really worried that the dog might actually hurt the cat instead.. or vice versa..

Most cats and dogs can live together quite happily, but as all pet-lovers know, they all have their own personalites. Getting them both while they're young (at least 2 months) is probably the best bet for long-term harmony. Kittens are capable of being far more scary than puppies, so the dog will learn respect for the cat while young, while the cat will learn that the dog is a part of the environment.

You can get animals that are older, and it usually works out fine, but it depends on how they have developed. A cat that's been moved around a lot may have more trouble adjusting to a dog unless it's a puppy and thus more easily cowed . A mature cat usually just needs to know that the dog will respect its boundaries.

Of course, the fact is that any medium-to-large fully grown dog can snap a cat's neck with one bite - most dogs never work that out because even though cats are fun to chase, they're pretty scary when cornered. If you have an aggressive dog that has discovered this, though, it'll be very hard to get it to live with a cat.

[chuckskull]

If you get them at the same time (when young), they will be friends for life.Feeding them at the same time is important because thats when cats and dogs get most aggressive and protective, if you can get that, then everything will fall into place. If they're ages are quite different then some fur will fly at first but eventually things calm down.

I have an old cat and a very young german shephard. A bit of drama to start with, but it's all fine now.

btw theres a typo in your sig

[Sair33]

Whichever comes first... the cat is always in charge

[charleski]

Feeding them at the same time is important because thats when cats and dogs get most aggressive and protective

Absolutely agree, that's a massively important point. (Despite the fact that most pets are overfed, if anything . The drive to *get the food* is still a huge part of their instinct.)

[jamin]

Had a 7 year old cat, then got a Golden Retriever puppy. If the dog got out of line the cat would just smack her round the chops. And in fact the cat used to corner the dog, used to hear the dog crying and come downstairs to find the dog wimpering in the corner while the cat sat a couple of feet away licking its bum!


In general:

Young cat + young dog = works
Older cat + young dog = works
Older dog + younger cat = carnage!

[charleski]

And in fact the cat used to corner the dog, used to hear the dog crying and come downstairs to find the dog wimpering in the corner while the cat sat a couple of feet away licking its bum!

Hahaha, classic .

[chuckskull]

Absolutely agree, that's a massively important point. (Despite the fact that most pets are overfed, if anything . The drive to *get the food* is still a huge part of their instinct.)

Yup very true, that instinct never leaves them. Though the competition the instinct brings is very good for getting fussy pets to eat

And in fact the cat used to corner the dog, used to hear the dog crying and come downstairs to find the dog wimpering in the corner while the cat sat a couple of feet away licking its bum!

Exactly the same happens here and have a huge fully trained German Shephard guard dog that will take on anything Won't mess with the cat

[Stewart]

In general:

Young cat + young dog = works
Older cat + young dog = works
Older dog + younger cat = carnage!

Seems to be right, yeah. Had 2 cats, both quite old, and I've since got a dog, and the cats are fine with it. Its a big Doberman as well, but the 2 of them just ignore it and stand their ground if he tries having some of their food away.