Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Introducing Animals to Each Other's Smells
• Part 2 of 3: Moving to Direct Animal Contact
• Part 3 of 3: Taking Appropriate Precautions
• Tips
• Warnings

Having a new pet can be such an exciting and welcome experience, but when you already have another pet at home, it is important to take a number of precautions. When meeting a cat with a dog, take your time. At first, when the cat moves freely around the house, keep the dog in a cage, and then on a leash. It can take a few hours to several months for pets to get along with each other. But when this process is complete, it will definitely be worth the effort spent on it!

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Introducing Animals to Each Other's Smells

1. 1 Keep pets in separate rooms for the first few days. The process of getting to know a dog and a cat should begin with keeping them separate. If both animals live exclusively at home, you can, for example, lock the cat in the bedroom for a couple of days while the animals adapt to the changes.
   • When leaving your cat in the bedroom, be sure to provide it with everything you need, including food, water, litter box, and toys.
   • When you bring your cat home for the first time, it is best to lock the dog up first or even take it out of the house. So she will not jump around the cat carrier and scare the cat when she first meets her new home.
2. 2 Touch one of the pets and let the other smell the scent on your hands. Introduce your pets to each other's scent before meeting them in person. Pet one of the pets, and then, without changing clothes, go to another pet and let him sniff you. Follow these steps for each of your pets so that they get used to each other's smells before they even meet face to face.
   • It is best to continue learning about the scent for a few days, or until the dog is no longer interested in the new scent.
3. 3 Let the animals sniff each other through the crack under the door. When both of your pets are already familiar with each other's scent, let them chat through the closed door. Bring the dog to the door behind which the cat is, and let the pets sniff each other through the gap under the door.
   • If the dog becomes overexcited or tries to undermine the door, take him away and repeat the procedure later when he has calmed down.
   • Do not move on to personal acquaintance of pets until communication through the door ceases to excite both of them.

Part 2 of 3: Moving to Direct Animal Contact

1. 1 Let the cat determine the amount of contact with the dog. Throughout the pet dating process, never force your cat to interact with your dog. Be sure to provide her with an escape route (for example, something tall that she can jump from the dog) and keep the dog at a distance.
   • If the cat will not show interest in interacting with the dog, do not force it. Wait for the moment when she, of her own free will, approaches the dog.
   • Do not force your cat to come into contact with your dog, no matter how long you have to wait for voluntary pet contact. Continue this slow progress until the cat is comfortable enough to walk up to the dog on her own, even if the process takes weeks.
   • Be sure to keep the claws on the front paws of the cat trimmed short, and do not leave pets alone unattended. Until you are sure that the animals are able to get along peacefully with each other, pay attention to exactly where the cat is in relation to the location of the dog. Make sure that she cannot scratch the dog's face.
2. 2 During the first personal meetings, keep the dog in a cage, and allow the cat to move freely. While the cat is still in a separate room, place the dog in a crate and lock it up. Then let the cat out of her room and encourage her to follow you into the room with the dog. In the end, the cat's curiosity must win, and it will come closer to the dog to sniff it.
   • If the dog starts to "go crazy" when the cat appears, try to calm him down with an affectionate voice. Encourage the dog to remain calm and use a positive reinforcement system by treating the dog with a treat for proper behavior.
   • If treats and a reassuring voice aren't enough to tame the dog, remove the cat and return to the introductory stage through the door until the dog is better able to control itself.
3. 3 After successfully introducing a cat to a dog in a cage, move on to animal communication, during which the dog is on a leash. Let the dog out of the crate, but keep it on a leash for strict control. The cat should be allowed to move freely so that it is comfortable and can safely retreat if necessary. Allow animals to sniff each other. It is not unusual for a cat to hiss and hide. Allow the animals to chat for a couple of minutes, but move the cat to a separate room if she gets too anxious or upset.
   • Be sure to keep your dog on a leash (or hold it tightly by the collar) to control the distance it can get to the cat.
   • If the dog tugs at the leash and lunges at the cat, return to the previous step by placing it in the cage.
4. 4 Try to distract your dog with a treat to teach him to ignore the cat. A great way to train your dog to not pay attention to the cat is to let him know (through the positive reward system of treats) that it is more beneficial for him to completely ignore the cat. When both pets are in the same room, try to attract the dog's attention with a voice command (clicker or just the affectionate word "well done"). Then treat your dog to a treat.
   • This will explain to your dog that there are positive consequences to ignoring the cat and paying attention to you.
   • Repeat this step several times daily until the dog loses interest in the cat and concentrates on getting the treat without any problems.
5. 5 Minimize the duration of your first contacts. Meeting new pets can be quite stressful for both of your pets. Try to keep the first few meetings relatively short so as not to overwhelm the animals. Let them see and sniff each other for a few minutes, then separate again.
   • Do not allow pets to have negative associations towards each other. For the same reason, do not force them to do what they do not want to do.
   • It is good to make it a rule to move on to the next step only when the animals stop getting upset and show increased interest in each other at the current step of acquaintance.
   • For example, when the animals no longer have an increased interest in sniffing each other under the door, you can move on to the stage of their personal acquaintance, when the dog is in the cage. When pets cease to be upset and worried about being in the same room, while the dog is sitting in the cage, and the cat is moving around calmly, you can release the dog from the cage and put it on a leash.

Part 3 of 3: Taking Appropriate Precautions

1. 1 Watch the body language of both pets. Whenever a dog interacts with a cat, pay close attention to the body language of both animals to make sure they are comfortable. In such a situation, it is normal for them to be a little worried or upset, but at the same time, you should not allow increased stress.
   • Signs that the cat has already had a lot of communication with the dog should include pinned ears, tail wagging, and growl.
   • If the dog's body becomes constrained, and she herself is motionlessly looking at the cat, or begins to bark uncontrollably, it is probably time to breed the animals in different rooms.
2. 2 Monitor your cat's litter box habit. You can track the success of promoting the acquaintance of pets out of the cat's habit of using the litter box. If the cat walks into the litter box in the usual way, it is likely that she is relatively happy with the environment and feels safe enough under the circumstances. If the cat starts going to the toilet in the wrong place, it is very likely that the reason for this is the stress of the dog. In this case, it is necessary to slow down the process of animal acquaintance.
   • Normal use of the litter box means that the cat visits it several times a day and does not commit any missteps outside of it.
   • Make sure that the dog cannot reach the cat litter box. She should not be able to trap the cat when she is using the litter box.
3. 3 Use a positive reinforcement system. You need to make the dating process as pleasant as possible for both pets, so that both of them associate each other with something that gives pleasure and joy. Try to treat both the dog and the cat with a treat during the dating process, especially when they are calm.
   • While introducing pets, talk affectionately with the cat and pet it. Another person should do the same with the dog. This will help the animals develop positive associations with each other.
4. 4 Use baby gates to give the cat a chance to escape from the dog. You may want to use a baby wicket to keep the dog out of a certain area of ​​your home. The cat will have the opportunity to jump over the gate and rest in the area where the dog simply does not have access.
   • As a minimum measure, make sure your cat has access to tables, countertops and high shelves to climb up to hide from the dog if necessary.
   • This will allow both animals to get the personal space they need so much, and the cat will have the opportunity to decide for itself how much or little contact with the dog.
5. 5 Spray your dog when he misbehaves with the cat. Using a spray bottle with water is a countermeasure to let the dog know that sneaky behavior towards the cat is unacceptable. When the dog is misbehaving, just spray it with water. Over time, she will abandon the inappropriate behavior.
   • For example, spray your dog with a spray bottle when it bites a cat.
   • Alternatively, a harness, dog bridle, or correction collar can be used to correct the behavior.

Tips

• Make sure that none of the pets touch other people's bowls of food and water, as this can lead to a struggle for personal territory.
• Remember that it is best to introduce two animals with a similar level of activity so that the dating process goes smoother.For example, an old cat will not be thrilled with the riot of energy of a young puppy.
• Try to disrupt your first pet's daily routine as little as possible when you bring your new pet to your home.

Warnings

• If any of the animals begins to show signs of aggression, immediately isolate him and start the process of introducing pets from the very beginning: introduce them to the smell of each other, then go to the acquaintance through the door, in the cage, and so on.