Cat meets Dog

[Soledad]

For you inter-species households out there, how do you successfully integrate cats and dogs?

Boo and Wylie are doing well on their own for now, but when can I start leaving them alone together? I think Wylie is jealous of Boo, but he doesn't seem to do anything other than seek our attention. Wylie is a gentle dog and Boo is pretty tolerant of Wylie. Sometimes, though, he gets scared when Wylie gets too close. But his reactions have definitely calmed down.

Wylie is ten years old and Boo is just over a year.

Any suggestions?

Oh, here's the two of them:





P.S. That's a penny on the ground, not a stray poo.

[Cataholic]

Soledad,
As a recent co-mixed household...I didn't separate anyone. I did section off the cats food bowls, and the litter boxes were already protected from the dog. I see that yours is not. I would probablly make sure that you do that. Boo needs complete protection and privacy from Wylie in both eating and eliminating.

Some doggies just don't have high prey drives. But, as I learned Friday, even the laid back-est doggie can get himself in cat trouble. Binx terrorized Minnie. Not a hard thing to do, but, still. I have been extra harsh on the "no cats" announcement.

In my house, my cats can completely escape Binx by either getting on top of my bed, or by going down the cat hole door into the basement. They don't do that anymore. For awhile I had three cats hole up in the basement alot of the time. Now, 8 weeks later, most will walk by each other with minimal amounts of tension. Even though Wylie is older....I am not sure I would be completely without worry unless I knew Boo had several escape routes....

[boscibo]

I still separate them when I'm gone, not so much Bo and Abby who have been around our dogs all their lives, (Bo is 13, Abby's 8) but for nosy little Hanna who is not afraid of anything. We have bifold doors between one part of the house and the other, I just close and latch them when I leave for more than an hour.


They normally get along jsut fine, but none of the dogs like the cats in their faces. Watch them together, sometimes I still get worried about Hanna because she doesn't always respect the dogs' personal space.

[Cinder & Smoke]

Wow, Boo!

Yur doing purdy gud - bein THAT klowze to da Dawggie so soon!

Dad dun this when I furst arrived into Boots, da Kat's domaine...

I, bein da Dawggie NewKummer - hadda wear a LEASH onna neckbelt - either wrapped round Dad's wrist, his belt, or tied to a sturdy tabul leg. DAT gave da Kat a "safe-zone" - soon as he figgered out how far da Leash went!

I wuz *nebber* 'loud ta shout, Grrr, or *Chaze* da Kat!
(Gotz a *butt-smak* wiffa newzypapur or da fly swattur iffin I tried bein *nasty* atta Kat.)

An Dad did a lotta Holdin da Kat - wiff me bein loud ta *sniff* reel gentle-like - till we got ta knowe each udder. And he did a lotta luvin to both of us - atta same time.

An like Miz Johanna sed - da Kat stuff - krunchiez, wadder, anna sand box - all are *off-limitz* inna hooman baffroom. NO Dawgz loud in der whenna Kat wuntz ta *skratch* an powdur hiz noze inna box!!

Smoke got da same treatment when he moved in wiff us - Leashy onna neck-belt tied ta sumpin... till da Kat started ta *trust* him not ta be too ruff.

Kat's reel *mild* now-a-daze ~ wandurz all ober da howze wiffout a wurrie inna wurld - we all three *rassel* an *ruff-howze* wiffout Dad havin ta holler hardly at all.

Lil bit different in yur New Howze - Wylie da Dawg wuz der furst - be he'z gotta learn da Kat lives there, too - now.

Prolly otta keep em apart when no hoominz are around ta be referee fur a few weekz - but dey gotta learn ta get along. Try not to let one get to *bossy* or *nasty* towards da udder one!

[aly]

I would wait about a month before leaving them alone together. Thats just how I do it usually, especially with my foster dogs because you never know how a dog will react if they've never been exposed to cats. Even if they're fine at first, things can change when people aren't around. I don't know if Wylie is used to cats or not though?

Anyway, I'd wait about a month then just start leaving them for short periods until you feel comfortable to leave them together alone longer.