Bringing home a new puppy is very exciting for everyone involved. It’s one thing to get your puppy used to the home and environment, but introducing a puppy to your cat may not go as planned.
Cats can react very wisely and either anxiously or aggressively to new situations, especially if another animal has entered the home.
This is why their first introduction should be calm and pleasant for everyone to ensure a peaceful life together.
cats and dogs live together
Cats and dogs can definitely get along and live together. Despite their different styles of behavior, they can become very close friends.
Cats are more reserved and don’t like being thrown into new situations. They will most likely look for some quiet places in the house to observe the situation first.
Puppies, on the other hand, are very active and curious. A puppy loves to be around other animals and people and may enjoy a cat’s presence more than the other way around.
The key to living peacefully in a multi-species home is a slow, controlled introduction that won’t begin with meeting them.
If not controlled, your puppy will likely lunge at the cat in an attempt to play which will lead her to defend herself and possibly leave your puppy with a nasty scratch on her nose.
This works the other way around
It is also possible to introduce a cat to your dog.
It will probably be easier due to the fact that you may have been where you were during all stages of your dog’s development when you had him since he was a puppy.
Being careful when your dog is known to be territorial is really important in this situation.
Another possibility is getting the puppy and kitten at the same time.
However, I do not recommend that one be an adult and the other a youth at the same time.
In this case, no animal is a priori certain of its existence and you introduce two animals of unknown history in a new area.
How to introduce a puppy to a cat
Before you bring home your new puppy, think about some of the previous experiences your cat has had with other dogs.
Are you afraid of them and quickly disappear somewhere, or do you act aggressively when they see you?
You won’t see a frightened cat for a few days once the puppy comes home. Anxious cats avoid eye contact at all costs and may refuse to enter the home.
But cats can also react aggressively to dogs. Especially if you have a larger breed, they will quickly become frightened and can snap if not supervised.
If you have a toy or small breed, your cat can see it as prey and start chasing it. So you need to be very careful at their first meeting.
When buying a puppy, choose a responsible breeder that comes with the reward of actually owning the kittens (or at least having their pups join the kittens).
This will give you a head start and your puppy will interact more appropriately with the cat.
This is not guaranteed but we have also chosen a breeder for the cats even though we don’t own any ourselves simply because they have already learned to live peacefully with other animals which is great for socialization.
What do you do before
Your cat will likely try to find some privacy when a new puppy arrives.
Always give your cat a chance to escape from uncomfortable situations.
This will make her calmer and more confident in general. Provide her with a den or condo where she can hide and give her something like a cat tree so she is out of reach of the puppy.
Have both animals checked by your vet, so you can be assured there are no underlying illnesses that could make the introduction more difficult.
Remove anything toxic from your home and always monitor.
Keep them separate
It is very important to keep both animals separate before their first meeting. This will give them the opportunity to get used to each other’s presence without meeting.
When you bring home a new puppy, you’ll start by letting him explore only one room in the house to avoid overwhelming him.
Put your cat in another room, separated by a door, and provide her with food and water. Supervising them will not be a problem at this point as you will have to monitor your puppy 24/7 anyway.
You can also attach a leash to your puppy to prevent him from entering other rooms and to control potty accidents.
Always reinforce calm behavior and correct your puppy if he is scratching or digging at the cat’s door.
Fragrance swap
Both cats and dogs test their environment vigorously through scent. They can remember the scent of their home and can associate it with positive experiences.
Keeping both pets separated, put something like a blanket in each room for a few days and switch them around, so they get used to the roommate’s scent.
For a stronger bond, place the blanket or pillow near the feeding area as endorphins are released while eating, so the other animal’s scent will associate with something good.
After they become familiar with the scent, you can then switch rooms for a much stronger experience.
Repeat the process several times until the two of you have settled into the house with all the new scents.
Crate when you’re alone
If you cannot supervise your pup for a short period of time, keep him in a crate. You will find any information on crate training here and how to properly crate.
Make sure that there is no way for your puppy or cat to escape from their confined space and reach each other.
Tire the puppy before crating him and provide him with chew toys to keep him occupied.
Take some time out of the day and focus on bonding with your cat and puppy separately.
This will ensure a positive and calm environment and relieve stress. It will also prevent your cat from thinking that they will now be replaced.
first meet
For the first meeting, choose a quiet, puppy-proof room in your home with enough space for your cat to escape.
Provide your cat with escape routes up a cat tree or into another room that the puppy cannot follow.
Pre-treat your puppy with a nice walk or play session. Keep the puppy on a leash to prevent him from climbing up and scaring the cat.
Under no circumstances allow him off the leash during the first meeting even when they seem to like each other.
Take the puppy on a leash and walk to one side of the room; After a few minutes, you can remove the cat from the other side of the room.
If they immediately start growling and whispering to each other, stop the meeting and go back to the above steps.
Let them explore at their own pace. The puppy will probably try to reach the cat as soon as she enters the room, but your cat will be more reserved.
She will need more time to assess the situation, so don’t try to seduce her, she will come if she wants to.
Do not force any of the pets near each other. It will only make it uncomfortable for everyone.
Prevent your puppy from chasing or barking at the cat. This is when you will need to discipline him.
Cat chasing is a real problem with dogs and you don’t want to reinforce this behavior in any way.
Reinforce good behaviour
Get some treats for both your puppy and cat, and reward them for any positive behavior.
If your puppy keeps barking at your cat, don’t simply tell him “no,” and show him what to do instead.
Engage in some play with him to distract him or give him a basic command like sit.
Always handle any moment in which the puppy ignores or interacts with the cat in a calm manner.
You’ll want to keep him from staring at the cat because he’ll quickly startle her. If your puppy does not look away from her, this is a sign of aggression, so you will need to stop the meeting.
Keep it short and positive
Keep the first few meetings very short and always try to end them on a positive note. If a pet feels stressed or tired, give them some alone time again.
They will remember the positive experience and will slowly get used to each other.
Your goal will be to make it so comfortable for them that your cat will be eating in the same room with your puppy mostly ignoring it.
A calm and positive meeting will build their bond so that they can live together peacefully in the future.
Over time, you can make the meetings longer while giving your puppy more freedom (still on a long leash).
Allow them to explore at their own pace and don’t rush the process in order to save time.
It is not necessary for your pets to become best friends, but it would be nice if they lived in harmony together.
How to stop a dog from chasing cats
Since this will be a major point of their meeting, I’d like to make it a little more clear. Chasing is both a predatory and self-rewarding instinct which means the more a puppy chases other animals, the more he wants to do it.
So you will initially have to prevent any chasing behavior from your puppy by keeping him confined.
Keep the puppy on a leash and put some baby gates between the doors, so your cat can escape from your puppy.
By using a leash, you will be able to prevent any chase from happening.
In the next step, you’ll want to get your puppy’s attention while you’re in the same room as your cat.
You can achieve this by teaching a few basic commands like “sit” or “look at me” and lots of high-value foods like cooked chicken.
The more the puppy focuses on you, the more the cat will ignore you.
Don’t take things too seriously when introducing a new puppy to your cat. Even if they don’t have a great start, time will make them more comfortable.
Remember to always encourage your puppy to calm down and provide your cat with escape routes.
Let me know how the cat and puppy introduction went and what tips you have for making it work in the comments below.
