HOW TO MAKE YOUR CAT AND DOG GET ALONG

First you need to introduce the dog’s odor to a cat (and vice versa) remotely. To do this, take any item that has the smell of the dog (cat) and give it to the cat (dog). Watch their reaction. Once you discover that the animals do not show any signs of aggression when sniffing «foreign» items, then you can proceed to full-time acquaintance.

A cat and a dog. First meeting.

During the first meeting, be sure to keep your dog on a leash and the cat must be in a cage. If the cat has the experience of living together with a dog, it should not show any aggression, especially since the smell of the dog is already familiar.

How to make your cat and dog get along

The same can be said about a dog that is accustomed to a cat’s society.

But if the dog has no such experience, it might not respond to the smell of a cat adequately, and will show aggression (growling), or anxiety (plaintive whine). If your dog behaves in a similar manner, remove the cat. Go back to the «odor introduction» step, and after some time reiterate the acquaintance.

You can let the cat out of the cage, when your dog is no longer nervous at the cat’s presence. First, let the cat out of the cage, let it examine the dog (the dog still must be on a leash!).

Even if your dog seems to be calm in the presence of a cat, do not leave them alone, the dog can attack the cat, if it makes any sudden movement.

You can allow the dog and the cat to communicate and play on their own only when they will show signs of happiness at each other’s presence, or at least when they will simply ignore each other. («Ignore each other» — does not mean that they won’t show aggression in exceptional cases).

IMPORTANT:

Even if your cat and dog are faithful friends, make sure that your cat has a place where it can hide from the dog, just in case, like a safety net.