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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Tips to Make Your Cat and Dog Best Buddies

A lot of people talk about the ‘war’ going on between cats and dogs. Although sometimes, cats and dogs do turn into sworn enemies, this isn’t due to ‘nature’. This is due to past experiences they may have had with that species. Plus, dogs and cats do communicate in a slightly different manner. For example, cats swing their tails to show displeasure, while dogs wag theirs to show happiness and excitement. Despite their differences, the two can still become firm friends if treated in the right way. By keeping both pets instincts and interests in mind, you can easily train them to become best buddies:

  • A puppy and a kitten are unlikely to have had any bad experiences with the other, so they’ll get along much easier than grown cats and dogs. If you’re thinking of having one of each, it makes sense to get them when they’re small. If they grow up together they can form a great bond, but you should still supervise playtime as the kitten is always going to be more fragile than the dog.
  • Train your dog to chase small toys but not the kitten to make sure he grows up respecting smaller animals. 
  • You need to be careful depending on the kind of breed of dog you have/want. You should never bring a cat home if you have a herding dog, terrier, or hound. These dogs naturally see a cat as prey and their instincts teach them to catch and kill prey. 
  • Remember that the introduction part will take time; anything from a few days to a few weeks. Cats are territorial so it only makes sense to make the introduction slowly. Make sure you make time for both pets in their own space, and don’t neglect the older pet because of the new pet. The goal is to reassure them both that there’s room for more than one. 
  • You can keep your dog on a lead during early meetings with you cat, so that you can restrain him or discipline him should he try anything funny. You shouldn’t allow them to get too close until they are used to the site of the other one. 
  • A cat should have their own special place they can go on their own for at least a week. This place should be off limits to the dog. Make sure the cat has everything they need in that room. This will make your cat feel much more secure, just ensure that you don’t like your dog sniff around outside the room as this will unsettle them. 
  • Cats and dogs get to know each other by scent first, so get something with their smell on it and introduce it to the other one, then reverse the process before introducing them. This should take a few days.
  • Make sure your cat’s litter box is inaccessible to the dog, as your cat can feel threatened and choose to go somewhere else in the home due to this invasion of privacy.
  • Visit this website to learn a lot more about cats and dogs in general, and even find the next member of your pet family!
Follow these tips and your cat and dog will be playing and having a great time together very soon!


Aisha Kristine Chong said...

That's actually a cute photo - I actually never knew it was possible for cat and dogs to be best buddies - thanks for sharing this one sis

Franc said...

It's good to have puppies and kittens when they are young so they can be more familiar with you.