Introducing a Cat to a Dog

The most important thing to consider in a dog-cat relationship is if the dog is friendly to cats. Being bigger animals, dogs can do much greater damage to a cat than the other way around. So, if you have even the tiniest sliver of doubt that your dog is cat-friendly, DO NOT RISK IT. We have seen far too many seriously injured cats who have had an unfortunate encounter with an aggressive dog. They are lucky to survive.

Follow these steps for a successful introduction:

• Get to know both your cat and dog very well – know their body language and moods. Be sure the dog is well trained to sit, stay, come, and respond to “NO!”
• Have a friend on hand to help if things get iffy.
• Before introducing, take your dog for a nice walk, get him some exercise, and feed him a meal.
• Put the dog on a short leash or in his crate. The cat can be in a carrier if he is shy, but otherwise let him walk around.
• Let the two animals see each other at a distance. Pet and talk to the dog soothingly. If he barks, abort the introduction. Otherwise, give lots of treats and praise to both animals. If the dog lunges or shows any signs of aggression or excitability, stop the introduction.
• Repeat the short visits several times a day, gradually giving the dog more leash as appropriate and letting the cat approach.
• Repeat the above steps daily until you’ve had several consecutive days of incident-free visits
• Once you’re comfortable, take the dog off his leash and monitor very closely. If problems arise and the dog doesn’t respond to simple vocal commands, back up to the previous phase for a few days. Gradually make the no-leash sessions longer.
• Do not leave them alone together until you’re POSITIVE they are both fully comfortable with each other.
• During the unleashed visits, always be sure that the cat has an escape route or place to jump to safety.
• Keep in mind that some animals are just not compatible. You can always contact Tenth Life for questions or guidance!
   

Introducing a New Cat to a Resident Cat

It is an ill-fated misconception to assume you can put two cats together in a room and they will magically love each other instantly. This rarely happens. Below, we have some simple steps you can take to increase the chances of your cats becoming best buddies.

Please take the steps slowly! Before moving on to the next step, check the cats’ body language. Cats should be relaxed, with ears upright, tail calm, and fur lying flat. There should be minimal growling, hissing, or posturing with a raised back. All of these actions are normal, but should be a caution to us – proceed carefully!

Set up your new cat’s home base, as described above. For the first 72 hours, DO NOTHING – do not attempt to introduce the cats to each other!

• Be sure to spend time with both the new cat and your resident cat – we don’t want any jealousy sprouting!
• These three days are important for your new cat to get used to all the new smells, sounds, and sights he is experiencing. Adding a cat introduction to all those foreign experiences is extremely stressful and detrimental to your new cat.

Leave a blanket or towel in the new cat’s room and another in your resident cat’s favorite spot. After they have spent time sleeping on these linens, swap them. This way, the cats can smell each other without the stress of a face-to-face introduction.

Create positive experiences while they are safely separated. This will teach them that the other cat is a friend.

• Feed the cats on either side of a closed door
• Use a feather toy to play with both cats under the door
• Give lots of praise and treats on opposite sides of the closed door
  

After a week, swap the cats’ spots – let your new cat explore while your resident cat checks out the new cat’s home base, with the door closed. DO NOT LET THE CATS MEET DURING THIS SWAP! After a few hours, switch them back. Try this step several times.

After about two weeks, it’s time to meet!

•  Clip everyone’s claws.
• Place a treat or yummy food (deli meat works great!) right outside the home base and another serving several feet away, but within sight of the home base dish.
• Entice your resident cat to partake in the food while the new cat eats his. Allowing the cats to see each other while they eat will again create positive associations.
• After the treat is done, put the new cat back in his home base.
• Try again the next day, placing the plates a bit closer together. Repeat until they are close enough to be face to face.
• Allow the meeting to unfold naturally. Do not interfere! It is very normal for them to hiss, posture, growl, and swat each other.
• In the unlikely event that the cats actually fight, do NOT pick up any of the cats. Use a towel or a piece of cardboard to block their sight of each other, and then use the obstruction to guide one cat into a safe, neutral place. More time will need to be devoted to creating positive associations.  
• After the cats have spent several harmonious hours together with your supervision, several times in a row, they will be ok left alone.

Be patient! Harmonious cat relations take time. And remember to call us at any time!

Introducing a Cat to Babies:

• If you’re able, start preparing your kitty for a baby before the baby arrives. Start using the lotions and creams you plan to use for the baby. If possible, invite friends’ babies over or get a recording of a baby crying. If you plan to shut the door to the baby’s room when he arrives, close the door NOW to reduce the chance of the cat resenting the actual child.
• Cats pick up on our emotions. If you are tense when the cat and baby are together, the cat will suspect that the baby is something to fear. Instead, give lots of treats and praise; let the cat know you still love her!
• If you’re holding the baby, have a laser pointer or stick toy at hand. If possible have treats. Playing with the kitty or giving him treats will create positive associations with the bundle in your hands. DO NOT shoo the cat away from the baby.
• If the cat approaches the baby, be calm, encouraging, and give lots of praise. In the unlikely situation that the cat swats your baby, do not worry – cats rarely use their claws. To them, the baby is similar to another cat and they feel the need to establish dominance.  Closely monitor, but do not yell or punish.

Make as many positive experiences as you can between the cat and the baby!

Older Children:

Please teach older kids to be gentle with cats. Show them how to play with cats appropriately; using wand/stick toys or tossing mice or balls for the cat is a wonderful way for kids to interact and bond with cats. Teach kids that cats prefer to approach humans; not the other way around.

If, by chance, a cat scratches or bites your child, the cat is letting the child know that she wants to be left alone. To decrease chances of injury, keep your kitty’s claws clipped.

Cats are such a wonderful addition to any family, no matter the makeup of the family. Simple steps like the above can be taken to make everyone’s transition as smooth and harmonious as possible.