You have just had a new cat or a new dog and you want Pitou and Minou to know how to live together well, that they become the best friends in the world? Here are some tips from feline behavior professionals to make the first meetings less stressful and more positive for your two furballs!
The perfect environment for your feline and canine!
Here, you are not asked to embark on renovations and excavations! Only a few small attentions, a few small gestures in order to change your environment in order to generate the least stress in your two animals ... And therefore less stress in your home! You avoid fights, whining, yapping and peeing out of the litter (which are often generated by stress)!
Provide as many heights as possible in the house for the cat (in all rooms) so that it can run away from the dog at all times;
Ensure that these heights cannot be reached by the dog;
Prefer good height cat trees (1.5 - 2 meters) so that there are small shelves where the dog should not be able to climb;
Put the cat's food and water on a tall cabinet where the dog will never have access, creating a feeling of security for the undisturbed cat. This place can be the kitchen counter for example;
Do the same for the places where the cat will rest: provide a place where the dog will not be able to climb and put a small kitty bed, a blanket or a cushion there, thus allowing your purring friend to rest and sleep without having fear of being surprised by Pitou;
Offer hiding places where only the cat can sneak in and shelter from the dog who becomes too curious or insistent (a small box for example);
Providing hiding places and heights in each room of the house will make your cat feel safer and more inclined to explore the house easily knowing that he always has a safety zone no matter where he is.
Present your dog to your cat:
You can't wait for your dog or cat to meet their new boyfriend! However, rushing things around, making presentations too quick risks triggering fear and aggression (and even predation!) Reactions on both sides!
Here is the list of important points to remember:
Never hold the cat in your arms, put it in a transport cage or even in the cage with the dog. The cat must be able to escape at all times if it is afraid of the dog;
Even if the cat was in the house before the dog, it is better to isolate it in a room with all its things (litter, food, water);
Let the cat get used to this room. Take the opportunity to hide lots of treats that your cat likes and play with him regularly to make the isolation pleasant. Wait until it is calm before taking it out. A calm cat walks with its tail and head high. This can take one or more days. The dog and the cat can feel and touch each other under the door, but that's it;
Be careful when entering and leaving the room to avoid the cat running away or the dog entering. You can add a barrier that you can step over (examples: baby fence, wooden board, mosquito net, etc.) to help you enter the room.
Is it time to leave them together?
So! Is it time to present the two animals for good and let them live together? No! Warning! The work is just beginning! Here's how to get felines and canines to learn to tolerate themselves, and eventually love each other!
Let the cat go out freely in the absence of the dog, taking care to put treats everywhere in the house, especially in the places most frequented by the dog so that the cat makes pleasant associations with the scent of Pitou;
Make small 10-minute sessions where the two animals will see each other through a small opening on each side of the door while giving each of them their favorite food or treats. Start at the greatest possible distance from each side of the door;
Reduce the distance between the 2 bowls of food or treats very gradually at each session. Observe how the dog and the cat behave. If they continue to eat despite the reduced distance and the fact that they see each other, this is a good sign! If one of them stops eating, it is because you proceeded too quickly. Move the food or treat bowls back to the previous distance and do not move the bowls for a few sessions until the animals get used to it again;
It is also possible to do similar sessions, but instead of using the door as a safety barrier, you can keep the dog on a leash. BUT BEWARE. Never pull or kick the leash to try to bring order, punish your dog or prevent it from barking. Do not use a choke or spike collar. This would only associate the cat with something unpleasant for the dog and create an aversion to the cat. Instead, reward your dog for good behavior, that is, when he is calm and does not run after the cat. Dogs can be rewarded in several ways: food they like very much, toys or petting (depending on what they like most);
Once the animals eat very close to each other, let your cat roam freely around the house. But first, make sure your dog doesn't get too excited when the cat is playing near him. A dog can be calm in front of a calm cat, but certain instinctive predation sequences can be triggered at the sight of a fast moving cat. Playing with the cat in the presence of the dog on a leash will allow you to do this verification: if it reacts, it would be wise to contact a canine trainer to counter-condition this reaction which could be very negative for your cat;
Leave the door to the seclusion room open to allow your cat to seek refuge there if necessary and to rest or reassure himself.
Manage fights between cats and dogs
We would like our animals to get along as well as possible in a friendly relationship, but living together with another individual (even of the same species!) Can generate conflicts! Here are some tips to prevent their occasional skirmishes from becoming hell on a daily basis!
Never punish growls, whining or barking between animals. Not only must the animals learn to recognize the distances to be respected in the other, but punishing the animals will only serve to associate the presence of the other with a punishment and therefore to create aversion between the animals;
Always supervise the meetings, but if there are altercations between the two, let them settle as much as possible (if your dog has no history of fighting causing damage to another animal and he tends to give several warnings before coming to an inhibited bite). Thus, your dog will learn what the limits of the cat are and vice versa. Make sure to trim your cat's claws to avoid incidents;
If the dog reacts each time he sees the cat or runs after him, it is possible to educate the dog to remain seated, for example each time he sees the cat;
If a fight breaks out between the two, separate the two animals quickly and do not wait before consulting a canine behavior specialist or a feline behaviorist.
Also, make sure that the cat and dog have their respective places to rest, or the other animal will not disturb it.
How long does it take for cats and dogs to become best friends?
How long will it take? It depends on the two animals. Usually the owners want to go too fast and do not take the time necessary for each step which inevitably causes incidents. It is important to respect the speed of adaptation of each animal and to realize that any incident between animals will greatly affect the relationship between them and will lengthen the adaptation period.
It is essential to take your time well. It is not uncommon to see 3 weeks pass before the animals can tolerate themselves and several months before seeing them cohabit harmoniously. In the meantime, enriching your cat's environment and offering mental stimulation games to your two animals will considerably reduce their stress, spend their extra energy, giving you a little respite!