Introducing an adult dog into an esatblished household?
I find the idea of getting an adult dog vs a puppy very attractive- already house broken, more trustworthy when left alone, adult bladder size, no puppy teething behaviors, etc. My main concern if we were to get an adult dog or older puppy, is my 2 cats. I have 2 beloved kitties: Iris, a 9 year old Birman, and Bell, a 2 year British Shorthair. Neither of them has been exposed to dogs since kittenhood. We've been living in an apartment, and this is our 1st opportunity to own a dog in the last 10 years for me, 3 years for my husband! I'm worried that even if the dog is well behaved, or even loves the cats to death, that they won't be able to handle an animal that is that much bigger than them in the home. I'm not sure about how well they would adapt. We have no children (although the plan is to have some down the road in a few years), and the kitties are our main concern. I do know that my older cat, Iris, had an easier time getting used to (now positively adores) our kitten (Bell) than getting used to (hated with an undying passion) an adult cat whom my sister adopted while I was living with my folks. So I guess I'm just looking for some info from people who've had this experience, with introducing a dog (either baby or adult) into a non-dog feline family. I appreciate any help towards making the right decision for all involved! Karen  |
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Hmmm, we had two kittens for about a month before we got our puppy. The kittens were about 3 months old, so they were still very young. At first the kittens were not too happy. Ran away from the pup, who wanted to figure out what they are. It took them about a week to get used to each other. Mopsey the pup, would still chase them if they run. LOL I would think it would not be a problem. I got a cat tree for the kittens to get away from Mopsey. But they found plenty of other places to hide. I would introduce them slowly through a babygate at first. Let them get used to each others scent. I am sure you will get many more, detailed advice. We just kinda let them meet right away as we brought Mopsey home. But we knew they were all babies and didn't expect too much trouble. Always supervised them when they were together, for a long while. Good luck, and keep us updated  |
| Supervision is the key really. And gentle introductions are important too. If you feel stressed and worried they will sense that and it can affect their reactions. If you're concerned, before you get a dog of your own, perhaps foster one from a shelter for a bit to see how it goes? Also, every animal has it's own personality, some cats adjust better than others, and the same goes for dogs...
Good luck! I can empathize with you on the no housetraining! LOL |
| Hello Karen,
We also had 2 cats at the time we brought Jack and Annabelle home, but they were puppies and our cats were bigger than them at 8 weeks old. The dogs were soon a lot bigger than our cats. The cats didn't seem to mind, if the pups were really fiesty, O'Malley our oldest cat at 3 years old would put them in their place. It wasn't long until everyone including the kittens that were got after the dogs were here, was a big happy cuddling together family. LOL My family had a Birman. He was named Muha after the Birman legend, I believe. He was always called Kitty though. He was beautiful with a strong gait. Good luck with your OES search, please keep us updated. Stormi and co. |
| Hi,
I've had the opportunity to do this numerous times as I've taken in many foster cats into my home and also have four dogs. The last two dogs, one an adult, the other still only 4 months had not been to my understanding exposed to cats. As my cats had been around canines before the last two arrived, they didn't run and that was the key. As a result things ran smoothly on introductions. Your question is however introducting a new dog to the household with existing cats. My sister has several cats and things went fine both times I gave her rescue dogs. It's not the cats you have to worry about..it's the dog. Make sure whomever you choose has a laid back personality and readily accepts other animals. Sheepies have this trait but before the age of three they can be pretty hyper which will scare the cats. Panda, one of my latest rescues is four and really laid back and was readily accepted by the cats the day he came into the household. Most shelters will have evaluated the pet you choose and testing with cats is one of the things they do. You can ask for this to be done if you're not sure about it. Lastly, remember that even if your cats really get upset ...give them time and don't be alarmed if the play chase is on for the first couple weeks. In all the years that I've been doing this ...with 25 cats and 7 dogs adopted from the shelters..there has only been one time where the dog was determined to harm the cats and even after one year it was still not successful no matter what I did. He was the only dog I ended up having to find another home for as my cats whom were 13 and 15 at the time were getting too stressed. This was however unusual, as most dogs would never harm a cat in my experience but love chasing whatever runs. Good Luck Marianne |
| Hi:
I have both cats and dogs and have found that it is useful to provide the cats a "safe haven" while the new comer dog gets used to them. The easiest way to do this is to get a baby gate, cut a cat size hole in a lower corner, and set aside one room where the cats can go....and the dog can't. We just got a new OES three weeks ago (1 year old female with NO exposure to cats before she came to join us) and she is quickly becoming used to them. Cassie did get a few scratches on her nose - but as we pointed out to her, our cats have claws and know how to use them. Our 8 year old persian was the first to become accustomed to the new dog and to greet her. Just a note: Cassie will ocassionally get excited and chase/herd one of the cats. The cat will then dash for the "safe haven" until Cassie settles down. Then they come out and are friends again. Good luck. |
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