Introducing Cats to Dogs

Remember: slower is faster. You are on biological time. Think weeks, not days. At the cat’s pace! Provide the cat lots of elevated hiding spaces.

You will need: a safe room, a pet gate or barrier, two towels or blankets, a leash, a wand toy, treats (Churu, bonito flakes or Temptations recommended). A Feliway diffuser or/and spray and catnip or silvervine would be a bonus. 

Success here is really all about the cat! The cat is (usually) smaller and has more to be worried about. Your job is to make sure the cat IS safe and FEELS safe. That means carefully managed introductions where the cat has lots of choice and control over the meetings and lots of places to get up to and out of the way and hide in if they want. And, make sure the cat is getting lots of attention and play time, especially while their access to the whole house is restricted. 

A big challenge for dogs is that a cat’s natural defenses—running, hissing, swatting—may trigger even cat-savvy dogs’ prey drive or just make them want to chase. Dogs are also just bigger. Their teeth and paws, even offered playfully, can be dangerous to cats. Be cautious! 

When to move on to the next step: when the cat is completely comfortable with the previous step. Watch the cat’s body language closely. 

1. Give the cat a safe place to acclimate behind a closed door with access to all of their resources. 
2. Place a towel or blanket in each animal’s favorite place to lie. 
3. Swap the blankets and pair the new scent with treats and follow it with a play session. 
4. Let sniffs happen through a pet gate or baby gate. If your dog gets fixated on your cat call them away and treat them. Provide the cat with treats, catnip, and offer a play session after this. 
5. Swap locations sometimes. Now the dog is confined to/gets to explore the cat’s room and the cat gets the run of the place. 
6. Open the door and allow the cat to explore while the dog is around. The dog is on a leash for this step. During this time, reward your dog for turning back to you and being called away from the cat. Ask the dog to focus on you and practice some of their known behaviors (sit, shake) while the cat is present.  
7. Let the dog and cat be loose while you are available to supervise. If your dog has been too interested in your cat (is likely to chase or paw), let the dog drag a leash or long line for this step. 
8. Do not leave your dog and cat alone with free access to each other until you have had lots of opportunities to observe their interactions together (and there has not been any hissing, swatting, or chasing). 

Never: Hold, force, or even coax animals to interact. The more patient you can be and the more you let animals make choices, the sooner your dream of animals snuggling on the couch together may be realized! When you get impatient: break out more treats, new treats, and pile on the fun stuff to help your new friends make positive associations with each other!