Joined
·
11,445 Posts
The cat thing is hard. I got Abbey when I still lived at home and we had 2 cats already. They don't get along.
After I got Abbey and moved out, I got a kitten. The kitten grew up around Abbey and they are best friends.
It really depends on the cat. Both of my parents' cats are very temperamental, so they don't really care for the dogs at all. Some cats are just naturally "cool" with whatever, so they might not care. What I would do is put your cat(s) in a room (maybe your bedroom or a guest room) with their litter box, food and water for the first couple of days and let the dog and cat(s) meet through the door. Obviously the dog will smell the cats on other things in your home, but this is the safest way to get them to know each other by scent.
Then eventually let them get to know each other very slowly. Have the puppy on a leash and let the cats come to him, if they want. There will probably be some growling/hissing/etc. Just make sure to train your dog from the start that he's not allowed to chase after the cats!
After I got Abbey and moved out, I got a kitten. The kitten grew up around Abbey and they are best friends.
It really depends on the cat. Both of my parents' cats are very temperamental, so they don't really care for the dogs at all. Some cats are just naturally "cool" with whatever, so they might not care. What I would do is put your cat(s) in a room (maybe your bedroom or a guest room) with their litter box, food and water for the first couple of days and let the dog and cat(s) meet through the door. Obviously the dog will smell the cats on other things in your home, but this is the safest way to get them to know each other by scent.
Then eventually let them get to know each other very slowly. Have the puppy on a leash and let the cats come to him, if they want. There will probably be some growling/hissing/etc. Just make sure to train your dog from the start that he's not allowed to chase after the cats!