Please advise as to the best way to introduce a 15 year old neutered female cat to a family that has 2 adult male boxer dogs. The dogs are neutered as well.
Last edited:
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Dog/Cat Introductions
- Thread starter mazie
- Start Date
Do either the cat or dogs have prior experience with the other species? That would make things easier, because they would have some basis for understanding each other, but if not it's going to be a big learning curve for everyone.
The main problems with introducing adult cats and dogs is that the cats are afraid and uncomfortable with the dogs, and the dogs treat the cat too much like a toy or another dog. (Sometimes it's the other way around, depending on the personalities! But that's the most common.) So, the cat has to be desensitized to the dogs and learn they're not a threat, and the dogs have to be very well trained and learn to respect the cat's boundaries.
The first period is much like introducing cats to other cats, where the cat stays in one room and the dogs in the rest of the house. They can smell and hear each other but not see each other. How long they need to remain separate depends on the animals. If anyone is particularly scared or nervous, it could be a while like this until the most nervous animal is feeling more relaxed. Then you can scent swap towels and beds, and feed the animals on opposite side of the same door so they associate each other's presence with good things. Eating near another animal also demonstrates a high level of comfort.
A baby gate is probably going to be invaluable. This lets them see each other while they still have a level of protection. It might be best to introduce the dogs one at a time this way, and keep these sessions very short at first so they don't get overwhelming or too exciting. If the dog is likely to lunge at the gate, keeping him on a leash might be a good idea. As the introductions progress, it might be good to keep the baby gate up so if the cat wants to, she can retreat to her safe room without a dog following her. When they are finally comfortable on either side of a gate, they can meet face to face, with the dog on the leash or in a crate and the cat unrestrained. Lots of treats for everyone are important to reward good behavior! As everyone gets more and more relaxed as these sessions become more normal and not quite as exciting, the dog can be unrestrained but supervised with the cat. Depending on their temperament and stress levels, both dogs can be together with the cat or you may still need to keep things to one dog at a time. How fast you go from one step to the next depends on how relaxed the animals are. If there's still a lot of excitement or tension, don't move on to the next step yet.
It's very important that the dogs be well trained, especially with the "stay" and "leave it" commands. Whenever the dog is getting close to the cat and the cat is showing signs of being uncomfortable, you can give the "leave it" command and praise the dog highly and give a tasty treat when he listens. This is how he will learn when he should leave the cat alone. And the cat will feel better knowing that the dog will back off.
There's a lot of leeway with how to progress that you can decide based on how the animals are interacting. If you do move to quickly, you can take things back a step or two. Remember that food is a great for making positive associations!
The main problems with introducing adult cats and dogs is that the cats are afraid and uncomfortable with the dogs, and the dogs treat the cat too much like a toy or another dog. (Sometimes it's the other way around, depending on the personalities! But that's the most common.) So, the cat has to be desensitized to the dogs and learn they're not a threat, and the dogs have to be very well trained and learn to respect the cat's boundaries.
The first period is much like introducing cats to other cats, where the cat stays in one room and the dogs in the rest of the house. They can smell and hear each other but not see each other. How long they need to remain separate depends on the animals. If anyone is particularly scared or nervous, it could be a while like this until the most nervous animal is feeling more relaxed. Then you can scent swap towels and beds, and feed the animals on opposite side of the same door so they associate each other's presence with good things. Eating near another animal also demonstrates a high level of comfort.
A baby gate is probably going to be invaluable. This lets them see each other while they still have a level of protection. It might be best to introduce the dogs one at a time this way, and keep these sessions very short at first so they don't get overwhelming or too exciting. If the dog is likely to lunge at the gate, keeping him on a leash might be a good idea. As the introductions progress, it might be good to keep the baby gate up so if the cat wants to, she can retreat to her safe room without a dog following her. When they are finally comfortable on either side of a gate, they can meet face to face, with the dog on the leash or in a crate and the cat unrestrained. Lots of treats for everyone are important to reward good behavior! As everyone gets more and more relaxed as these sessions become more normal and not quite as exciting, the dog can be unrestrained but supervised with the cat. Depending on their temperament and stress levels, both dogs can be together with the cat or you may still need to keep things to one dog at a time. How fast you go from one step to the next depends on how relaxed the animals are. If there's still a lot of excitement or tension, don't move on to the next step yet.
It's very important that the dogs be well trained, especially with the "stay" and "leave it" commands. Whenever the dog is getting close to the cat and the cat is showing signs of being uncomfortable, you can give the "leave it" command and praise the dog highly and give a tasty treat when he listens. This is how he will learn when he should leave the cat alone. And the cat will feel better knowing that the dog will back off.
There's a lot of leeway with how to progress that you can decide based on how the animals are interacting. If you do move to quickly, you can take things back a step or two. Remember that food is a great for making positive associations!
Last edited:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Thank you Molly92. I know that the cat is used to dogs, but small dogs. My concern for my friend is that this cat is elderly and not used to large dogs, which boxers of course are. Now my friend used to have a cat some years ago, and the boxers of course were ok with that cat, but that was then and now is today. This cat is elderly and used to one small dog. This may not be a good idea after all which is what I am thinking. Again, many thanks.
