Introducing cats and dogs | Expert advice
[Music] before introducing a new cat or dog to the household it's important to consider a variety of factors including the animals personalities their age whether they have any medical problems and their previous experiences and reactions to other species many people may be tempted to let their animals sort out for themselves but this is not conducive to building positive relationship ship with one another it's much better to manage a controlled introduction process rather than trying to repair a damaged relationship and this is why First Impressions really C when introducing a new animal into the household it's important to give them space to settle in for a new cat you should create a sanctuary room that has all the resources a cat needs to feel safe ideally this will be in a spare room room away from noisy appliances and footfall and will contain a bed blanket litter tray food and water bowls and somewhere to hide if they need to such as a cardboard box with holes in for a new dog you will want to have them sectioned off in part of the house away from the existing cat in the home avoid shutting them in one room or too small a space as this may cause frustration for the dog it's also very very important that any dog has a good level of training in place and is familiar and responds well to simple commands such as sit down come as well as being calm the most important part of the introduction process is scent swapping scent swapping will allow each animal to become familiar with the other scent so there will be some degree of familiarity when they eventually meet face to face face for this you will need two separate clean cloths one for the dog and one for the cat take the one for the cat and rub it on their scent glands around the cheeks and forehead take the one for the dog and rub around their armpits and along their flanks take the cloth with the cat scent on and place this in the dog section of the house and then take the cloth with the dog scent on and place this in the cat's Sanctuary room both animals will then have the choice to approach or avoid the cloths as they wish and by observing their behavior around this you can ascertain whether the introduction will be successful or challenging with any type of scent swapping it's important to keep the scent topped up so repeat this process once a day until each animal is responding well to the scented cloths the next stage is to introduce the animals through through a glass or transparent barrier so they can see each other but can't get to each other if you have glass patio or frenched doors this is ideal if you don't have glass doors you could purchase an affordable reinforced screen door baby gate or clear sheet of ppcs which will have the same effect or whatever will suit your home and is Affordable for you when you first introduce the animals to each other via the transparent barrier it's useful to have two people present one for the cat and one for the dog just in case there are any unwanted reactions start the process by allowing the animals to see each other through the barrier for just 5 minutes at a time this way they can see and start to smell each other but can't get to one another if the dog appears overly interested in the cat this is when you can use your training to refocus the dog's attention and keep them from getting frustrated and fix itting on the cat short session are key it's better to finish sooner on a positive note than prolong it and have something go wrong repeat these introductions over several days increasing the duration of the interaction by a minute or so each time as so long as a dog and cat remain relaxed in the sight of one another if there is significant reaction from either animal do not progress further with the introduction contact your vet or seek support from an animal behaviorist when we get to the face t- face introduction it's really important that the cat has the most control over the situation as they will feel safer and can run away and hide if they wish for the first face- t- face introduction have two people present one for the dog and one for the cat put the dog on the lead and remove the barrier ensuring that the dog cannot get to the cat at the full length of the lead allow the animals to approach each other in their own time observe their behavior around each other and look for any signs of stress from either for the cat this may be backing away ears down wide pupils and hissing or swiping some dogs may be fearful of meeting a cat and may display Behavior such as holding a lower tail position showing the whites of their eyes or even growling more likely though the dog may be overly interested in the cat and you should watch out for reactive or frustrated behaviors such as becoming unsettled and vocalizing towards the cat or predatory behaviors which may indicate they want to chase the cat such as fixating their Gaze on the cat and being very responsive to movements made by the cat in initially allow a short interaction before calling the dog back and reward them both with a treat so they have a positive association with the introduction repeat these short interactions over a few days increasing the time of the interaction each day eventually if you're confident both animals will stay calm no chasing will ensue and the cat feels relaxed in the presence of the dog you can let the dog off lead and allow the animals to interact freely something that may also help is using a pheromone diffuser simply plug one in ahead of the first face- t- face interaction as it may help to keep the cat Cal you may also be able to Source a similar product for the dog as an add way of keeping them calm in this situation throughout all stages of the process monitor both animals reactions carefully for the cat we want to be looking out for signs that they are relaxed such as normal-sized pupils their ears facing forward and a relaxed body posture for the dog we want to make sure that they are relaxed and not too excited by the cat that they want to chase them or really pulling at the lead to try and get at them when introducing cats and dogs some people may be tempted to put the cat in a cat basket to reduce the chance of fighting this is not advised as most cats have negative associations with baskets and primarily it removes the cat's control over the situation by limiting their ability to run away and hide if they wish and this will make them feel more stressed if you have any problems introducing cats and dogs it's best to seek help sooner rather than later we recommend approaching your vet first to ensure there are no medical issues with either animal and getting a referral to a qualified behaviorist such as a member of the association of pet Behavior counselors we hope you find this video helpful for more information please visit our [Music] website
