I have an 8-year-old cat called Sterling who believes he’s in charge of our pack. He’s skilled us to oversleep uncomfortable positions, so we do not interrupt his sleep. He understands we will not get a beverage or go to the washroom if he is sleeping on our laps. He’s got us trained to let him in and out of his catio lots of times a day. He reveals his alpha dog nature with our 100-pound dog, too. He likes to oversleep Buster’s kennel (which is a huge no-no), and bats Buster about the face whenever the dog attempts to head out onto the catio for some fresh air also.
None of this hurts Buster physically, but Buster knows the only way to please his brother from another mother is to let him be in charge. Buster understands he’s no match for a cat. While this relationship sounds lopsided, this is precisely the relationship I want Buster and Sterling to have with each other. If it was the other way around, there is always a risk Buster could hurt Sterling.
More Animals Matter: Some pet stores lease pets
While a friendship between a dog and cat might appear strange to some, it is possible to facilitate a healthy relationship.
Pet safety: Learn which plants are toxic to pets
Buster and Sterling did not grow up together. I introduced them to each other at 11 and 6 years old, respectively. Buster is not great with other dogs, so I took my time with this dog-cat introduction. I started by putting Buster in his kennel to allow Sterling the chance to investigate Buster without the fear of being chased. Once Buster got used to Sterling sitting 10 feet away, I put Sterling in a bedroom so Buster could smell the house and learn about his new feline friend. After about 10 days, I put a muzzle and leash on Buster and kept him by my side as I moved about the house. The final stage was to let Buster off the leash, but with the muzzle still on, so the two could meet face-to-face, safely.
How do I know when it’s safe for them to hang out together? When Sterling bops Buster and Buster walks away. That moment came about three weeks into the introductions. Buster nudged Sterling with his muzzled nose and lifted him slightly off the ground. Sterling immediately bop-bop-bopped Buster on his nose to get him to stop. Buster stepped back and walked away. That’s the day the muzzle came off, and the two have been friends ever since.
Whenever there is a huge dog and a cat in the house, the cat has to supervise of the pack, and the dog needs to have a healthy trepidation of the feline. Otherwise, the dog will think it’s OK to chase the cat or be rough with the cat, which might accidentally harm or stress the feline.
So, go slow with introductions to ensure the pets have a healthy relationship going forward. How do you introduce new pets into your home?
Send your animal concerns, suggestions and stories to [email protected]. You can follow her on Twitter at @cathymrosenthal.
