Getting a dog when you have a cat

[mrssunshinexxx]

Just as the title says, any experience with getting a puppy once you already have a cat?

Obviously I'm presuming the cat won't be thrilled at first but hoping In the long run they will rub along nicely and be good company.
We are v outdoorsy no kids and I am a keen runner so please no lectures on being a bad owner we adore our cat but also really see a dog in our lives too x

We did it, cat was 9 years old and had never been around dogs. He hid upstairs for a few days, then slowly started coming down to investigate and gradually got braver until eventually he was pretty much going about his normal business. We're 5 years down the line now (and have since gained another dog and another cat ) and they all rub along fine. Our original cat is indisputably the boss and the others all defer to his obvious superiority but it's all pretty friendly

Best advice is make sure cat has somewhere safe to bolt to (stairgates are your friend here) and let them do things at their own pace. It doesn't always work out, so much depends on the personalities of the animals involved, but it worked out really well for us, good luck

i think you have to check the dog is cat friendly first. A lot of dogs don't bother about cats. If you're doing it through a rescue, they often cat test the dogs before rehoming.

I've done it, 2 of the 3 cats were eventually happy with the dogs, the other was always a nervy thing and so that just hasn't changed. The dogs aren't allowed upstairs so she has her own space.

My friend, on the other hand, got a dog and her cats pretty much immediately moved to live outdoors, and are now permanently outdoor cats.

Be prepared to work with either eventuality.

We have 2 cats and recently got a puppy, I also occasionally look after other people's dogs. You need to make sure cats have a safe area for example upstairs, and also maybe have stair gates, I have one for the kitchen so cats can come in and eat completely safe.
We have been very strict with the puppy right from the start (and any other dogs that visit, they are on leash in the garden until they know not to chase), he is not allowed to bother the cats and I make sure he sees me being affectionate with the cats so possibly thinks the cats are some sort of royalty ;)
But other than following these rules everything has been fine, one cat actually comes and rubs noses with him, whereas the other cat just ignores him.
I believe it can work and it's best to have a puppy with the cats rather than a kitten with the dogs, so the pup will grow up knowing who's in charge ;)

I've always had cats and dogs.they get on fine.as long as cats have a safe place to run to indoors.they will soon put pup in his place if he oversteps the mark🐱🐕

Thanks everyone :)
The cat has 2 cat flaps so can go outside whenever he wants and yes definitely glad we got the cat first I think I would be much more nervous if we were doing it the other way round the cat is pretty hardy and I'm sure he would be the boss.
Think we would be getting a pedigree pup from a local breeder where they have been brought up around cats for the whole 8 weeks before they are allowed to go xx

We tried getting a dog whilst having a cat, we got a tortoise and the cat is fine with him but the first night we got the dog and the cat went Ape shit. We had to give the dog back to the breeder . The cat is 14 years old and I now know not to mix

We got a puppy and had 2 cats aged 5
They weren’t pleased at first but the puppy was quite scared of them, even though he’s a large breed
Puppy is 2 now and they all get along fine, they aren’t friends or anything but there are no problems

Pedigree pup from a local breeder? Be careful. Decent breeders VERY rarely have pups available. If this one frequently has pups to sell it is a puppy farmer or back yard breeder. Do your HW
We got a pup about 18 months ago. At first we kept them apart and did lots of scent swapping. Then pup on a longline and stairgate up so cats can get away. Also no dog on sofa so cats can get out of reach. You need a strong "look at me". So pup sees cat. Looks at you and gets treat. Pup learns to ignore cat. Never let it chase. Never leave them alone together. The Blue Cross have a great advice sheet on how to do it safely.

Try it first if they will feel comfortable with each other. A friend of mine also has a pet dog and cat and I think everything works well for them.

We just got a puppy almost two months ago. We maintained areas that are cat only (upstairs) and made sure he had a lot of escape routes to get outside. The puppy is also crate trained from day one so the cat gets free roam. Make sure you pay a lot of special attention to the cat and lots of treats to remind them they are loved too.

They get on ok apart from the puppy wanting to play and chase the cat( never hurts or growls at him just runs into him) and our stupid cat won't hit him to sort him out. Most cats would give the dog a quick hit to tell him off and the dog would learn. Not our cat he's a bit stupid but he's getting better.