cats and dogs

[knat]

WE have a 21/2 yr old cocker spaniel and a 9 month old cocker spaniel. My asd daughter loves cats and has done for 4 years she really wants one. It's something I'm thinking very carefully about and have done for the last 4 years!!!!! I'm just wondering how best to introduce a cat (it would be a cat if we got one - not a kitten) to the two dogs and what you do about feeding etc - cats food tends to be left out - our dogs would eat it!!!!

You would be best with a rescue cat that is known to be used to dogs, or a kitten that can get used to them. The cat needs to have somewhere he/she can get to that the dogs can not - for example in our house the cat has our landing area. Here he has his food and water out of the way of the dog, and if we use a litter tray it would be put here too, though mostly he is out and about for that business. You would need to be supervising them for a while to ensure everyone can work it out between them, but you do to a point have to let them decide how it is all going to work out. It can take time and may go very well, or could be a total stress!

if you google introducing greyhounds to cats you'll find some good advice (greyhounds have a huge chase instinct - and racing ones retire and are often looking for good homes - so there just seems to be particularly good advice - but obviously it's applicable/adaptable to excitable things like cockers). Our lab pup used to chase our cat - just our of curiosity but now they live together quite happily. I;d even go so far as to say they like each other. you will need to find a high-up place for food bowls though.

We got 2 tiny kittens & successfully introduced them to our 2 yr old German Shepherd.

I really wanted to get cats before we got another dog - but husband couldn't cope without dog so a puppy was obtained & we had to wait for cats.

We decided that supervised visitations was the best way. The kittems were restricted to our kitchen/diner (with large cat tree etc) and dog allowed free run of house - so as to not get jealous. Then we gave him a large chew, sat & held his collar, and let the kittens in occassionally.

It did take a few weeks before we could leave them together unsupervised, but eventually the kittens learned to jump out the way. Dog would occassionally shove his nose under them while they slept on the sofa etc. They would hiss at him & he backed off - very funny as he weighed 7 stone!

Even now (cat is 9, dog 10) he still chases the cat (we lost one - bit not to the dog!) but it is all good humoured.

Oh, and we let the cat have his food on an end kitchen worktop as dog DID eat it, and drink all cats water, and cat food is very dangerous for dogs and upsets their stomachs.

Put cat in his carrier, bring dog into the room on a lead. Cat can't run and incite a chase response and dog is under your control. Lead dog to cat, and if dog starts to get too nosy, pull him back gently with a very firm and loud NO! Play it by ear, don't carry on for more than about 5 mins initially and withdraw dog if he is becoming over the top with the cat. Repeat, repeat, repeat 3, 4, 5 or so times a day. Eventually you will get to the stage of being able to allow the dog off-lead with the cat in the carrier, using NO if he misbehaves towards the cat and removing him as appropriate. Don't punish him or prolong the 'naughty boy' approach, you don't want him to think that the cat is the cause of him getting into trouble.

Within a week, unless you have a mad-cat-hating dog, you should be able to do this with the cat out of the carrier.

WOrks for me, both with my own dogs when they first came here as rescues and my foster dogs (exception being one foster who was NEVER going to be cat friendly, bloody hell that was a nightmare!). It's been successfully used by others I've suggested it to who have taken in rescue dogs too. It takes patience and is best of you time the arrival of the newcomer with some time off work so you can carry out the procedure a few times a day (some dogs are dopey and have short/selective memories!).

HTH