Which small dog is best to join our house with an indoor cat?

[StormySam]

Have been thinking about getting a small dog for a couple of years. I work from home, have 3 Autistic children (8+) and an indoor cat.

The cat is quite nervous hence why she is indoor only. She is 4 and very bonded to me (probably because I work from home). I love her and wouldn't want to disrupt her life but I do feel that my children would benefit from a dog that would interact with them - the cat won't.

We have a small house with a yard. I could do two walks a day. I walk a lot and would love some companionship.

Does anyone have any breed suggestions? I'm not the type to rush getting a dog so I'm open to advice even if it's "don't get a dog."

Don't get a dog die your children to benefit from.

Get a dog to offer the dog the best life possible.

Are there any impediments to your children that would cause loud screaming or shouting or not being able to socialise with other dogs and people outside?

Some small dog breeds can be very excitable and require a lot of exercise.

For not die.

Firstly, I say this on all these threads. I do think people can over romanticise dogs as support of ND individuals, especially children.
Puppies regardless of breed will bark, bite, cry, shit on the floor, and chew the children’s things. Obviously some breeds will be worse but this is worth thinking about.

In terms of breed I think Bichons are generally sensible happy little dogs with a low prey drive (so won’t pester the cat) if not a bit yappy

Have you asked the cat?

A stuffed one .

Maybe the cat could cuddle up with him.

Any pup and/or young dog will be a total pain to your cat until they grow up a bit. Most breeds are fine with cats if they’ve grown up with one.

I would say though that your cat doesn’t sound like she would cope with a dog. My cat is older, laid back and doesn’t seem to care that a nuclear bomb went off in his life the day we brought a pup home because he’s laid back and has lived with a dog. He’s also not a house cat. He has protected spaces where dog is not allowed. Policing a pup and a cat is very hard work.

In my experience, it's much easier to introduce a kitten to a dog than it is to introduce a dog to an adult cat. Especially one that's already nervous

Why would you introduce a dog to a nervous cat?

Your main concern should be what's best for the dog and cat, and not your children. Your kids don't "need" a dog, and having a dog may not be the fairy tale you think it's going to be. Your cat might be permanently miserable, and your kids may not get on with the dog and find their excitability, nipping, barking, etc, very stressful.

I would give some serious thought to this to be honest. We had two cats, one of which was quite timid, and got a puppy thinking it would be easier to introduce a young dog. But it didn’t really go as planned and we ended up with a complicated system of baby gates and goodness knows what to keep them separate. For the best part of 10 years! Only one DC and a fairly decent sized house and garden as well. Wouldn’t do it again.

Please don't do this to your poor cat.

Thanks for the advice. Lots to think about. Might see if anyone local wants us to walk their dog instead.

My very nervous cat never got used to our puppy. She stayed in our utility room for the last 3 years of her life to avoid the dog, I'd say don't do it.

A dog would be the same as having an extra child to care for. Does that sound ok? Also, there is no guarantee it would interact with your autistic children in a positive way unless specifically trained for that purpose (from experience). Same goes for interaction with the cat. It could be fine or an absolute nightmare. There are a lot of places that dogs can’t go (e.g. theme parks, watching football etc) so it might limit which activities you can do unless you’re happy to leave it at home. I would personally wait until your children are older. Borrowing a dog is a good idea.

Tibetan Terriers are generally good with both cats and children. They're not actually terriers, it's a misnomer, so they don't have the aggressive "terrier instinct."
Need regular grooming.

As per PP, any puppy will be lively and probably scare the cat. An older dog (e.g. the owner has to move into a care home) might be better if you know its temperament.