Is it realistic to dream of one day getting a dog?

[burninglikefire]

I have two much loved cats, getting on for 6 years old. They used to be indoor cats but now have run of the house and of a secure garden.

I might be retiring in a couple of years time and would love a dog. Does anyone have experience of introducing a dog to cats at a relatively late stage in the cats' lives?

Would be interested to know of breeds re any successful introductions.

I successfully introduced a cavalier pup to my cats when they were aged 6 and 7. He accepted the cats were the bosses very quickly, and showed no desire to chase them. Apart from a bit of sniffing, they soon settled into ignoring one another most of the time.

I love cavaliers but they do have significant health issues - you need to find the right breeder, one who is invested in the health of the breed; and you'll need to be prepared for relatively high insurance premiums. But they are usually very gentle, loving dogs so ideal if you have other pets.

Mine outlived the resident cats, but accepted their successors with barely a blink of an eye. He passed away a couple of years ago and is still much missed; he was such a valued member of our family.

There are plenty of tips online for introducing cats and dogs; good luck if you go for this, OP.

I’d say it’s not the breed it’s the individual. My soppy old barrel of a softie Labrador only got animated when she saw a cat she could attempt to arthritically chase 😁. Whereas my old ex racer Greyhound absolutely loved next doors cat and always play bowed and tried to be best friends - usually getting a punch in the face from the cat for her troubles. Personally in your situation I’d look not for a puppy and hope that it went well, I’d look for a rescue dog that had previously lived well with cats. There’s lots of them but it might still take a while to find one that fits. Be prepared to wait at least as long as you would for a well bred puppy. Lots of people think they should just be able to get a rescue dog immediately and if they can’t think puppy is the only option.