Before introducing a new cat or dog to the household
it’s important to consider a variety of factors, including
the animals’ personalities, their age,
whether they have any medical problems
and their previous experiences
and reactions to other species.
Many people may be tempted to let their animals sort it out
for themselves, but this is not conducive
to building positive relationships with one another.
It's much better to manage a controlled introduction process,
rather than trying to repair a damaged relationship
and this is why first impressions really count.
When introducing a new animal into the household,
it's important to give them space to settle in.
For a new cat, you should create a sanctuary room
that has all the resources a cat needs to feel safe.
Ideally, this will be in a spare room away from noisy
appliances and footfall
and will contain a bed,
blanket,
litter tray,
food and water bowls
and somewhere to hide if they need to,
such as a cardboard box with holes in.
For a new dog you will want to have them sectioned off in part
of the house away from the existing cat in the home.
Avoid shutting them in one room
or too small a space
as this may cause frustration for the dog.
It's also very important that any dog has a good level
of training in place and is familiar
and responds well to simple commands, such as sit,
down,
come
as well as being calm.
The most important part
of the introduction process is scent swapping.
Scent swapping will allow each animal to become familiar
with the other scent, so there will be some degree
of familiarity when they eventually meet face to face.
For this, you'll need two separate clean cloths.
One for the dog and one for the cat.
Take the one for the cat
and rub it on their scent glands
around the cheeks and forehead.
Take the one for the dog and rub around their armpits
and along their flanks.
Take the cloth with the cat’s scent on
and place this in the dog section of the house
and then take the cloth with the dog’s scent on
and place this in the cat's sanctuary room.
Both animals will then have the choice to approach
or avoid the cloths as they wish
and by observing their behaviour around this,
you can ascertain whether the introduction will be
successful or challenging.
With any type of scent swapping, it's important
to keep the scent topped up.
So repeat this process once a day
until each animal is responding well to the scented cloths.
The next stage is to introduce the animals through a glass
or transparent barrier, so they can see each other
but can't get to each other.
If you have glass, patio or French doors, this is ideal.
If you don't have glass doors,
you could purchase an affordable reinforced screen door,
baby gate or clear sheet of perspex,
which will have the same effect,
or whatever will suit your home and is affordable for you.
When you first introduce the animals
to each other via the transparent barrier
it’s useful to have two people present,
one for the cat and one for the dog,
just in case there are any unwanted reactions.
Start the process by allowing the animals to see each other
through the barrier for just five minutes at a time.
This way, they can see and start to smell each other
but can't get to one another.
If the dog appears overly interested in the cat,
this is when you can use your training
to refocus the dog's attention
and keep them from getting frustrated
and fixating on the cat.
Short sessions are key.
It's better to finish sooner on a positive note than prolong it
and have something go wrong.
Repeat these introductions over several days,
increasing the duration of the interaction
by a minute or so each time,
as so long as the dog
and cat remain relaxed in the sight of one another.
If there is significant reaction from either animal,
do not progress further with the introduction.
Contact your vet or seek support from an animal behaviourist.
When we get to the face-to-face introduction,
it's really important that the cat has the most control over
the situation as they will feel safer and can run away
and hide if they wish.
For the first face-to-face introduction,
have two people present,
one for the dog and one for the cat.
Put the dog on a lead
and remove the barrier, ensuring that the dog cannot get
to the cat at the full length of the lead.
Allow the animals to approach each other in their own time.
Observe their behaviour around each other
and look for any signs of stress from either.
For the cat this may be backing away,
ears down,
wide pupils
and hissing or swiping.
Some dogs may be fearful of meeting a cat
and may display behaviours such as
holding a lowered tail position,
showing the whites of their eyes
or even growling.
More likely though the dog may be overly interested in the cat
and you should watch out for reactive or frustrated behaviours
such as becoming unsettled
and vocalising towards the cat
or predatory behaviours which may indicate they want to chase the cat
such as fixating their gaze on the cat
and being very responsive to movements made by the cat.
Initially, allow a short interaction
before calling the dog back
and reward them both with a treat
so they have a positive association with the introduction.
Repeat these short interactions over a few days,
increasing the time of the interaction each day.
Eventually, if you are confident
both animals will stay calm,
no chasing will ensue
and the cat feels relaxed in the presence of the dog,
you can let the dog off lead
and allow the animals to interact freely.
Something that may also help is using a pheromone diffuser.
Simply plug one in ahead
of the first face-to-face interaction,
as it may help to keep the cat calm.
You may also be able
to source a similar product for the dog as an added way
of keeping them calm in this situation.
Throughout all stages of the process,
monitor both animals' reactions carefully.
For the cat, we want to be looking out for signs that they’re relaxed,
such as normal-sized pupils,
their ears facing forward,
and a relaxed body posture.
For the dog we want to make sure that they're relaxed
and not too excited by the cat that they want to chase them
or really pulling at the lead to try and get at them.
When introducing cats and dogs
some people may be tempted
to put the cat in a cat basket
to reduce the chance of fighting.
This is not advised
as most cats have negative associations with baskets
and, primarily, it removes the cat's control
over the situation by limiting their ability to run away
and hide if they wish
and this will make them feel more stressed.
If you have any problems introducing cats and dogs
it's best to seek help sooner rather than later.
We recommend approaching your vet first
to ensure there are no medical issues with either animal
and getting a referral to a qualified behaviourist
such as a member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors.
We hope you have found this video helpful.
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