# Cat introduction



## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

My daughter is soon to get a cat that needs rehoming. The cat is one and apparently a 'very good cat' whatever that means . Winnie is also one and goes over to play at my daughters house every two weeks. We are going to leave the cat settle in so Winnie will have to give up her play dates for a while. Once the cat is settled I would like Winnie to meet her as I would like for them to be around together (although that decision will also depend on how the cat feels). The cat will have lots of places to go out of the way when Winnie is around, either in the house or outside in the garden and surrounding gardens. What would be the best way to introduce them to each other? Winnie hasn't really met any cats other than the ones on her walk. She tries to run up to them because she wants to say hello but of course they run off.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Is the cat used to dogs? When a friend visited back in the days when I had cats but no dogs mine were so dog-savvy that it was easy; the dog knew within seconds who was in charge, got one soft pawed swipe on the buttocks to reinforce the message, and was extremely polite to them for the duration of her stay.

Basic rules are keep the dog on leash and under close control, at a distance that does not spark reaction in either animal. Make sure the cat can leave without having to run, and has plenty of high places where she can feel secure. Keep the first sessions short, be guided by the cat as to how you progress, and never, ever let the dog chase or even think about chasing.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

fjm said:


> Is the cat used to dogs? When a friend visited back in the days when I had cats but no dogs mine were so dog-savvy that it was easy; the dog knew within seconds who was in charge, got one soft pawed swipe on the buttocks to reinforce the message, and was extremely polite to them for the duration of her stay.
> 
> Basic rules are keep the dog on leash and under close control, at a distance that does not spark reaction in either animal. Make sure the cat can leave without having to run, and has plenty of high places where she can feel secure. Keep the first sessions short, be guided by the cat as to how you progress, and never, ever let the dog chase or even think about chasing.


No the cat is not used to dogs. Winnie gets so excited meeting anyone or anything new. She is very loving but her excitement could scare the cat from coming close in any way. I think this is going to have to go very very slowly.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I think a lot of what you need to do will depend on the cat's personality. My cats have ranged from hyper aggressive towards dogs (no chance of co-existing) to toleration (my current cat) to terror (again no chance of co- existing.) 

I agree with fjm's suggestions. Give the cat places to hide, and don't let a cycle of chasing start. Letting a chase occur will teach the cat he is justified in running away, and it will teach the dog that chasing cats is fun. Right now I would start doubling down on training for " leave it" and "settle on a mat". The leash is good to stop chases, but the cat won't know he is safe from a leashed dog. It builds confidence if the dog doesn't even stand up when the cat peeks at him from the doorway.


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## TuttoBene (Apr 23, 2021)

WinnieThePoodle said:


> My daughter is soon to get a cat that needs rehoming. The cat is one and apparently a 'very good cat' whatever that means . Winnie is also one and goes over to play at my daughters house every two weeks. We are going to leave the cat settle in so Winnie will have to give up her play dates for a while. Once the cat is settled I would like Winnie to meet her as I would like for them to be around together (although that decision will also depend on how the cat feels). The cat will have lots of places to go out of the way when Winnie is around, either in the house or outside in the garden and surrounding gardens. What would be the best way to introduce them to each other? Winnie hasn't really met any cats other than the ones on her walk. She tries to run up to them because she wants to say hello but of course they run off.


I’ve trained greyhounds to be around cats. I am still training Tutto, our 6 month old poodle to be quietly around our cat 100% (He’s still giving the cat play bows).Tutto is great with the cat 99% of the time.

The cat must calls the shots. Your daughter should build her relationship with the cat first because the cat will look to your daughter for protection. If the cat does not feel safe, it might leave given an opportunity.

Our dog-savy cat, Pippi, didn’t come around the poodle pup for about four weeks. She would come by and sit at a distance and watch us train and handle the puppy. Cats will watch a long time. Let them. When Tutto was sleeping in his crate the cat would approach and then retreat. Then the cat would approach the dog when he was awake in his crate. Next she would approach when Tutto was very sleepy and relaxed on his mat but out of the crate. Finally, the cat started approaching the dog when he was awake and on a leash. THAT’S when you treat the hell out of both of them. The dog gets treats for being quiet (sitting, down, settle) the cat gets treats for approaching. You should never force the relationship. Reward the social behavior of both the cat and the dog. When the cat approaches and touches noses with the dog and the dog accepts that gesture.. you’ve made it. I always teach the dog to retreat to a mat when a cat hisses, growls or arches a back.

Don’t be surprised if there is never a relationship between the dog and the cat as long as the cat feels safe it will tolerate a dog and take care of itself by hiding when the dog is around. YOU DO NOT WANT A DOG THAT HUNTS OUT A CAT to be around a cat. My cat will come out and greet some guests’ dogs and stays away for others.

My current greyhound was fear aggressive with the cat. She would lunge. I did an extensive desensitization with her around meal time. Strangely the cat must have inserts old that it was a prey drive and voluntarily cooperated with the desensitization program. They are pals now. And the greyhound has great cat etiquette.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Maybe they should meet while Winnie is in her x-pen. Her excitement will have a chance to fade. Once they're sniffing each other calmly, you can up the anti.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

TuttoBene said:


> I’ve trained greyhounds to be around cats. I am still training Tutto, our 6 month old poodle to be quietly around our cat 100% (He’s still giving the cat play bows).Tutto is great with the cat 99% of the time.
> 
> The cat must calls the shots. Your daughter should build her relationship with the cat first because the cat will look to your daughter for protection. If the cat does not feel safe, it might leave given an opportunity.
> 
> ...


These are some great observations on the cat side of the relationship.

My cat, who was used to Pogo and Snarky, used to sit in our upstairs hallway on the top step overlooking the living room to watch puppy Galen. He was curious but dubious about the new addition to his household. He felt safest at the top of the stairs as Galen hadn't yet learned to go up steps. The cat would hiss and retreat whenever Galen accidentally encountered him on the same level. It took about 9 months before they really got along. Detente came quicker with puppy Ritter.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

The cat has arrived. Settling in her new home. She is a very good natured cat and hasn't shown any signs of aggression. Even when she was scared arriving she hasn't tried to scratch anyone and hasn't brought her claws out once.


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## Spottytoes (Jul 28, 2020)

We’ve had cats and dogs together for years. For many years we had 3 cats and one dog and they all got along quite well. It has been a bit more work with Bobby and our senior Winston kitty (our last kitty) as Bobby was/is more prey driven than our other dogs and poor Winston has zero claws (we did not do this) but it’s all pretty good now. I think if Winston had claws Bobby would have respected him more. We had to train pretty consistently to teach Bobby that Winston is not a living toy nor does he want to play. Bobby is Winston’s 3rd dog so despite the lack of claws he knows how to navigate dogs. Our last two dogs never chased him but unfortunately Bobby wanted to play and chase. Even though Bobby is much, much better, we watch out for Winston as he is almost 17. Bobby still needs a reminder now and then if he starts to get too rough or begin to chase but all in all, they are “friends.” They even drink out of the same water bowl at the same time and sleep on our bed together. With that being said, they are not left alone together when we leave the house. Bobby is kept in his own room when we are gone.

Lots of good advice given in previous posts. The biggest thing really is plenty of places for kitty to easily escape and retreat to, keep food and litter boxes inaccessible to dog and no chasing games allowed. We also made good use of baby gates when Bobby was younger. We set them up so Winston could quickly go under but Bobby couldn’t. “Gentle” and “Leave It” were used a lot. 
Such a beautiful kitty!😊


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

We also made use of crating with an excitable dog. So, for the first few introductions the dog got crated and the cat was allowed to wander at will. The dog was rewarded for being calm. All of our dogs were already used to cats when we got our last kitten... and she was used to dogs. It was so peaceful.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

Charmed said:


> We also made use of crating with an excitable dog. So, for the first few introductions the dog got crated and the cat was allowed to wander at will. The dog was rewarded for being calm. All of our dogs were already used to cats when we got our last kitten... and she was used to dogs. It was so peaceful.


I LOVE THAT CAT


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## andyvee (Sep 25, 2021)

I'm struggling with this now haha. I had two cats before I got my puppy spoo. So it made the process easier. But from what I understand, fjm is correct. Leash for control. Positively rienforce the dog not reacting to the cat. Give the cat ample high spots to feel safe. And lastly, train stay, leave it, and settle to help control the behavior before it has a chance to start. A well trained dog is almost a prereq for controlling a dog from running after cats. 

Currently in the middle of this. The issue is as I am trying to reinforce the good behavior on my spoo pup, the damn cat jumps on me because he wants treats too haha. This of course sets the puppy off. Fun times.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Tilly-cat watched me teaching the dogs that sitting politely and waiting their turn meant treats, and next time plonked herself down beside them. Pippin took a bit longer to twig, but eventually all four would be in line, awaiting their turn. It would be good practice to alternate a treat for the pup, and a treat for the cats, naming each one.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Closing this thread, as it is a year old. The dog and cat are long past the initial introduction stage.


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