Mixing new dog with cats

Anonymous111

Hey guys,

I'm considering getting a puppy (an Alaskan Malamute) but I already have two cats. The cats are 10 years old and in good health. One is extremely friendly and playful to everyone and the other is a little more apprehensive - fine around the family but nervous and downright terrified with strangers. Not sure if that's relevant but thought I'd put it in just incase.

Is this feasible or is it a bad idea? I don't want to put the cats in danger. How would I go about introducing the puppy to the cats and vice versa without all hell breaking loose? How would I get them to be at ease in eachothers companies without me having to worry?

planetX

Hi -I'm in the middle of this. Got a puppy about a month ago, 2 cats already in residence. Puppy is confined to the kitchen, cats have the rest of the house. It really depends on the personality of the cat. One of ours is brave and will stand his ground, the other is timid and runs at the sight of him. When I have the puppy in the garden and the cats are around, I have a long fabric lead on him so that I can get hold of him if he tries to chase. I have an absolute no chase policy. Inside the house I have to frequently distract the puppy from bouncing at the cats, I have to be on constant watch. I'm still having to leave a window open for the cats, as they don't want to pass the dog to use the catflap. This is the situation a month on, one cat fine, one a bit miserable.

(puppy is a lab mix, is playful but good natured)

Toulouse

PM ISDW on here she'll be able to give you the definitive answer.

Pretty sure a dog renowned for having a high prey drive is not a good idea with cats though.

koneko

Not the best breed to pick, tbh, in this situation.

Huskies and Mals have strong prey drive and if the cat bolts for any reason, the dog may not be able to stop itself. Mine haven't grown up around cats and I couldn't trust them anywhere near cats.

Growing up together you may have more luck, but as I'm sure ISDW can tell you there are plenty of horror stories from people who had Huskies or Mals living in harmony for years, and then one day something happened. I wouldn't be comfortable with a Mal and cat together unsupervised.

Other things that would concern me:
- The cats are older and did they grow up with dogs? If not, they are not going to be pleased and may not mix well
- The second cat is likely to bolt when it's frightened (and big dogs have that effect), the dog will naturally give chase and will be strong

I'm sure there are situations where it works out, but IMO on the whole it's a bad idea.

Anonymous111

Thanks for the replies.

I think I will leave it for now. I'll wait until the cats are gone as it's the safest option. I would hate to see my cats get hurt by another pet which I brought into the house.

The only other dog I'd really be interested in at the moment is a Labrador, and they're probably just as likely to misbehave, whether inadvertently or intentionally.

Thanks for the help, and if anyone else has any experience or suggestions, please chip in!

DBB

Anonymous111 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

I think I will leave it for now. I'll wait until the cats are gone as it's the safest option. I would hate to see my cats get hurt by another pet which I brought into the house.

The only other dog I'd really be interested in at the moment is a Labrador, and they're probably just as likely to misbehave, whether inadvertently or intentionally.

Thanks for the help, and if anyone else has any experience or suggestions, please chip in!

Would you think about fostering a pup from a rescue, or even an adult known to be good with cats?
That way, you can test the waters, and if it all goes belly up, you let pup move on as planned to his new home. But if it works out, you could join the legion of "failed fosterers", and adopt him!

EvesBlogg

Hey, you should get yourself a Labrador pup or a retriever - if they grow up from a young age with the cats you wont have any problems at all..these dogs are wusses! and they get on fine with cats when they grow up with them - I have some wicked breeds of terriers that grew up with cats, and they play together all the time. Mind you they would chase after other peoples cats, but never have gone for them..

carwash_2006

There is absolutely no need to get a pup if you do want to get a dog.

My mother recently got a medium lurcher from a rescue who was being fostered in a family with cats, so it was known that she was excellent with cats. She is the sweetest dog, has made friends with the 2 cats in a short space of time and never made them feel threatened. She even seems to have somewhat befriended the local hedgehog and regularly brings my mother over to show her where he is in the evenings. At first he would curl up, but has now taken to just going about his business as she is no threat whatsoever.

It totally depends on the dog, getting one from a rescue that uses fosterers is a great way of doing it as they often know if a dog is good with cats or not.