Oddly enough, dogs and cats can get used to each other to live together. In general, animals of different breeds can always be acclimatized if they are properly adapted or if they live with each other from a very young age. Even carnivorous and herbivorous species can stay together without the latter attacking the former. There are truly incredible documentaries where you can see how lions live with dogs as true friends of the same pride.
Acclimatizing a dog to a cat is complicated.
Acclimatizing a dog to a cat is not really complicated, although if they have not grown up together and therefore have not known each other since they were puppies, it is advisable to take certain measures to avoid possible fights between the two animals. In this way, you will get both your dog and your cat to acclimate to each other at their own pace and in a natural way. In this post we are going to teach you the most appropriate measures to acclimatize a dog to a cat. Don’t worry; you will see how, in a very short time, your pets can begin to live together without any danger. Let’s start the post to find out how to do it!
What do you need to acclimate a dog to a cat?
To acclimatize a dog to a cat we will need
- A dog
- Cat
- Belt
- Dog awards
- A lot of patience and affection with our faithful pets
Instructions for acclimating a dog to a cat
Step by step to acclimatize a dog to a cat
- Go over the basic commands and make sure your dog obeys them. It is an ideal method. Think that your dog is already established at home and you are going to include a new pet in the family environment. In addition to making sure that your dog does not feel self-conscious or does not unleash his aggressiveness with the new feline, it is best to make your dog aware so that he obeys basic commands without question. Commands to sit stay still, or lie down will be very helpful. If it does it out of inertia as soon as you order it, in case of entering a situation that is a bit stressful for your dog, it will always listen to what you ask.
- Get your dog used to dealing with cats that already live with dogs or are not afraid of them. A great way to get your dog to adjust to the arrival of a new member, in this case a feline is to gradually get him used to the presence of cats. A very simple way to achieve this is to introduce cats that normally live with dogs and are not easily frightened. Surely you have a friend who loves cats and dogs and that he has both pets, and that he allows you to take your dog to his house from him to begin the acclimatization process. This way you will avoid that when your new cat enters the house it ends up stressed due to your dog’s nerves due to the novelty.
- Use a strap to avoid possible accidents. Whenever your dog interacts with cats for the first time, it is convenient that you keep him on a leash to be able to control him completely in case he becomes aggressive or gets so excited before his new companion that he ends up stressing or scaring the feline. Use it continuously during the adaptation process to avoid possible problems. Remember to apply the basic commands directly and emphatically to call your dog to order if you can’t calm him down.
- Initially adapt a room of the house for your new pet. To avoid possible problems when your cat finally comes to live in your home, it is convenient and highly recommended that you set up a room for him alone. In this way you will avoid that the first days they are continuously together and there may be an attack and you will get your dog to begin to get used to his new partner through smell.
- Open the doors of your home to the cat and distract the dog. When you allow your cat to start wandering around the house, make sure of two very important things: to keep your dog distracted so that the cat can get to know its new habitat and to always prevent your dog from hiding escape routes. The cat needs to have the option of being able to escape if he feels stressed or fearful in front of the dog.
Tips for acclimating a dog to a cat
Some last tips to acclimatize a dog to a cat
- Have treats and prizes for both animals. In this way, when either of them maintains an appropriate position or correct behavior with respect to the other pet, reward them so that it is much more relaxed to get used to their new companions.
- A very good trick to get them used to each other is to feed both animals at the same time, but on opposite sides of the same door. In this way they will begin to get used to each other, having a security in between that avoids possible accidents. If the cat is very anxious, you can move its bucket a few centimeters off the floor so that it is a little further away from the door and therefore from the dog on the other side.
