siamese cats intro to dog

Question
My Siamese (along with 2 amer. short hairs) are 5 y/o. All get along well. I didn't realize when I brought a 1 y/o shepard/husky/retriever/?? into the home that the Siamese would be so offended. The dog came into the house about 5 months ago and the other cats took 3 months to adjust but are doing great. The S. hasn't come upstairs (she has everything she needs in my basement including my husband who is down there with her most evenings for a couple hours on the computer, food, box,blankets, couch,etc) but I would like to integrate her back into her upstairs home. I have been bringing her up onto my bed when the dog is in her crate and can't bother us. I want her to meet the dog but haven't physically put them together. I was hoping she would come up on her own and start sniffing around but she hasn't done this yet and I would like to move the process along but not take any risk of scaring her further. She is still friendly with us and other cats. She did come up the first night the dog was here, gave her a sniff and ran away. Dog chased the other cats for a month or so but doesn't chase them anymore so I don't think she'll chase the S cat. Any thoughts on bringing them together? Should I keep the dog in the crate and just start bringing the cat into that room so see the dog? Should i rub the cat with a towel I already rubbed on the dog to get their scents together?

Answer
Hi Carol.  I would keep the dog crated and encourage the Siamese to spend some time in that room so she can get used to the dog without the threat of physical contact.  Giving her a towel that the dog has been rubbed with will also helped her become a little more familiar with the dog.  Once she seems a little more comfortable with that, you should consider keeping the two in the same room for short visits with the dog on a short leash.  Visits should last no more than 5 minutes at first, to help desensitize the cat to the presence of the dog.  Cats are sensitive creatures, and anything longer than this generally works in the opposite direction for you, and will create an aversion.  If the cat seems to take it well, you can increase the lengths of the visits.

If you don't have any tall cat trees upstairs, this might be something to consider adding, at least for the time being.  Something 4-6 feet tall would be ideal, where the cats could go if they felt threatened by the dog.  At these heights, cats feel as though they are at an advantage, and she may choose to spend more time upstairs if she has a high perch to hang out on.  I know my dogs never intend to do my cats harm, but whipping tails, bumbling feet and panting in the face are more than a cat can handle sometimes.

Another product I always recommend for introductions of any kind is Feliway.  This helps reduce anxiety, and Siamese are a little prone to it.  I use the plug-in diffusers at all times in my own home.  To learn more, visit www.feliway.com  You can buy it at pet stores, online and at some vet offices.