getting a new cat used to a new house and a dog!

Question
i just got a new cat and i have a dog that is around a year old and i was wondering how i could get the used to each other without they killing each other?

Answer
Courtney,

I am assuming you just let them run together for now.  Normally, I like to put the new cat in a room (preferably a bedroom with yourself or another human being) with its own food and water dishes and litter pan. The cat will stay about 5-7 days.

When they are introduced, the hope is that the cat will not run from the dog. The natural thing for the dog to do is to chase the cat.  Usually, the cat figures out, pretty quickly, it can get to places the dog cannot.

Anyway, you will have to let them sort it out amongst themselves.  Eventually, cats and dogs usually get along, but it may take a few weeks.  How well they get along is anybody's guess.

Some things to remember:

Dogs often think cat poop is like candy, so you need to make sure the litter pan is somewhere the cat can get to, but not the dog. I have seen dogs wait by the litter pan for the cat to do its business and then get right to it.  In these cases, the cat may find somewhere else to do its business!

Make sure the cat is fed somewhere the dog cannot get to, otherwise the dog will tend to eat the cats food.  Some dogs object to cats sharing their food, so see how your dog acts when it is being fed and the cat is lurking nearby.  You may have to put the cat up when feeding the dog.

Although discipline and "NO" tends to work on dogs, cats ignore this.  Spray bottles, rolled up newspapers, etc. tend to be wasted on cats.

Be careful not to ascribe human emotions and motives to cats (except jealousy) as cats do not think like we do. Both cats and dogs have very tough skin, so rough house playing may look like fighting. If there is a lot of noise, even loose fur, but no sign of any blood, ignore it!

One thing you might do is when paying attention to the cat, make sure the dog gets extra treats and attention!!!!!

You will just have to let the cat figure out how to get along in the new house and with the dog and give it a number of weeks to see how it goes.

Best regards... Norm.