My 16year old Blue Point Siamese.

Question
Hello there,
I have had my Blue Point Siamase Cat "Chicago" Since I was 5 years old. I am now 22 and concerned about him. My family is currently moving into a new, much larger home with my cousin. THere is no problem except for the fact that my Cousin has a 4year old Cockerspanial "Blue". The dog is very "Stupid" and barley notices that there is a cat. I have been keeping Chicago in my room until the big move, however I am concerned that with his age, he may get Very Stressed. He has always been the "King" of the house and I dont think that now is the time to be bringing in a new pet (Especially a Dog) to take that away. Is there any Advice you can possibly give me to help ease the situation with my cat? Thank you Kindly!   
Sincerly,
  Stefanie P.  

Answer
HI Stefanie,

It can be a bit stressful for cats to have a dog in the house - I know my cat *hates* dogs. But most cats will learn to tolerate dogs. Following is an article that will help you make the introductions less stressful.

Most importantly, always have a place your cat can get away from the dog and have his own retreat. Is it possible to put a small interior cat door in your bedroom door - too small for the dog - so that Chicago can use your room as a private retreat? He also needs to be able to eat and use the litterbox without the stress of worrying about the dog, so maybe you can keep his food and litter in your room. Even if the dog doesn't follow him to the litterbox, it would be bad if he stopped going as often because he is worried about the dog... that could lead to urinary tract problems.

Having a high place he can get up on helps - if he's still acrobatic you can rpovide a tall cat tree, if he's less so you may need a tree with many small steps.

http://catnet.stanford.edu/articles/introducing_cats.html

Good luck!