Introducing Adult Dog to Adult Cat

Question
My partner and I are planning on moving in together.  I have an 2 year old spayed female cat and my partner has a 3 year old Male Jack Russell Terrier (not neutered).  When we have tried to introduce them to each other, my cat becomes very aggressive towards the dog and this causes the dog to become aggressive.  As soon as the dog comes in the house, my cat seems as if she smells him and takes off and hides in her bedroom.  If he's in his carrier, my cat will torment him by hitting the carrier.  Any suggestions on how we can get these two to get along and tolerate each other?

Answer
Hi Joe.  I've had to introduce my cats to lots of dogs over the years.  In fact I have 5 dogs right now that all had to learn proper behavior with the cats.  However, one thing I personally will not attempt is to introduce any type of adult terrier to my cats.  Terriers have an extremely high predatory drive that is simply part of their nature.  They're built to chase, capture and kill.  Though it seems your kitty is the one starting the spats, if the dog fights back, the cat is going to be on the losing end of the battle.  She is no match for the jaw power of a terrier.  One of my cats was almost killed by a terrier that was smaller than him.  That will be the last time I ever take that risk.

It is possible to train some dogs against this instinct to an extent, but you've got to be very dedicated about it.  I would suggest asking a dog expert about this, preferably one familiar with the terrier family and one that has thorough training experience.  I'd make sure the dog was trained well before introducing the two.  In the meantime, I'd keep the two separated.

If the dog responds well to training and will be well-controlled around the cat, you will start with short visits no more than 15 minutes.  Keeping the dog in the cage during visits is probably the best choice, because both animals will be protected.  If either shows aggression, the visit is over.  Start over the next day.  

Really, there's nothing but time that will get the kitty to accept the dog.  You can't really discipline her, because she's reacting out of the instinct of fear.  In general, new fosters that come into my house will swat at the dogs for a month or so, and then they simply keep their distance.  After a few months, they no longer react to each other.  I know that seems a long time.  But unfortunately, we can't sit down with them and explain that they should be friends.  They have to learn against their instincts that one another is safe.  And of course, that will take a while.