cat wont be nice to new dog

Question
I got a new dog and brought it home that night i had my cat for 2 years  and i put the cat by the dog the cat starts hissing . How can i make them friends?

Answer
Natalie,

You can't put them together and expect them to instantly be friends. It won't work that way. It can take months for them to get along. The process has to be taken slow and correctly.

Don't try to force her to be friends or she will resent them. Let her know firmly that you don't like her behavior but don't punish her for not being nice to the dog or she will associate the dog with punishment and it will be harder.

Put something the dog lays on in or near her bed so she can get used to the dogs' smell. Then when she is near them they will be a familiar smell.

Until she accepts and trusts it, only let her be around the dog under supervision to make sure she doesn't have any negative experiences with the dog that could jade her for life. And keep her claws trimmed!

I am including a couple of links to articles about cat and dog introductions. Some parts may not apply but you may find some of the information helpful. (Copy and paste, or type, the whole links into your address bar):

http://www.thedogman.net/DogmanArticlesText.asp?ID#366

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action#library&act#show&item#cattodogintro...

Tabbi