The legend of feud between cats and dogs is so ingrained in our culture that we look at cases in which cats and dogs get along well under the same roof as exceptions to the rule. The idea that when these two animals meet, a conflict will inevitably arise has haunted us since childhood - it is reflected in children's stories, in cartoons and even in sayings. However, is the relationship between a cat and a dog really so clear and predetermined? The answer to this question is of interest, first of all, to those people who would like to keep both animals in peace and harmony. We will try to figure out how to make friends between a cat and a dog in an apartment in this article.
How to make friends between a cat and a dog in an apartment
Introducing an adult dog to a kitten
As a rule, dogs have a positive attitude towards each new family member and are the first to get to know each other. Your task is to control the dog’s enthusiasm, since he may simply not calculate his strength and scare the kitten half to death (this especially applies to large dogs).
Smell
During the first days, it is advisable to keep the animals in separate rooms and allow them to gradually get closer to each other. Initial meetings may only last a few minutes. The main goal of these meetings is not so much to get to know each other, but to be able to assimilate the smell of a “partner.” Animals can react negatively to the smell of a stranger; this detail of behavior is very clearly manifested in hunting dogs. Getting used to the smell of a kitten will allow the dog to significantly reduce the degree of aggression, if any.
Getting used to the smell of a newcomer is the most important stage in animal acquaintance.
By the way! In order for the dog to quickly get used to the new “tenant”, even before bringing the kitten into the apartment, you should let the pet sniff some of the kitten’s things so that he becomes familiar with the smell of the newcomer in advance and does not perceive it as a potential danger.
Food
Animals must be fed separately. If you have a multi-room apartment, it is advisable to give your pets food in different rooms. If animals have to get along in a studio apartment, place bowls in different corners.
Separate feeding will relieve pets from increased interest in each other's bowls
The food should be given to the older animal first, following a hierarchy that is important for both dogs and cats. The kitten should learn that his desires will not be satisfied primarily due to his age, and that in this “pack” everyone is equal.
Place
Each pet should have their own place where they feel safe. If you try to combine the sleeping and resting areas of both animals, then expect a response in the form of clarification of the relationship between them.
Not only cats, but also dogs need their own house
By the way! Play complexes are perfect for a kitten; climbing on them will put him out of reach. Such complexes, in addition to creating comfort for the pet, will promote claw sharpening and muscle development.
It is important to recognize the symptoms of growing anxiety in a cat in time in order to stop the manifestation of aggression towards a defenseless puppy. The information below will help you understand what type of anxiety your pet is experiencing. You can read more about aggression in cats on our portal.
Signs of anxiety in cats
Rivalry between cats and dogs in the apartment
When an adult cat cohabitates with a puppy, difficulties usually do not arise, since the animal does not see a threat to its position in the house in the small creature. A large breed or an adult dog is perceived as a danger to the existing hierarchy, so the cat must be accustomed to a new neighbor. A street dog, accustomed to a constant struggle for survival, and a domestic cat, which has never seen other animals before, can compete especially sharply with each other.
It will be easier to train a cat to live peacefully with a dog if you understand exactly how their zones of influence intersect. Following a number of general recommendations will help your pets become friends:
- Do not place bowls for two types of animals too close. It is advisable to place them further away, especially in the first days of cohabitation. Also, the owner must stop any attempts by pets to steal food from a neighbor. Encroaching on food can provoke aggression, which often escalates into a fight.
- Relationships become less tense if pets have a kind of “tier” where they dominate. For example, dogs usually occupy the floor. Cats love to climb higher. To prevent animals from crowding, you should organize a sufficient number of such places: nail down special shelves or buy a cat house with several floors.
- It is necessary to make it clear to the animals who is boss in the apartment. Love and affection are important, but pets should not be allowed to become impudent and cross the lines of what is permitted. Approved boundaries must be strictly observed, otherwise all commands will be ignored.
If a cat or dog corners a neighbor after encroaching on someone else's territory, the animals must be separated immediately. No one should feel like a victim.
Introducing an adult cat to a puppy
Puppies cope more easily with adults and do not need special protection. Cats show open aggression only in cases where the puppies become importunate and begin to pursue the self-sufficient pet everywhere. If you see this behavior, try to separate the puppy from the cat and engage in some kind of games, since the manifestation of importunity is nothing more than a lack of attention.
In rare cases, cats are able to adopt puppies and raise them along with their kittens.
A puppy raised in the company of a cat or cats does not show aggression towards them and is not prone to conflicts. However, this rule applies only to cats of his “pack”. If this dog meets any other feline, it will be quite difficult to predict his reaction, so there is no point in experimenting.
Otherwise, the rules for getting a puppy used to a cat are exactly the same as in the case of a kitten and a dog. Let the animals get used to each other's smell, divide the apartment into non-intersecting zones in which the pets will rest from each other, and feed them separately, without giving additional reasons for aggression.
Cats are supportive of puppies, except in cases when they begin to actively impose themselves and bother them.
Important! The greatest difficulties occur when two adult individuals get to know each other. If possible, avoid starting a relationship this way, as mature pets already have certain experiences and behavioral characteristics that are very difficult to correct.
Prohibited actions
Friends, there are rules that are very important for animals living together. Remember them and teach them to your children.
- Never pit your pets against each other.
- Don't encourage aggressive behavior.
- Do not practice commands on another pet.
Failure to follow these rules will lead to uncontrollable behavior of the cat and dog, for which you will be to blame.
An equally important aspect: if the animal is sick, be sure to isolate it from other pets. Unfortunately, instincts can play a cruel joke, and the dog will perceive a weakened neighbor as a victim.
Different languages of communication
The nonverbal signals of both animals are similar, but have completely different meanings. For example, wagging a dog's tail indicates a playful and high spirits, while in cats, the same tail wagging indicates aggression and readiness to fight.
The purr of a cat, which is caused by the vibration of the vocal cords, speaks of his calmness and tranquility, and the vibration of the dog's vocal cords, which causes a growl, indicates his readiness to attack.
It is the above-mentioned differences in perception that constitute a serious problem in the question of how to make friends between a cat and a dog in the house.
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Common Mistakes
Inexperienced owners often do not know what to do in a given situation, which leads to the following mistakes:
- Poor nutrition: if everyone eats at the same time and nearby, then someone will inevitably try to steal food from someone else’s plate.
- Uncontrolled first meeting: some let the cat and dog communicate freely, not thinking that this could develop into a fight.
- Lack of separate resting places: cats are introverts by nature. Long communication will infuriate the pet and can lead to aggression. It is advisable to give the cat its place on a hill.
- Playing off animals: they will remember a fight that happens once for the rest of their stay, so clashes should not be allowed.
Reasons for enmity
The difference in habits is due to different worldviews, which is manifested in relationships with humans, relatives and animals of various species.
Cats and dogs act differently in many situations because they think differently and act based on their emotions, which also manifest themselves differently.
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Various origins
Cats and dogs have long been classified as different types of predators. The so-called “canines” have always united in packs, since in such conditions it was much easier to hunt and obtain food. In the process of uniting in packs, dogs developed natural sociability and a desire for the company of their relatives, and in the process of domestication, for people.
Cats, on the contrary, at the dawn of their appearance, preferred loneliness. A solitary lifestyle did not at all impede access to food, since felines acquired agility and speed, which are indispensable when hunting.
Mr. Cat recommends: tips for first meeting
Even before meeting, pets should be taught to adequately perceive representatives of another species. So, when walking, you need to scold them for barking towards cats or reward them for being friendly. In the future, the success of reconciling pets will depend on following the following tips:
- It is necessary to teach your pet the “Near” and “Sit” commands as early as possible, otherwise it will be difficult to control him.
- Cat's nails should be trimmed regularly.
- You cannot physically punish your pets.
- At the first signs of friendship between pets, you should not rush to arrange for them to live together. Animals left alone can quarrel and fight.
- When choosing a puppy in a shelter, it is important to find out from the workers which of the wards reacts calmer to cats.
- The most aggressive dogs towards cats are hunting dogs. Owners of such breeds should think carefully before making such a serious decision.
