Article Title: How To Introduce A New Cat To Your Dog
Author: Joann Henry
Dogs and cats are said to be enemies but this is not true. A
survey in 2002 said that over fifteen percent of every household
in the United States had one dog or one cat at the very least.
The survey also stated that almost fifty percent of each home
that included a dog or cat actually had both a cat and a dog.
That meant that half of all the dogs and cats in the world
shared a home with the other species.
Behavior Issues Do Exist
Just because many families have a cat and a dog does not mean
that there are no behavioral problems. Some family pets have
fights that the owners have to break up and some even take their
issues to a behavior consultant for assistance with these
issues.
It is very rare that a dog will be scared of a cat because of
its size compared to the cat, but many people allow their dog to
bully their cat. There are some cases where the dog is smaller
than the cat. In these cases the smaller pet may spend most of
its time in fear. Often these pets spend the day hiding in the
basement or under a bed. This can cause chronic illnesses and
anxiety.
You should provide a safe, friendly introduction for the two
species to keep their relationship friendly and healthy. If you
have existing pets that are in fear of one another you should
try to reintroduce them, if you are adding a new pet to your
home you should start the relationship out on the right foot.
Things to Consider when Providing an Introduction
You need to decide which of the two pets are considered to be
the main pet in your home. You then need to ask your self these
kind of questions. What kind of past does this animal have with
the other species? Have they ever been with the other species?
How did they react when they were around the other species? This
will help you to pick the right cat for your dog or the other
way around.
The dog or cat you are thinking about bringing home, is it a
friendly animal towards different types of animals? It is best
to be on the cautious side when it comes to your cat. It's
better to think your dog would injure the cat rather than the
cat injuring the dog. You should take caution even if the new
dog is said to be friendly with other cats. They are going to
get a little bit territorial and we don't want anyone to get
hurt.
When you introduce the animals to each other you need to have
enough man power to keep both pets safe. You should keep your
dog on a leash for the first introduction, and keep your cat
under your control as well. Allow the pets to sniff each other,
allow them to be near each other, but do not allow them to try
to take over the situation. You need to make sure BOTH species
knows you are the boss and they are guests in this situation. Do
not allow either to be hurt. Let them know they are both there
by choice but the choice is yours, not theirs. In the end
spending some time with the two pets letting them get to know
each other shouldn't take long and will save your family a lot
of problems.
About The Author: Joann Henry operates "Doggie Health Care",
http://www.DoggieHe
health. Sign up to receive her newsletter, & not only will you
get some free tips to keep your dog healthier, but FOR A LIMITED
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http://www.DoggieHe
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