Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: How to Introduce a New Dog to Your Cat

Cats and dogs may seem like mortal enemies, but
there are many examples that support the idea
that they can coexist quite peacefully. Cats and
dogs do not hate each other simply because they
are cat and dog, and it more often than not comes
down to how they were introduced and that crucial
period where they had to get to know each other.

Both cats and dogs are similar in terms of their
territorial instinct and we need to understand
how they work. Wild cats, from which the common
house cat was slowly bred, are generally quite
solitary. Cats tend not live together in packs
unless they are trying to bring up the next
generation. Their territory is important to them
and they will defend it as well as mark the
boundaries with urine. Since cats have
exceptionally high territory instinct especially
at home, any additional members to the family
will need to be examined in detail. Changes in a
cat's life including new additions to its
territory can be very stressful, especially for a
cat who leads a very static life.

Dog ancestors, unlike cats, prefer to live in big
family units, and marked territory where they
hunt and live. A dog might see all members
within the family as part of the pack, it will
still be cautious when there are new addition,
especially an animal. With some time, a dog will
realize that the cat is another member of the
pack, maybe one that might ignore him totally.

Because a cat and a dog will approach a new
addition to the family in a different way, a pet
owner must consider this when allowing them to
meet each other. A dog will want to hop right in
and test the cat, sniff it, see if it wants to
play or if it will try to be dominant over him.
A cat on the other hand needs time to observe
from a distance. Cats are naturally more
cautious and are unlikely to dash towards unknown
objects.

You should keep the dog outside the house first
before you locate your cat. Once you have
discovered the cat's location, bring the dog in
on a short leash. Enter the room with the cat
and have your dog sit and stay or lie down. Your
objective is to give the cat enough time to
understand the dog a little bit and to get used
to his presence. It is important to keep your
dog calm during the introduction. You might
consider to bring him out for a walk or play to
exhaust his energy a little. When both pets are
comfortable with each other presence, reward them
with treats.

You can keep the first introduction short so as
not to stress out the cat. Make sure you keep the
dog on leash until the cat is comfortable with a
calm dog. Do not unleash your dog before you feel
that your cat is comfortable with the dog
presence.

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Cats love to keep themselves clean and spend
nearly 30% of their life grooming themselves. You
can learn more about this amazing pet, including
topics such as cat health and training & cat
supplies on PetCustomer.com:
http://www.petcustomer.com/category/cat/
http://www.petcustomer.com/category/cat/supplies/

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