Any advice on how to help my cat to feel more comfortable with our new puppy?

We have a cat, almost 2, who is very loveable and social. She comes running when we get home, she is always in the same room as the family or following us around the house. She does not hide away and sleep. We are getting a new puppy this weekend and I am sure she is going to feel left out and not like this new family member for awhile. What can I do to help her? I am hoping since the cat is so sociable, in a few months she will love having another family pet around. I just dont know how to go about it other than to be sure to keep on giving Lucy(or cat) attention. Any advice?Any advice on how to help my cat to feel more comfortable with our new puppy?
No matter what the personality of your cat, it WILL hate this new creature in its territory...in the beginning. Be it a cat or a dog, your cat does not want to share its domain with anybody but you guys. The good news is that they WILL cohabit in peace. They may become best friends, or simply learn to tolerate one another.





Here are some tips for a successful introduction:





1) Have somebody else bring the puppy over to your home. Ask a neighbor, friend or relative to ring your door bell and bring the puppy and then leave it. This is far better than you bringing the puppy inside, which your cat will resent you personally for.





2) Do not force any kind of interaction between the 2 animals, but supervise closely any spontaneous interactions. Make sure that both your cat and the puppy are out of harm's way. Allow your cat to verbalize her aggression to her heart's content. Let her growl, let her hiss, let her be a cat. I cannot stress this enough. You only want to intervene if there is physical aggression. Let the two animals communicate in their natural ways. If the puppy gets rambunctious with your cat, your puppy very well may get a warning swat. So long as the puppy responds by leaving your cat alone, great. If not, it WILL learn the hard way. If physical aggression errupts, you need to be the dominant ';animal'; and make the aggressor submit to you (knock the animal on its side and gently, but firmly hold it down until it is calm.) This works in both cats and dogs. You need to let the aggressor know you do not approve and that the behavior is unacceptable.





3. Never let your dog corner your cat or vice versa. Both animals need an escape route. For a cat, this is usually a vertical escape! Where you might normally scold your kitty for jumping on the counters, you might let it get away with it under these circumstances.





4. Have patience! Little by little, their interactions will be less tense. Show equal love and affection to both animals. Reward them when they are good and don't punish them just because they act out in fear. Every animal is different. It could take 2 weeks, it could take several months. The good news is that your gregarious cat is a great candidate for sharing its home with a new puppy. I predict they will be BFFs! Good luck!Any advice on how to help my cat to feel more comfortable with our new puppy?
allow the cat to approach the dog on her own. The cat will probably take about 4-5 days before she get use to the puppy. Do not try to force the cat and puppy together. I have had both cats and dogs as pets at the same time and I just ignore the introduction of cat to dog. It takes place at the pace and place of the dog and cat. Once the cat decides to accept the dog, they will be great pals.
when the dog arrives ensure you give her as much if not more attention than normal so she understands she's not being replaced.





past that...time. at first the cat might be scared or mad. might even swat at the dog. but in time the puppy will win the cat over and they will be friends.
Be warned, Kitty will very likely scratch Puppy because puppy is curious and wants to play. Make sure to give kitty love and plenty of time to get used to the ';intruder';. I would never let puppy sleep in the room where kitty is used to sleeping and if kitty has favorite spots to lay, keep puppy away from them for a while or you'll probably have a mad cat.
I have never been in this situation and I suggest you go to www.littlebigcat.com and read Dr. Jean Hovfe's article titled ';Cat to Dog Introductions';. I am sure she will have many tips for you that you will find useful.





Good luck with the procedure and I hope the cat and the puppy (dog) will become good friends.
informations about your pet .visit


http://www.freewebs.com/lovepet
just give the puppy and the cat the same amount of attention and then the cat will not feel left out
I commend you for being proactive!





I have two cats and I have introduced two new dogs in the last 2 years. I let them do their thing. The cat with claws put the dogs in their place as someone else mentioned and the other just keeps to himself and ignores the dogs. I to this day though make sure that my cats always have an out. A place they can get to away from the dogs. I have a chain on my basement door that only allows the door to open enough for the cats to squeeze through. It helps to keep the dogs out of the litter boxes too.
Don't do anything let me them do it on their own. I did the same thing - except my cat was 5 years old and I don't know if she had ever been around a dog (got her at a shelter), but within 6 months the were chums.
I have experienced this myself, in fact my shih-tzu was fine with my kitty, now 6 years old. My cat has the same personality as yours, so it seems. It's very important to show your dog you like your cat, and vise-versa. I've read you should put your cat in one room, with the door closed. Let the dog sniff and they might try to scratch eachother through the cracks. Be sure that they understand you love them BOTH EQUALLY, wheather it be true or not!


If you don't allready have a dog training/puppy book, DEFFINATLY get this one Dog Owner's Manuel Handbook. It also has tips, like I've just said.


Remember to socialize the two very s l o w l y. It will be hard for your cat to handel it, but it's great that she's only two. As far as I can tell, the YOUNGER your cat is when they meet, the more tollerant!


Hope it helps,


it all worked out for me =)
She may accept the pup with no problem. Just watch that she doesn't use her claws and hurt the pup. The pup is probably young enough not to be anything but inquisitive about the cat. Don't, under and circumstances, leave them alone for a while.
i had the same problem as you did....





What i did is that i would whach them closely and make sure that they dont get in any fights... ask the breader, or old owner, or petpeeps or someone that used to have the cat and ask them if the animal hates,loves, or doesnt care about dogs... and if the cat hates dogs then treate them the same and still love your cat and dog!!!





good luck potty training your brand new puppy!!!!
Let the puppy find out about the cat's claws all by himself. (Whatever you do, don't clip her claws before you get the puppy.)He will then learn to respect the cat and they should coexist happily afterwards.
All very good advice here! Let them do it on their own terms. Please do not declaw, it is cruel and unnecessary. I am owned by two dogs and three cats...they all get along fine, but it did take a little while.