how do i introduce an 8 month old puppy to a 5 year old cat in its house?

[Flyn]

i have an 8 month old Swedish Lapphund. I got him when he was 3 months old. my girlfriend has a 5 year old cat. She got the cat from a shelter last october. she wants me to move in with her, but, her cat has a problem with my puppy. my puppy is fine with her cat, but, it attacks my puppy. i dont want her cat to hurt my puppy, but, i also dont want my pup to snap and kill her cat. can anyone give me any tips on dog - cat relations?

 

[irish83]

You do it slowly and little bits at a time. Put the puppy on a leash in the room and let he cat wander around the same room. Make sure the puppy is lying down and don't let him bark. Stay like this for 5 minutes, pet the puppy and praise him for staying still. Then let the cat out of the room. Play with the puppy then, run around, throw toys, ect. Do this for five minutes. Then, put him back on the leash, make him lie down and bring the cat back in. Do this a couple times a day and the puppy will learn he needs to be calm around the cat. This will make the cat more comfortable around the puppy and will keep the puppy more relaxed around the cat, so there will be less fighting.

 

[lamby]

people think that because a cat is a cat you can't do anything with it, because they only listen when they want to listen and most won't do simple tricks that most dogs do like sit, lie down.

However, when introducing a dog and a cat its important to make sure the cat feels comfortable as well, so stroke it when its being calm and when its doing the wrong behaviour such as hissing or pushing its ears back or swiping, you should correct it by firmly but not agressively using your thumb and your next two fingers push against its shoulder and then release, this acts like a bite. the technique is used on both dogs and cats.

 

[Heidi S]

slowly put a dog on a chain and inch him/her toward the cat if the cat growls/ meows pull the puppy back. Hope this helps.

 

[amber]

The advise i was given is to rub the puppy with the cats bedding so it smells a bit of cat.
Always feed the cat first so it feels higher in the pecking order, if possible on a higher level than the dog so it doesn't need to defend the food

The cat will be happy when it has established itself as the top creature in the house. Be sure to give your dog lots of attention for its patience with the cat.
Putting the puppy in a cage for awhile is a good plan as it will settle the cat down a lot but its also good to do it the other way around.
Usually the only harm a cat can do to a dog is if it manages to scratch the dog's face especially the nose and eyes

 

[john313181]

Hiya little puppy, this here is old puss-in-boots, puss-in-boots meet little puppy.and the two of you have got to get on with one another or else its the cat n dog home for both of you.!
that's how to tell them!

 

[Random-Cookie]

Just let them in the same room for a minute and then gradually let them see more of each other but dont cling them together maybe?

Like dont force them to like eachother?

Good luck [:

 

[Veritas]

I might take a while...let them get used to each other slowly. Don't force anything and give them their own space. ( different eating and sleeping places) Hopefully, they will become friends or at least tolerate one another.