Advice on bringing puppy home to a cat

any suggestions to help this go smoothly? we will be bringing home a puppy soon and currently have a 2 year old cat who has never been around dogs. Cat is very sweet but timid and I don't want her to hate us!

Re: Advice on bringing puppy home to a cat

are you getting the puppy from a breeder/rescue?
maybe they can give you a blanket or something with the pup's scent on it and you can have the cat smell it,etc.
(like you would do w/a new baby coming home to dogs!!LOL!)

Re: Advice on bringing puppy home to a cat

When I brought my puppy's home, I made sure I had a gated room (with a cat door) that the cats (i have two)could have a 'safe haven' if you will... someplace to go that was puppy free..

I let the cats come out at their own pace to meet the dogs...they hissed and acted normal cat like.. for a while..

I made sure I stopped the pups from chasing, focusing in on or trying to 'play' with the cats...

When the dogs did show interest, (even in just trying to smell the cats) I'd use the phrase "easy with the baby" and it has become a cue for them when ever they're around something smaller than they are to be careful.

it took time... but I often come home to this:

Re: Advice on bringing puppy home to a cat

For a time my BIL lived in the first floor apartment of a two family house we rented. He had a cat, we had a dog. For a long time the cat was only ever in his apartment, but I loved that cat and wanted to bring him upstairs once in awhile. Everyone told me I was nuts that my dog would eat him, but I didn't care. And I showed them!

I'd bring the cat up with me and hold him on my lap, telling the dog to sit and be "nice". He was interested at first, smelling him a little roughly, which I would always correct, and then soon figured out the cat wasn't doing much of anything at all. The dog would go lay down and the cat would venture away from my lap and check out the place. As soon as the dog would get up, he'd run back into my arms. I was base. After a few of these visits, the cat got braver and the dog got less interested. The cat knew I was always there to protect him so he would wander around the house and eventually the dog started wandering after him, but not bothering him. Somehow, they became best friends. My BIL and the cat no longer live with us, but we have a second dog know in addition to the first. If the second dog tries to eat the first dog's food, the first dog growls or snaps. But not that cat, that cat could do WHATEVER he wanted to our dog and he just let him. He ate his food while our dog watched, he'd bat at our dog's face with his paws and our dog would play along gently. It was so sweet. After BIL moved out, if you said the cat's name, our dog would go looking down the stairs for him. The cat used to CRY to come up to play with our dog. It was hilarious. And this is when our dog was still a pup (about a year) and still WILD. I proudly proved everyone wrong.

If this isn't friendship, I don't know what is!

Advice on bringing puppy home to a cat

We were the opposite where we brought a kitten to our grown down. I would suggest monitoring your new pup and making sure he/she is giving your cat space and your cat will hiss but do not be afraid its your cat just asking for space.