Introducing new adult dog to our adult cat

[Anonymous]

We’ve had our now 9 year old cat since he was a kitten. He’s extroverted, playful and likes new humans. He also has a bit of separation anxiety and is extremely bonded with us. Thinking about adopting my brothers dog, who is 6, perfectly behaved (was trained as a therapy dog) and extremely obedient. Obviously no one has a crystal ball but any thoughts on how this might go? After a careful and supervised meeting I’m envisioning them becoming bffs- snuggling together at night and playing together during the day.

Am I delusional? Has anyone done something like this? We have a big house and over an acre yard for the dog. Cat is indoor only.

[Anonymous]

If the cat was fine during the supervised meeting, it could work out.

I adopted a terrier mix. Its prey drive is unreal. Haven’t ever been able to trust it with the cat, so it lives on one floor, and cat lives on another. Even now that the dog doesn’t really chase the cat when supervised, the cat is so scared of the dog, that it’s not humane to have them out together.

[Anonymous]

Introduce them SLOWLY. That is the biggest mistake people make: just throwing them together. In my experience, it takes about 1-2 mos.** (esp. if the dog has a higher prey drive). Restrict access. Let them see each other through gates. Make interactions positive for both (petting, treats). They may or may not be BFFs but I've never had it not work out.

**sometimes it is faster but let the pets lead that. My most recent cat started jumping the gates to get more freedom. So we let him. But, kept a close eye on things. Now, he likes to torment the one (dumb) dog by swatting and running away. The dog chases. Cat jumps up on something dog can't reach and taunts dog. It's highly amusing.

[Anonymous]

You’re not delusional. I was able to introduce a dog to an adult cat. It may have worked because the dog had had zero prey drive. He never chased the cat and eventually they just became close buds

[Anonymous]

Agree it’s all about the prey drive. My beagle, after living with the cats day in and day out for years, STILL cannot process the situation appropriately sometimes. However, they’ve all developed a weird frenemy thing. Not what I originally hoped for but animals are like humans. You get what you get.

[Anonymous]

"She will rue the day she brought that foul, smelly creature into my presence..."

[Anonymous]

I adopted my Jack Russell as an adult. She is actually great with my cats. Since you describe your cat as outgoing & friendly and the potential new dog as perfectly behaved and obedient, I think you have a good chance of success. Supervised introductions are really important since you don't want either to get fixated on ta negative interaction.

[Anonymous]

I think breed matters. Our cat has lived with two Goldens and it’s worked out just fine. They don’t have a high prey drive and respect the cat as part of the pack.