Hello,
I have two dogs and my brother has two cats, both strictly domestic. In the near future we plan to live together. Now the problem is whether we can get the cats and dogs to live together. How we can introduce animals that are supposed to be enemies to each other. Anyone having right answer can share with me.

Thanks
Micle Thomson

I have four cats and two gsds (amoungst other furry family members ). Its better if you can intro them when they are babies but it can be done with adults, Bella (my black and tan gsd) was 7 1/2 months when I adopted her, she had been encouraged to chase cats and it was a nightmare at first but now shes really good friends with the cats. Basically you need baby gates so the cats can have a safe area to relax in, the dogs need to know they are NEVER allowed to chase or annoy the cats and if that means having them on a house line that might be what it takes, I had to keep Bella on one for 3 whole days . Dogs are easy enough to train not to be OTT with the cats but its also a matter of giving the cats their space and letting them choose when they are ready to meet the dogs.

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gsds (Henrick and Bella), the cats (Syd, Lilly, Elvis and Dizzy), the gerbils (Honey, Lisa, crusty, Millhouse, Flanders, Bart and Homer), the rats (Valentine, Flower, Petal, Blossom, Koda, Cava, George), the mice (Minnie, Pop, Seudag, Caraid, Silver, Trouble, Athena, Pandora, Aphrodite, Meep, and Springtime)

Over 6 yrs ago I had a stray cat in my garage and my springer at the time wanted to get a hold of it but my great dane protected it - The cat was thin, wet and shivering, so I gave it some dog food (as I didn't have any cat food) and I thought it would be on it's way. However, when I came home the next day the cat was at my door and has been ever since. She ended up being the best of pals with the springer, sleeping with her and sharing food etc.

Unfortunately my springer died in October last year and puss puss has taken a real shine to my male great dane and sleeps by his head at night. The air from his nostrels is like a hurricane against her ears but she won't move and calmly outstretches her paw onto his nose! Her paw is almost the size of his eye! I would never have wished for a cat but now I can't wait till she comes home. Ah life is funny!

Never really answered your question but thought I would share that with you!

Baby gates are a must and so is a place where the dogs can't get to but the cat can.
I have had Billy since he was 10 weeks old and rescued a dog that stayed with us for a month when Billy was 7 months old which I worried about as he had never seen a dog so close up before. We actually had to protect the dog from Billy! Haha. Luckily the dog was so laid back but as Billy provoked her, we had to find ways to entertain Billy. After two weeks, he settled and they became best of friends and we found curled up together on my bed in the mornings.

Now we have Princess P who we have had a week. He spends time outside or on top of the table where she can't get to him or he will fight back. Nothing serious, he chases her, she chases him, they meet in the middle and bite each other or try to hump each other. They occasionally sleep together on the sofa and they sleep in the same room now. We still allow Billy access to upstairs with the baby gate keeping Princess out.

Basically I would:

1. Introduce them slowly - be patient
2. Let them view each other from different rooms for the first few days
3. When the cat does enter the room, hold your dogs collar/lead so you pull the dog away if you sense the dog is going to bite
4. Always look out for the body language of both animals as it's the biggest clue to how they are going to react
5. Invest in baby gates (this helps with number 2)
6. Clear a shelf or put a shelf up so the cats can hide on it
7. The cats need to be fed in a different room until they are friends with the dogs
8. Discourage the cats from provoking the dogs into a chase
9. Never leave them unsupervised until they are ok
10. Give them a chance to check each other out as interaction between the two animals will let them socialize more

Don't forget, they are gonna squabble at one point to figure out which order of the pack they belong and the dog will try and put the cat in place - and vice versa!

Some dogs will ignore cats, others will chase. It depends on the dog (and the cat!).
You could pick up some training books from your local library or buy some as an aid. There are plenty of good books out there to help. You might find they can never live together but everything is possible with a little effort. It makes it easier if the dog/s are young but it's not impossible to teach an old dog new tricks

The internet is also a great free source of information but bear in mind, you will probably get conflicting info as there is gonna be a lot of sources to read from. Trust yourself and your animals and work out what's best for you as you know them better than some person on the net.

Can you visit your bro with the dogs? Keep them on a leash but let them view each other and get use to seeing each other before you move in. For example, stay half hour or so every few days then increase the amount of times you go or increase the time you stay. It'll make it easier when you move in then.

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I met a special mop called Princess P and I've decided I quite like ankle biters after all

Introduce them slowly to each other. Once they realize they are all part of the family it will work out.

Hi, I agree with whats been said so far but thought I should just add one point. It's important for the cats and dogs to be part of one larger family. It's important that you make a fuss of your brothers cats and that he do the same with your dogs so the other animals can see this. It's gonna take time and you're gonna have to be patient but it should work out in the end.

Good luck and keep us informed

As long as non of them is overly protective of it's territory it shouldn't be a problem. And when joining them boith you might want to remove all food, water, beds that they might fight for. This is only temporary and you can put them back when they adjust.

During the first few weeks feed them separately.

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