Friday, January 26, 2018

Best Tips for Keeping Your Cat and Dog Happy and Healthy Around One Another

Having multiple pets is a great way to have a fun and fulfilling household. However, it can be challenging to have pets of different types especially if those pets are a dog and a cat. If you have a dog and a cat at home, fear not. While dogs and cats may not naturally be the easiest of friends, there are some steps you can take to make sure that your furry buddies get along okay, and that they stay safe, healthy and happy around one another. Here are some helpful tips for keeping your dog and cat in great shape under the same roof.


Introduce them Slowly and Safely

The first step to ensuring that your cat and dog live okay in the same space is the introduction. Introduce your cat and dog in a safe, slow and calm way. Make sure your dog is in a space that he cannot escape from, then allow your cat to see, smell and investigate your dog from a separate room. You can allow your cat to go into the dog's space and investigate him, but you should allow your cat an easy escape if he or she feels threatened or overwhelmed by the dog. This can ensure that he or she doesn't experience undue anxiety, and that if your dog gets too worked up, it's easy to de-escalate the situation and calm him or her down.

Hang Out Together With Your Dog on the Leash

After the introduction goes okay, if you're still uncertain how your dog will react to the cat, spend some time hanging out with the both of them in the same room -- but with your dog on a leash. That way, you can control where he or she goes and what he or she can physically do, but he or she can enjoy being in the same space as the cat without a barrier.


Keep the Cat's Food and Litter Box

 Somewhere Separate and Safe

Cats are territorial about their food and their litter box. Keep it somewhere where the dog can't access to ensure your cat  feels like he or she has an escape and that he or she can be safe when eating and going to the bathroom. Consider making a space for your cat that is separated by a baby gate that a dog can't get over. This isn't only in your cat's interest, but your dog's too. You can stop your dog from eating your cat's food, which isn't good for him or her -- or from getting into your cat's litter box and consuming things that can hurt his or her stomach.

Having a dog and cat is a fun way to add love to your family. However, if your dog and cat don't naturally get along, or you're worried that there might be tension, fear not. There are some simple steps you can take to protect both animals, and make sure that they help keep your house a place that is thriving, calm, and loving. If you have a particularly challenging animal or you're worried about how one of your animals might react to a new one being brought into the house, consult your vet during a regular visit -- like when to get flea or tick treatment or for heart disease treatment with Vetmedin. If you’re looking for an additional resource that can assist you in heart disease treatment for your dog,  Allivet pet pharmacy can provide more affordable pet medication. Your vet can give you tips about how to best introduce your animals plus you can get more info here for what is normal to expect when they meet a new furry friend.

This sponsored post was written by Lannie, writer for Allivet. Allivet provides affordable pet supplies and pet medications, all of which can be purchased online.

35 comments:

  1. Hey, does this work for male and female anthros, too, haha.
    Love Loulou

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  2. This post is very timely for us, thank you. (and I'm relieved I did some things right!). I've not been blogging about it (yet) because I wanted to keep it a bit "private" - but this Intruder Dog I've shown sometimes at my blog is actually going to stay in the long run (at least I hope so) ;) So I'm doing my best to get my cats to accept him (the other way around isn't difficult, he's no problems with my cats).

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  3. Great advice for those peeps who have a mix of pets. Mom thinks maybe I maybe had a little experience with dogs as our neighbor dog who is behind his invisible fence will bark at me like crazy but it doesn't frighten me. What Mom doesn't realize is I've figured out he can't get me because of the invisible fence (HAHAHAHA).

    Hugs, Teddy

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  4. Great article. My cat Toffee is actually much better with dogs than other cats. She hates other cats with a vengeance but will tolerate doggy visitors.

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  5. Good advice but our problems are just trying to get cats to get along with cats. :)

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  6. Excellent tips! You know what? I miss our woofies. I'm the only one left that remembers them.

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  7. Great tips. We have a secret to tell you, our humans have been talking about getting a doggie for years and years, but since they travel so much it has been postponed. Plus they don't know how we both would react to a doggie in the house full time, because we definitely hate it when our dog cousins come for a visit.

    Emma and Buster

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    1. Thanks so much but this was a guest post and the tips ARE great! Some of them I did when I brought Dakota in, but....because Cody was young and hadn't lived here long and Dakota had lived with cats, (Cody had lived with dogs too)....I introduced them SLIGHTLY differently. How old are your babies again? If they are older I am not sure that I would do it......when I had my Angel Bobo he hated other cats, he liked the Sheltie that lived by us......but he had been an "only" pet for so long that I didn't want to bring another pet in to upset him.

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  8. Excellent advice. You are very wise.

    I linked this post to Feline Friday.

    Have a purrfect day, Cody. A woof woof day to Dakota. My very best to your wonderful mom. ♥♥♥

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  9. The Hubby and I discussed adding a woofie to the household, but not yet! Hopefully one day, and we'll remember to read these instructions.

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  10. A long time ago I use to have a dog and a cat. They were good friends.
    Your advices are wise.
    Douce soirée
    Nat Ă  Chat

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  11. Pawesome advice!! I wanted Matt to be my bestest furiend when him started living indoors cause of his allergies buts him yelled at me one time and now I walk past him and meow real loud in his face. MOL but sometimes I sits real close to him and sniff his paws and give him gentle licky kisses he can not feel ;) As mama said on Dakota's bloggy sometimes him still yells at me but not very often and Mama nose just what to say to make him fink twice about it.

    xoxo,
    Matilda (& Matt)

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  12. What great tips! We know that Cody and Dakota have a special dog-cat relationship.

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  13. This is such a wonderful post! I've never seriously considered getting a dog - mainly because Bear is just flat out terrified. When a dog moved in upstairs, he didn't use his cat tree for almost 9 months. I love that Dakota and Cody have made it work!

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    1. of course it is because I didn't write it! lol. I was lucky with Cody and Dakota....Dakota came 3 months after Cody was here...they are virtually the same age. Cody lived with dogs during the 10 weeks he was alive before living with us, and Dakota lived with cats.......I am sure that helped!

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  14. Great tips, when our dog was alive, it was impossible to keep her away from the litter boxes.

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    1. That is why I have a baby gate in the hallway. Dakota is not allowed in the back of our condo (unless he is supervised)......ALL of Cody's toys are in the back and his litter box is in my bathroom. the litter box is a cabinet litter box but I still do not want Dakota back there. The kitchen is also off-limits to Dakota. I feed Cody in the kitchen, (Dakota is fed in the hallway).......I wanted Cody to have safe "dog-free" havens to escape to when we got Dakota. Hence the baby gates.

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  15. Very good advice. We have multiple kitties & a dog and it can be challenging at times. Fun picture of your dog & cat.

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  16. Aww they get along better than my two cats

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  17. We were raised by our angel sisfur Sadie but now our mommy is worried about ever bringing another woofie into our house. This is very good advice for those who do!

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  18. Super tips, although we don't plan on getting a woofie. Many of them would apply to another animal or should I say introducing a new animal.

    Shoko and Kali

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  19. I told my mommy that if she EVER tries that, it's curtains for her I'll sleep all the way draped over her face!

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  20. It looks like you did everything right with your boys, Caren. We've never had a dog and sometimes I think it would be nice to have a walking companion - but not in this cold Winter!
    xxoo

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    1. Nooo I sure didn't do everything right! I also wanted a dog for a walking companion.....then I got the ONLY Shetland Sheepdog on the planet who does not like taking walks. Go figure xoxo

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  21. All very good tips, and if dad had his way there'd be lots of other furry critters around here. Better for me that it's just... Me!

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  22. These are great tips especially for those thinking about adding more furry family members. I know our next addition will be a cat however hubby always mentions dogs here and there so at least I'll have some pointers to remember in case we decide to adopt a cat and a dog. ;) Thanks for sharing.

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  23. Awesome tips. We had a dog and a cat when I was a teenager. They got along famously. :)

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  24. Great tips!
    Have a wonderful weekend...

    Noodle and crew

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  25. I was very lucky that Bentely loved the kitties and I never had to worry about their safety with them. He didn't show much interest in the litter box either. I was surprised when a cat we adopted tried to attack Bentley (he was safe on the other side of a screen door), but I guess that's not uncommon. We had to take that kitty back to the shelter with the added information that it was not dog-friendly.

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  26. Most excellent post! We have a mixed pet (sometimes) household and Mommy does all the things that you suggest!
    We also want to let you know that Mom is super busy with work, their software release is scheduled for the Feb 2. and between now and the middle of next month Mommy will be working overtime!
    We have been reading, but its tough to stop by and comment
    Purrs
    Marv

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  27. Great info and definitely something I can apply to my multi-species household!

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  28. We had many kitties here before MJF came along, and right away he was 'adopted' by one of the then kitties, Toki. So he is fine with kitties. Wants to sniff them a bit, but that is about all. Pipo still hates him more or less, but Minko was quite friendly towards him, though they did not share a bed like Toki did.
    Then along came Dalton...He was supposedly kitty indifferent...but Pipo scares him to distraction, and now he is getting braver and wants to chase him. Good thing we have doggy-no-zones here too.We have progressed to the lets sniff the doggy stage, and I will not jump on the couch if Pipo is there...but we have a long way to go to harmony here...and oodles of baby gates:)

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