getting a kitten/young cat when already have dog

[happywanderer2]

I have been entertaining the idea of getting a kitten or young cat to keep my little terrier mix company. Since my mom died he's been having to be alone in house for over eight hours and while he seems to be doing ok I was thinking he might enjoy having another animal with him. He is six years old and I don't know if he would even get along with another animal. I certainly don't want to stress him out. I was thinking of calling the humane society and asking if I could bring him in and have him meet potential kitties and see what happens. Does anyone know if they would allow this?

 

[bicker]

I'd be interested in reading the replies to this. While clearly some cats and dogs do form bonds, eventually, my understanding is that generally they don't consider each other "company" per se, when they first meet. They recognize that the other animal could not possibly be a member of their pack (so to speak), and either avoid the other animal, or engage in aggressive behavior toward them. As such, I know that the shelter where we got our kitties recently wouldn't permit visits... lots of down-side and practically no up-side.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Dogs can be alone for 8hrs easy.

In fact most of them adjust pretty well. I have 2 dogs and they don't "keep each other company" when we are gone, they sleep.

A cat would certainly sleep all day.

So what I am saying is that your reasoning for getting a cat does not fit with what will actually happen.

I hope that makes sense to you.

Maybe try a doggy daycare or something along those lines?

 

[U2_rocks!]

You wouldn't be able to leave a dog and a kitten who are newly introduced all day without supervision anyway. If you have to separate them while they get accustomed to each other, that defeats the object, at least in the short run.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

You know your dog better than me, but I would say that a lot of terriers would NOT be ok with a cat/kitten. The terrier "breed" was originally bred to kill small animals and would just see a cat as "prey". However, there are a lot of deviations from that, within individual terrier breeds, and individual dogs. Do you know what kind of prey drive your dog has? For example, if you're on a walk, does your dog go after squirrels/rabbits/birds/etc.? If your dog seems to have the drive to kill small animals, I would not get a cat. Your dog is not acting "aggressive", he would simply be doing what he was bred to do.

I have two German Shepherds (who were not specifically bred to kill small animals, but there are a lot of variations in the prey drive) and they are as different as night and day on this matter. One is "friends" with our hamster and barely even notices small animals when we're out on walks. I was running with him in a remote area on Saturday and I noticed a deer in the woods, but he didn't notice at all (or at least he didn't even look at it, if he knew it was there). My other Shepherd would kill the hamster in a second if she got ahold of it and strains on the leash whenever we pass by ducks and geese on walks, let alone squirrels and bunnies. The first Shepherds would work well with a cat... the second would not at all.

 

[Scurvy]

As others have mentioned, getting a cat would probably not accomplish what you want it to do. I have both cats and dogs, and while they occasionally interact a little bit (sniffing noses, etc) they mostly ignore each other. The cats play together and the dogs sometimes play with each other, but the cats and dogs never play together. (Well, one cat occasionally starts playing with one of the dogs, but once he's tired of it he starts swatting at the dog.) A kitten and dog couldn't be left alone together, and some dogs won't ever be safe to leave unattended with a cat. Even if the dog is great with cats, many cats won't tolerate any attention from dogs. If you really want another animal to keep your dog company, another dog would be a better choice.

 

[MichelleVW]

Dogs can be alone for 8hrs easy.

In fact most of them adjust pretty well. I have 2 dogs and they don't "keep each other company" when we are gone, they sleep.

A cat would certainly sleep all day.

So what I am saying is that your reasoning for getting a cat does not fit with what will actually happen.

I hope that makes sense to you.

Maybe try a doggy daycare or something along those lines?

Agreed.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

IME it depends on the cat - and the dog, to a degree. You NEED to find a kitten or cat that isn't instinctually afraid of dogs. And ideally, your dog NEEDS to be socialized and tolerant of other animals - to start.

I can only speak for my own dogs, but their reactions depend(ed; some are gone now) almost completely on the cat.

When we got a kitten, here's how we did it. My friend brought all of the kittens to our house and we let them walk around our kitchen with our two German Shepherds on the other side of a screen door, sitting quitely but inquisitively. Only one kitten was intrigued with and unafraid of the dogs. We took that kitten outside with the dogs and right away, all got along famously from the get go. All of the other kittens were hissing, arching their backs, frozen with fear, etc.

(These are two different dogs, same kitten.)

Another time with these same two dogs, I was visiting my brother one day and my dogs were on his front porch in his fenced yard. My DH called me out to say "come take a look". There was a neighborhood cat sitting between my two dogs on the front porch and all were peacefully resting the day away.

If the cat reacts, the dog reacts.

My current dog is pretty good with small animals as well. She would be fine with a cat who wasn't afraid of her. We did have a homeless cat family with us a few years back and the Mama cat kept going after my dog if she went anywhere near the kittens, but still my dog never even barked or snarled. One night we persevered with getting them together calmly and Mama cat and the dog ended up laying down under the coffee table together while we watched TV, but it only happened that once. Most other times the cat hissed and charged after my dog and the dog began becoming anxious in spots that were "hers". Otherwise the cat would have had a home with us (but we found her a good home with no dog nonetheless).

I had another Shepherd who used to come home from my In Laws house with little blood drips on his nose. Their cat didn't mind him sniffing her but if she'd had enough, she'd swat the dog to make him stop. The dog didn't hurt the cat or want to hurt the cat, just sniff. Hence the blood drips.

I do agree that if a cat (or other small animal) runs, it can invoke the instinctual prey drive and a dog will in all likelihood chase it. As evidenced one night when my dog came home with her nose actually split open after she ran after and apparently cornered a cat in our yard. My dog will chase squirrels and rabbits as well, yet she'll be quite gentle with a little creature who's in our house. So is life with animals. Above is her little hamster friend whom she sit with and even grooms at night.

Again, this is only my experience. Every situation is going to be different depending on the players involved.

 

[Hercules10]

Nominate for cutest fricken picture ever.

Yes dogs and cats can get along. I have 3 shepherds, 1 Lab and a calico/tabby.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Nominate for cutest fricken picture ever.

Thank you! I miss that dog so much! He was such a sweetheart.

 

[hereyago]

Pea-N-Me: those pictures are precious!!!!!!!


I have a German Shepard who will be 2 in February and a cat who turned 1 in October.

Last year, I lost my other German Shepard mix very shockingly unexpected at the beginning of the year.

So, on the new pup's first birthday, I adopted a kitten that had FIV from a no kill place. The kitten had been around other dogs as well as my pup had been around 2 cats before I got him.

However, I wasn't sure how it would go down. I did keep them apart for about week and a half, letting them smell each other under the door. I would also put the kitten or pup in the pup's crate(not together) so they could see each other.

The first time, they officially met: the kitten hissed and swatted. My pup whimpered and ran away. but they got used to each other very fast. The pup sleeps in my room and the cat sleeps in DD"s room. every morning, that cat screams for his big brother. then he walks up to him and walks under him and my pup slobbers on him. and cat rubs his head against pups nose. the cat also give the dog baths and the dog just sits there and takes it,no growl, no bark.

Does the dog chase the cat? Yes, but the cat will also taunt the dog. the dog will just be resting, the cat wil come by and look at him like" you wanna play" sometimes pup will just stay there, then the cat will "stalk" him, pounce and run and then the race is on.

 

[Swalphin]

I currently have 2 dogs and a cat, I started out 17 years ago with one cat. I added another cat and then a dog to the mix. 9 years ago one kitty passed away, another one came into my life. 4 years later another kitty passed away and I a dog came into my life. They are all rescues. I don't mean going to the pound rescues these are left on the side of the higway near death rescues. They have all come into my life for a reason. I never had animals growing up all the pet knowledge I have is from common sense I guess. I totally think it is doable and yes they become friends, it take a little time. I have kept the kitten or dog isolated for the first few days when they are not supervised. I never had any problems, I am the leader of the pack
I think you should 100% add a kitten to your family.

Wanted to add I think pets take on the personality traits of their owners, if you meet a really cool dog, most likely a pretty cool owner and a neurotic dog tends to have well you know.

 

[Agri]

Its a lot easier to introduce dogs and cats when they are both young. When they're older, they are much less accepting of each other. My cats mostly ignore the dogs we have, but they'll also taunt each other. I'd be very leery with a terrier as, others have mentioned, they were bred to chase/hunt small animals. The dog would likely perceive the kitten/cat as a new toy - and would be jealous of any attention it got over the cat. And, as mentioned, you would have to separate them during the day until they got used to each other which would totally defeat the purpose.

I would adopt a dog from a shelter that is about the same age as your dog - you should be able to have him meet any prospective new dogs. Otherwise, doggie daycare or just keep him by himself since he doesn't seem to be having any problems.

I can almost guarantee you adding a cat to the household when he hasn't lived with any will stress him out big time no matter how well they get along in a one-time meeting.