Can Cats And Dogs Live Together Under One Roof Peacefully

Can cats and dogs get along?  While there are movies, television shows, cartoons, etc. of cats and dogs fighting it really is possible for the two to live under one roof peacefully.  Even though most of us picture a cat in a tree with a dog circling below and barking loudly, there are possibilities of peace between the two.  I would never have believed it if I hadn’t experienced it with our Lab and Kitty.

So the story goes like this…My son was at baseball practice when the boys heard some loud crying.  They didn’t know what it was, so they went looking for the culprit.  They found three baby kittens stuck in the batting net.  It took awhile to get them unstuck, but after careful maneuvering, they had rescued three little kittens.  My son brought one kitten home and another boy took the other two home.

Our very special kitty!

We weren’t quite sure about having a cat in the house and how our Lab, Shiloh, would handle it.  To our surprise they became friends right away.  The mother instincts kicked in and Shiloh started taking care of the kitten.  We were going to try to find a home for the kitten but we all got attached and thus, we added a new member to our family!  We had a difficult time naming her, and the best we could do was “Kitty” which fit her perfectly!  She was a beautiful kitten and we all grew very fond of her very quickly.

Shiloh thought Kitty was great.  She had a new friend and somebody that she could take care of.  We would find the two of them together in the chair more times than naught.  Kitty would snuggle up to Shiloh and they would take their afternoon nap together.  They made quite a pair!

We were lucky that Shiloh took to Kitty like she did.  We really didn’t have to do anything

special to guarantee that the two of them got along.  I wouldn’t suggest just putting your dog and cat together and expecting them to get along.  Whether you are bringing a cat home to your dog or a dog home to your cat, there are some things you will need to do.  First, put them in different rooms.  Don’t let the cat and dog meet for a few days.

Let your dog lay on a blanket or towel and then take it into the room where the cat is.  Leave the blanket or towel for the cat to sniff.  By doing this, your cat will get use to the dog’s scent.  Do the same thing with a towel or blanket that your cat has laid on and let your dog get used to the cat’s scent.  After a day or two of doing this you can let the two of them meet each other.  Hold the dog securely and let the cat in the same room to meet the dog.  The cat will want to check the dog out and might even be a little scared of him.  Who wouldn’t…he is probably much bigger

than the cat!  Don’t let the dog go after the cat.  You might need to give him a toy to try to divert his attention away from the cat.  Keep repeating this routine until the two get along and can be left alone with each other without any problems.  Cats and dogs can live together…it just takes a little effort, time and patience!

Filed under: All About Dogs

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!