I have a 2 year old female indoor only cat and adopted a 1 year old male lab 2 weeks ago. I’m looking for advice on how to properly introduce them and have them positively coexisting. Currently, my cat is in a very large upstairs bedroom with a baby gate in front of the door, that has a cat door built in. She has all her necessities (food, water, litter box, sleeping areas, etc.). We have been doing scent transfers (rubbing one then the other, placing objects of the other in different areas, etc.). We’ve been keeping the gate closed and the door cracked, yesterday I was feeding the cat with the door open. They seemed to be curiously checking each out her out, and the dog went about 15 seconds without barking and then my cat hissed and went to hide. Today, I was feeding my cat (inside the gate with the door open) and was giving my dog hot dog each time he was quiet in the presence of my cat. It seemed to go pretty well, some barking but he calmed down to get his treat. I don’t feel he’ll be aggressive toward her (he’s a big goofball) but I want her to feel safe and comfortable. I’m worried that the longer I keep them separated, the dog will only grow MORE interested in her, due to his ability to truly “meet” her, and will only create more fear in my cat. Also, her room is the only one in the house he hasn’t been able to explore, so he’s obviously curious. I would love any recommendations on how to move forward. Thank you!
It won't get worse the longer you wait - the opposite, they should habituate to each other and gradually get used to each other. Be warned it can take many, many months and progress can be very slow and the end results may not be optimal, if you're introducing a 1yo dog (not a puppy) and you're not sure whether they grew up with cats...
Thank you! I’ve already seen progress over the last two weeks, and I’m willing to give it as much time as it takes.
