The Peaceable Kingdom

The motto is our house is, “The cats rule and the dogs drool.” We have always had multiple cats and dogs and now share our home with four cats (Albert, Mikey, Emmy and Gwen) and four bassets hounds (Daphne, Theo, Milt and Julia).  At times, it IS controlled chaos, but the most common question we get (after “How much does it cost to feed them?” ) is “Do they all get along?”

It is a peaceable kingdom most days. I’ve been known to walk in to the kitchen and find Theo (a lovely, lovely tri-colored honey of a basset boy) resting his head on Emmy (world’s sweetest longhaired tortoiseshell).  Daphne and Albert have been found sleeping on the couch, with him nestled against her.

Most times, if dogs and cats are introduced properly, they do become friendly. Cats may not like to be slobbered on and sometimes a cat who wants to come in from the deck is rolled in the stampede of bassets that want to run out to the yard en masse, but for the most part, there is no hissing, barking or growling.

Cats don’t like visual surprises, so about the worst way to introduce a new cat to a resident  dog is to drop the new kitty on the floor and let the dog “explore” the kitty with his wet nose. That would be enough to send the calmest and most gentle cat into “Halloween cat” mode – with all claws fully extended.

A much, much better way to introduce a new cat into a home (whether there are “just cats” there or both dogs and cats) is to put the newcomer in a room (like a bathroom), where he or she has food, water, a cat box and toys but cannot see (or be seen) by the other companion animals who live there. This allows the newcomer to get used to the sounds and smells of the home and for the other pets to get to learn that there is a new member of the family. I recommend that this be done for seven to 10 days (no cheating), at which time the door can be opened .

It’s important to keep dogs on the leash during this introduction, to provide a safe haven for the new cat or kitten to escape to and realize that it’s not going to be a cocktail party with everyone happy. It’s normal that there will be some hissing and growling. If things get too tense, the newcomer can be placed in the room again and the introductions tried again the next day. In most cases, the introductions go fairly well and over the course of the next two or three weeks, the newcomer blends in.

Does it always happen this way? No, not every “blended” animal family is a happy one. Some dogs are not cat friendly, particularly dogs that have been bred to chase small, furry creatures.  A rabbit and cat look pretty much alike when your doggie DNA is telling you to “go get ‘em.” Some cats want to be an only cat and in homes with multiple cats, it may be that adding another cat tips the balance so that there are cat box use issues, increased fighting etc.

For this reason, adding a new cat to a household where there are other animals present needs to be carefully considered. Those of us who love cats sometimes think that there’s “room for one more” – particularly when we have been feeding a stray kitty for a few months, let our eyes meet those of a cat up for adoption at a shelter or hear of a kitty who has lost his or her home.  Many times (maybe most times), it is possible to add in another feline to your clowder and have things work out well.

Have you had a particularly challenging introduction of a new cat to your home?  How did you handle it and what was the outcome?  Do your dogs and cats all get along?