Rescuing a Sheepdog soon, how do I introduce him to my cat?
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| Congratulations on your adoption of Fozzy.
As for your cat....just make sure he has a place to retreat to that Fozzy can't get to. We live in a "gated" community here. I have set up a couple of baby gates so that our cats have a couple of rooms the dogs can't get into. I also cut a hole in the bottom of the gates. Our cats take great delight in zooming through the holes at top speed....and then turning around and laughing at the dogs 
It may take some time for the two of them to get along....or not. We just adopted a six year old cat last Saturday, and he's already friends with our two sheepies 
Good Luck Jennifer, Baxter & Cassiopia |
| We got our sheepdog as a puppy and our cat was in her 6th or seventh year. The above owner is absolutely right. The cat needs a place to get away from the dog. In our case, Billie, our cat, disappeared for about two months into my daughters room. That worked out great for my daughter because the cat was aloof from her since she was very young when the cat first came home. Now they are fast friends.
Bailey (the OES) would see the cat and want to play. This scared the cat which established itself as dominant over our other dog (toy poodle) and wanted to dominate Bailey. Eventually Billie would hang out downstairs in a room Bailey was not. Then she would come into the same room as Bailey but under a table or chair where the dog could not go. Eventually the cat took a submissive role with Bailey and now they will even be seen sleeping next to one another. It took about a year for the process to play out. The process will probably be faster with an older dog that is not as curious and frenzied as a puppy, or if the cat is more submissive natured. But make sure you have places that the cat can escape to or hide under. Also make sure you set aside time to socialize with the cat when it is hiding in other rooms. A cat spurned has a special fury that can cost you drapes and matresses! Dave |
| Congratulations on your adoption of Fozzy. I love the name!
As for the cat, I have concerns as well as we have a resident cat already. We will be bringing Winston home to Monroe -who we adopted from a shelter in April after our girls first cat passed away. We have only had Monroe for a few months. He is about a year old and still pretty playful - but yet very laid back at times too. We have been preparing the house. We added a new door - with a cat door- at the bottom to our laundry room where his litter box and food is so he can get away if needed. Obviously with Winston only being a few months old he will be kept to certain areas of the house until we tackle the housbreaking issues and know how he will behave. When I go to see him, I have been taking a towel or come home and leave the tee shirt I was wearing laying around the house in different areas so he will get use to Winston's scent. If I have had any reservations in this whole process.... it is my fear that Monroe and Winston will not get along  I hope I am proved wrong!
Good Luck, Kim |
If it helps, here is what happens at the end of the process. That is Bailey on the floor and Billie on the couch. It was not instantaneous but it will happen.
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| Our cat Tipup is very calm and confident. I don't know the cat's previous history, as he showed up as a stray young cat at my BIL's house. We needed a cat, so we brought him home after no one claimed him.
He joined a household with 7 dogs - and never had to hide (OK, once from one of the foster bassets who tried to eat him!  ). He rules the house and strolls through like he owns it. Even eats out of the dog's dishes!
For example - here is a picture in front of our corn stove last winter. Tipup got the spot front and center, the dogs had to find their own spot!  |
| Our cat Eli past away last year at the ripe old age of 17. He trained and dominated a Lab for 13 years and then Chauncey who was a difficult and more dominate puppy. He had no problem showing he was boss no matter the size. I'm sure with guidance they'll work it out. |
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