When we love animals, we like having several at home, even if it means bringing together species that are not made to get along.
Know that if a dog and a cat are raised together, they can live together. Even better, they can become best friends! Even when they are adults, a dog and a cat who have to live together can get along, if they follow a few rules.
3 tips to improve cohabitation between a dog and a cat
A peaceful and harmonious cohabitation between a dog and a cat, an impossible mission? We'll bet on that!
Paws kicking, teeths out, claws scratching... This is how we, humans, fight like cats and dogs, to use the time-honoured saying. But in a relationship between a dog and a cat, everything does not always go so badly, on the contrary! Many dogs have a cat as their best friend and vice versa.
Here are three tips to help you improve the cohabitation between your dog and your cat.
Tip 1: A good presentation is key to a healthy relationship
Some precautions should be taken, starting with presentations. When they meet for the first few times, never turn your back on both your dog and your cat. Always monitor every interaction because it could quickly turn into a fight.
Avoid making your cat or dog jealous at any time. Both are very sensitive and do not like any slightest injustice. If you are stroking one? Pamper the other. Be careful not to favour the newcomer! The other animal can quickly feel abandoned and excluded. Even if the newcomer needs tenderness to adapt to its new environment, act in secret to preserve your pet who has already settled in your home.
Tip 2: Respect each eating area
To improve a dog and cat cohabitation, it is essential to respect strategic points: that is to say their eating areas. Each pet has its own plate. For all their other belongings, it’s exactly the same principle, each pet has its own bed for example.
Tip 3: Create a safe space for your dog and cat
Your dog may want to play and interact a lot more often than your cat. The latter must therefore have several spaces where he can take refuge when he needs solitude. Often, these spaces are located high up, where your pooch cannot access. Be creative: the top of a cabinet, the shelves of a cat tree, on a counter or a table, a free shelf in a bookcase… You can also install cat shelves, which are perfect for decorating an empty wall.
If possible, you can also block access to certain rooms for your dog. To do this, use a baby safety barrier: your cat can pass between the bars, but your pooch cannot!
Finally, be careful not to leave doors closed. Your cat must be able to take refuge in the rooms it’s authorised to go into at its convenience.
A cat and a dog who live in harmony, what could be more touching? See for yourself with these adorable photos of dogs and cats cuddling.
