In the minds of people, the hatred between cats and dogs is clearly exaggerated. In many apartments and houses, cats and dogs get along well together. They are friends and share the master’s affection without quarrels. There is a practical explanation for this. Many years ago, cats and dogs were separated: cats always had access to the house, where they guarded the owners’ supplies from mice, while dogs, on the contrary, lived mainly in the yards and served the owner.
As very intelligent animals, dogs were well aware of all the privileges of cats, who were allowed to warm themselves on the stove, not missing the opportunity to get something tasty. And dogs, as the most devoted and faithful friends of man, existed from hand to mouth and froze in the wind in the yards.
How to make a cat and dog friends
Now, when the bulk of people live in apartments, dogs and cats have nothing to share among themselves, and, accordingly, it makes no sense to be at enmity. In addition, in the apartment, pets are always in sight of their owner, who at any time can intervene in a quarrel between dogs and cats, and put things in order between them. But in order for your beloved pets to get along with each other “soul to soul”, it will never be superfluous to take a number of certain measures for a stronger friendly union between them.
The best option is to start the friendship of a dog and a cat from early childhood. In this case, the puppy and kitten grow together, develop, play, sleep in an embrace and even eat from the same plate. Therefore, having matured, they do not come into conflict with each other. However, the tender love of a dog for “his” cat does not exclude the presence of a healthy hunting instinct, which manifests itself in relation to other people’s cats and cats.
And this means that when you jointly take your pets to nature or to a country house, you should not hope that your dog, licking “his” cat, will not attack any stranger cat. For every dog, any alien animal on its territory is the worst enemy.
It’s harder with cats. Growing up with a dog, the animal gets used to the idea that a dog is not scary at all. Therefore, such a cat, faced with strangers on the street, may simply not feel threatened and seriously suffer.
If your friendly pets are out of the house together, then the dog will definitely begin to patronize “his” cat and protect her.
How to make a cat and dog friends
There are situations when a dog and a cat meet in an apartment at a time when one of them has already matured. Then it will be much more difficult for them to get used to each other. If the owner brought a small kitten to the apartment where the adult dog lives, then you must immediately explain to the dog that you cannot touch the new resident.
At the same time, be sure to pay close attention to it. The dog should not feel abandoned, otherwise he may hate the kitten out of jealousy. If the dog obeys the owner and is well trained, then soon she will get used to the new pet and make friends with him. The most important thing at first is to control that the kitten does not try to eat from the dog’s food bowl. In general, to avoid quarrels between animals over food, it is advisable to feed them separately.
How to make a cat and dog friends
If a puppy is brought to the apartment where an adult cat lives, then the process of creating friendships can drag on for a long time. Cats are creatures that are sensitive to their personal space, they do not tolerate familiarity. Therefore, in any case, the cat will experience irritation and discomfort when a new pet appears in the apartment. And how great the degree of this discomfort will be depends entirely on the owner’s efforts to reduce the cat’s experiences to a minimum.
At first, it is best to allocate a separate room for the cat. This is necessary so that she can hide there from the puppy and relax in a calm environment. Cat food bowls should also be moved to the same room.
After a while, when your cat observes the new inhabitant enough and gets used to it, the first closer acquaintance may take place, which in the future should develop into a strong friendship.
