Old Cat, New Dog, Cat isn't taking it well

Question

I just recently got a dog, a golden lab and she is a sweetheart, not mean at all, she wants to meet my cat I can tell but my cat isn't used to not getting all the attention. she sits under the bed all day and when she gets close she just hisses, she wont come out until we let it outside, will she ever get over it?

Answer 1

It takes cats a long time to adjust.  You have two things going in your favor - your cat is hissing and growling and making a fuss - this is actually a good thing - better than running away - because it means the cat is willing to defend itself and doesn't just allow itself to be chased.  Cats that run often trigger the dog's prey drive, which can lead to an injured cat.

The other part that is helpful is that the dog is sweet and hopefully showing no interest in chasing the cat - so the dog may be a low prey drive dog to begin with.  Even better.  If she is trying to pester and flush the cat out to chase her, that's a bigger problem.

Give it time and expect a few skirmishes.  I expect in the end the cat will come out and make a stand and tell the dog what it thinks of her so the dog learns respect.  Supervise for now to make sure neither one gets out of hand.  They may never be best friedns but eventually you shoudl acheive mutual respect.

Answer 2

yahh

it just takes awhile just dont force them to meet let them do whatever