We are about to buy a puppy, and we already have a cat. Help?

Question

Hi, we have a 6 year old male cat, I'm not too sure on his breed, so i am providing a photo if that matters at all. We are going to buy a puppy this weekend, not too sure which breed though. We were wondering if they'll be able to get along, and if there's any type of breed of dog that would be easier to maintain with a cat in the house. My cat's very used to being the centre of attention and is pretty needy. Is this going to be a problem? Also, there are four of us in the family, but the cat is "my" cat, as in, he follows me everywhere I go and sleeps on the edge of my bed every night.

http://es.tinypic.com/view.php?pic=fn8pdu&s=4

Answer 1

i relly hate to say this but i have a 5 year old cat, same as yours loves attention and feels like he is head of the house, we just got a cairn cross puppy and they hate eachother the cat wont stop hissing and the dog wont stop barking, we let them meet every so often but she has mostly moved out. she has now started to go over to the neighbours house. they love her and are happy to keep her but i just want them go get along.

this may not happen, your cat or dog may react differently but they will cope.

good luck

x

Answer 2

Put the puppy in a room with all of it's needs, let them get to know each others scent before letting them meet each other.  Do not force them to be face to face, let it just happen naturally.  Be prepared for a LOT of hissing and swatting.  The cat is just showing the puppy that it is the alpha animal in the house.  Unless blood is shed - let them get to know each other on their terms.

Answer 3

I have a Pomeranian with 2 cats, and they're fine... but the real question is, if your buying a dog this weekend, did you do your research on breeds? and where are you buying this dog from? NEVER buy a puppy from a petstore, those puppies come from cruel puppy mills, and you will rack up thousands of vet bills due to their poor health.. Also, you need to try to research the breeders, make sure they are reliable, and actually took proper care of the puppies... also, NO puppy should ever leave it's mother before 8 weeks of age.. If you find a good breeder, they can tell you whether or not their puppies will be suitable with your cats.  

Answer 4

Yeah I think he will be fine he is older and I am sure he will be focus on hes own stuff the dog if hes little he might actually get alone with him well since cats like to l**k other things.

Answer 5

Your cat is beautifull common domestic shorthair cat (love the marking on his face). The arrival of a puppy will create a lot of tension for your cat. Normally dogs will want to play with your cat while your cat will want to establish his dominance over the dog. So while de dog might think the cats wants to play, he will find himself in a fight for dominance and will soon understand that he should not play with the cat.

The important thing is to provide your cat with places to escape in height where your dog won't be able to go. If your cat have places to escape he won't fight as often as if he cannot escape.

You must let the cat and the dog fight. You cat needs to establish his dominance over the dog. 90% of the time a cat will win the dominance fight (no matter the size of the dog) because it's in their nature to dominate EVERY creature in a house while dogs will only do it with other dogs.

So let them be and it will get to normal.