Owners of a cat or a dog sometimes face a difficult situation, when irreconcilable by common standards enemies appear in the house. What to do and how to help pets live in peace and, in general, could cats and dogs get along in the same apartment?
Traditionally, it is believed that these two species of animals cannot live together peacefully. Basically, they hate each other. The most striking example is how a dog furiously chases a cat outdoors or a cat immediately strains when it notices a dog. This happens in natural conditions, but the naturally irreconcilable enemies have other problems when they have one home.
Struggle for the Owner’s Attention
A cat walks by itself, many people have heard this expression. It is true that cats seldom seek human attention preferring to be busy with their own affairs. This behavior is kept until the moment when a dog appears in the house. The fierce struggle begins for the attention of all family members. This is a kind of competition called “who will run to the door faster and meet the owner”. If the master strokes one pet, the other will immediately show aggression.
Those who are going to have a cat and a dog in the same house should remember how jealous animals are. Try to give the same amount of attention to both pets. You will prevent hostilities between them in this way.
Food
You know how a cat eats. If a cat is not hungry, it will not eat all of its food and leave it for later. Dogs have exactly the opposite attitude to the food. It will eat everything in the bowl and ask for a supplement.
When coexisting in one space with the dog, the cat will have to rebuild its gourmet habits. The constant return to the bowl during the day will not have the desired result, since the dog, after eating its food, will also take the cat’s portion. Remember that overeating is harmful for the dogs. Bearing in mind that a certain amount of cat’s food will be eaten by the dog, make sure that both pets are full without overeating.
Fight for the Place
It is unlikely that you will be able to avoid the competition among the pets named “who is master of the house?”. The fight will be for any place in the house, even for the place on your knees. Therefore, be ready to the fact that while your pets get along together, there is no peace in your house.
If you do not yet have any pets but you want to have both, then it's worth taking a kitten and a puppy and not grown-up pets. This way, it will be easier for them to get used to each other and neither of them will feel that someone else has taken its place in the house.
Grown-Up Pets
A grown-up dog can easily accept a small kitten. But if you have a hunting dog, it will consider the kitty as a prey. The mature cat will react positively to the puppy. It may awake the mother's instinct. A dog raised by cats is a known situation, but when you have 2 dogs and a cat and if they are grown-up, it is a big problem.
As soon as pets understand that they cannot be afraid of each other, there will be no reasons for quarrels. After all, the cats get accustomed to the territory and the dogs get used to the owner. Just leave a bit of personal space for the cat where it can hide from the dog’s society.
If you already have a grown-up cat or dog, most likely it will dislike the newcomer. Make sure to fully assess the situation before bringing a second pet into your home and if your existing pet will be ok with that. Raising cats and dogs together, you have to become a leader of your pack.
