How can I safely introduce a new cat to my senior dog who hates cats?

Question

Hello! I have a 15 years old female dog who’s used to see cats as invasion of her territory (the garden) and I’m soon adopting a 2 years old male cat. I want them to get along, how do I create a safe and positive home for them? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 14 years and 11 months old

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

I have a few suggestions for you. First, dogs often see cats outside as an invasion, but may treat cats in the house differently. My dogs wil chase a cat outside, but happily live with 2 cats in the house. Hopefully that will be the case for you. But you have to play it safe. So, I would recommend only allowing Molly to see the cat when she is on a leash initially, so you will have control over how close she can get to the cat. if Molly is treat/food motivated, one nice way to do this is to give her treats when she can see the cat, but ignores the cat, so she learns that is a desired behavior. Make sure the cat has lots of "safe" places that he can get away from Molly. Depending on Molly's reaction to the cat, you will have to determine a safe schedule to continue their introduction from there. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

How can I safely introduce a new cat to my senior dog who hates cats?

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