New dog scares cat. Should I keep her food upstairs or downstairs?

Question

We introduced a new dog into our house about 4 weeks ago. Now the cat doesn't want to come downstairs where the dog is. We've separated them with a gate, and the few interactions have mostly been the cat hissing and running from the dog. To make it easier on the cat, we moved her food upstairs, so she now has no reason to interact with the dog, even when we're home and the gate is open. Should we keep the food upstairs, or put it downstairs where she'll have to go to get it? Thanks. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 12 years and 5 months old | 9 lbs

C. Rathjens, DVM · Accepted Answer

I think you've handled this difficult situation very well. Some cats take a looonnng time to warm up to new housemates (or never fully warm up) and taking it slow really helps. I would keep the food (as well as her litter, resting spaces, and water) all upstairs so she doesn't have to interact with the dog until she wants to. Let her take her time, even if it's months.

New dog scares cat. Should I keep her food upstairs or downstairs?

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