Cats vs Dog

As the Crazy Cat Lady, I never fathomed having a dog in my home. That all changed one faithful afternoon, however, when the most pathetic rat terrier mix was found wandering the streets. After exhausting all options, I was never able to locate the owner of this dog. All of my kitties were strays, so it was only appropriate that I add a stray pup to the mix as well.

After bringing in a dog, I was worried about how my cats and the pooch would get along. I was afraid that the super hyper pup would try to harm the kitties. Would my cats try to attack her? Would the dog want to have them for lunch? I knew that it was going to take some hard work to teach these enemies to coexist.

During the he first week of living with the dog, I kept her and the cats separated at all times. The dog stayed in her room whenever the cats were free and vice versa. Being super smart creatures, the cats knew that there was a dog in their presence, but for the most part, they just continued on with their routine.

Soon, I began to realize that I could not live in an environment where the two species were kept separated. The kitties were quickly realizing that I was only enticing them to my bedroom with treats just to release the hound. I couldn't leave my pup in the back room away from human interaction too much. They had to finally meet.

The meeting...

When I finally decided to let the cats and dog come face to face, I kept the dog on a leash. That way she would not be able to attack my beloved felines. To my surprise, however, the dog was WAY more afraid of the cats. I guess I should mention that she is much smaller than all of the cats. She cowered away, and the cats soon made their dominance clear.

Once I felt comfortable that no one was going to devour the other, I took the dog off of her leash. All she wanted to do was sit on the couch - away from the cats. No blood was shed. PHEW!

Fast forward to a few months later, and things are still going well. I have one cat that will actually play fetch with the dog. He runs so much faster than the pup. The other cats will kick the dog off of the couch when they want my attention. At night, the cats are allowed to roam free, while the dog must retire to her crate. When I leave the house, I lock up the dog in her room to avoid any problems, although I do not think anything bad would happen. The cats are still the main creatures in my house, but it is nice to see them accept this wild pup into their habitat.

Now, if I could only get the dog to use the litter box...