My cats are hissing at my new puppy. How to speed up introductions?

Hi Ollie! There isn't really one specific breed that's best with cats, although I'm very partial to Golden Retrievers. It's more how you introduce them, allow them to get to know each other slowly, and not let the puppy chase the cat. I can give you a method for introducing to cause the least stress to your cat. Best of luck. Introducing them should be done slowly. When you first bring your puppy home, I would keep them in rooms separated by a door. This way, they can get used to the smells and sounds of each other without contact. Make sure your cat has a litter box, food, and water in their room. You can also place a blanket with the puppy's smell in the cat's room, and a blanket with the cat's smell in the puppy's room. I would also consider get a Feliway for your cat and a DAP for your puppy. These are pheromone diffusers that help with anxiety and should also help ease the transition. Once both pets seem relaxed with the current situation, swap rooms placing the cat in the puppy's room and vice versa. You can do this switch several times over the course of the introductions. Once they are both comfortable with the smells of each other, it's time for them to meet face to face. I would introduce the puppy on a leash to the cat while she is in a cat carrier or on the other side of a baby gate. Reward the puppy for being calm and quiet near the cat. Once they seem comfortable with each other, the baby gate can be taken away. Make sure your cat has a cat tree where he can escape from the puppy as needed, and don't allow the puppy to chase the cat.

I would recommend using a baby gate to keep them separated. However the cat will still be able to see and socialize with the dog through the gate. Once Alix is comfortable he can start jumping the gate and interacting with the dog. It is a slow process and just be patient.

Yes, it will likely take time, considering the cat's routines have been shaken up by the new puppy! Expect a few weeks to even months before things return to "normal". That said, making sure your cats have a place where they can relax without the puppy present (high perches, closed off rooms, etc) and can get to their food, litter, etc without the puppy is best for helping them to settle in. Make sure yo reward your puppy (and cats) for calm behavior. If someone gets too worked up or excited, taking a break with everyone in separate rooms until calmed down, and then trying again after can help teach your puppy that they get to have fun when quiet and calm, but that fun stops when everyone is too excited. This article may also help: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-introduce-a-dog-to-a-cat/

I would plan on taking things very slowly when introducing the cats to your new puppy. Since the puppy is so young he should adjust very well and learn easily how to live with cats. The cats will most likely avoid him a lot and that’s OK. Just let them come around to him in their own time. It is important in these early days to make sure that they are not left alone together until you know how they will act with each other. Congratulations on your new puppy. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would allow the cats to safely sniff and see the puppy through a baby gate for 2 weeks. Then when you let them interact the puppy should be on a leash 100% of the time so you can control him. The cats should have a safe place (cat tree, a room with a cat door only then can fit through) to be able to escape from the puppy. If the puppy shows any form of aggression towards the cats he should never be allowed to be alone with the cats and off a leash in the house. That means he is crated when you are not home. Hopefully since Moose is young the will be easy to teach and the cats will put him in his place! Good luck!

It does take time. I can give you a method that has worked for me, but know hissing and growling is ok. It's her way of letting the dog know she isn't comfortable. Aggression is not ok (hitting and biting), but the behavior is ok. I would keep them in rooms separated by a door. This way, they can get used to the smells and sounds of each other without contact. Make sure your kitten has a litter box, food, and water in their room. You can also place a blanket with the dog's smell in the kitten's room, and a blanket with the kitten's smell in the odg's room. I would also consider get a Feliway for your kitten and a DAP for your dog. These are pheromone diffusers that help with anxiety and should also help ease the transition. Once both pets seem relaxed with the current situation, swap rooms placing the kitten in the dog's room and vice versa. You can do this switch several times over the course of the introductions. Once they are both comfortable with the smells of each other, it's time for them to meet face to face. I would introduce the dog on a leash to the kitten while she is in a cat carrier or on the other side of a baby gate. Reward the dog for being calm and quiet near the kitten. Once they seem comfortable with each other, the baby gate can be taken away. Make sure your kitten has a cat tree where she can escape from the dog as needed, and don't allow the dog to chase the kitten. I hope this helps!

Cat-dog introduction can definitely be tricky particularly when the kitty is somewhat shy or aloof. Cats are usually pretty picky in terms of who they choose to like and dislike at first, so I would not be surprised if you see some swatting and hissing in the very beginning. The best thing you can do to up your odds of a pleasant coexistence if a very slow introduction under supervised settings. I would first have your dog and cat completely separate, but in adjacent rooms so they can hear and smell each other through the door. Once this has happened for a day or two, you can place the dog in a crate and allow the cat to mosy into the dog's area. This will allow you to gauge the dog's reaction as well as the cat's in a safe way. Any positive interaction between the two should be rewarded (both the cat and dog). Once you feel comfortable, you can begin to let the dog out but only on a leash. You need to be convinced that the dog is not going to try to harm Shadow in any way. The dog should be rewarded for any good behavior (in this case, even leaving Shadow alone or ignoring completely should be considered good). If Shadow tries to approach this is fine as long as you have a solid hold on your dog. If this goes well after several supervised sessions, you can try off-the-leash supervision. Keep at this, for a while until you feel completely comfortable that they aren't going to try and kill each other! Hopefully they can have a peaceful coexistence or even be friends if your lucky!