I have two cats, 13 and 10 years old. I’d like to get a puppy, but I’m a little concerned about how they will all get along. Do you guys have any ideas that can make this go a little smoother? I realize that it won’t be an instant frienship between them, but I’d like to keep the stress to a minimum for all concerned.
Any suggestions? I’d be glad for the input! 
The kitties probably will not take to the dog, so be prepared to provide separate living spaces unless you are willing to have the kitties hiding all the time.
How big a puppy and how old?
If you bring home a puppy in the 14-week-old range that is no bigger than the cats, all you should really need to provide is a place for the cats to retreat and pout.
The cats will treat the pup with alternating indignation and disdain and the pup will try to be friendly despite being rebuffed. About the time that the pup is too big for the cats to bully, they should have all established a level of detente.
If the pup is much older or much larger than what I have described, the same rules apply regarding the cats having a retreat, but I would not speculate as to the outcome.
I think you might get more input on this in IMHO than in GQ, so moving it there.
Jill
I can give you the benefit of my personal experience in this matter.
We had two cats, one about 5 years old the other around 3 when we decided to get a dog. I wanted a big dog so I was a little concerned as you are. Some friends who had cats and dogs said it wasn’t a problem usually. Anyways we got the dog when he was 8 weeks old, brought him home and introduced him to the cats. He, being a curious young pup, went to see if the cats wanted to play. Well the younger cat ran away and hid while the older cat just gave him a good swat across the snout. After this happened a few times the dog learned that the cat was boss. He still would chase the younger cat but she could out run him and she also was able to find places to hide when she needed to. The older cat would still swat the dog if he got to close but now he did it with no claws. Now it is two years later and all three animals get along great. It is pretty funny to see a 13 lb cat rub himself along the legs of a 115 lb dog.
Anyway that’s my story. It seems to me that letting the animals sort out there own pecking order works best. I hope this was helpful.
To get our three cats intruduced to our monster of a dog, my mom would get a pretty large cage and keep the cats in there and let them get to know the dog. Most of the time the cats would just be kept in the kitchen or to go outside, but away from the dog. It got them all accustomed to each other, without any big fireworks, and it worked rather well.
Easy, make sure the prey is bigger than the predator when they first meet.
I’ve had cats and dogs introduced to each other at all different ages and sizes. They always ended up getting along.
I agree with tomndebb and JasonDean. I always just let them work it out for themselves. They’ll each learn their limits, and may even become good friends. One of our cats is practically in love with my 80 pound dog - he lays up on him, and even cleans his ears and face.
Of course, the worst part of having cats and dogs that get along is trying to get a picture of them doing something cute. It seems as soon as they see a camera, they all get up and move.
We introduced an Aussie shepard puppy to our cat when the dog was 8 weeks old. They had a few fights in the first few weeks, and the cat split the dog’s nose once. After that, the cat started growing afraid of the dog, who never lost interest in chasing our poor kitty. He eventually realized that the dog couldn’t climb furniture, so he would just retreat to high places. Lately, things have calmed down a little bit.
I know. I am always trying to get pictures of my cats and dog together but no. Go get the camera and the dog follows to see what I’m doing, usually almost tripping over the cat in the process. You can see proof of this on my website if you want. It’s full of pictures of my dog but only 1 or 2 of them have a cat in them.