In the last two years, I have lost two old cats I was very fond of. I have a dog. He’s a dog with a pretty strong prey drive, i.e., he will chase a cat, but he did not chase his co-cats so he can learn not to. However, he was a puppy and they were mature cats when they met. But anyway, I know this can work if we spend time introducing them properly.
Now in the past my procedure for acquiring a cat has been, step 1, decide I need a cat, step 2, cat appears. Strolls into yard, or somebody has one they need to ditch because they’re allergic, or something. So we may not actually have the choice.
But if we do have the choice, which would be easier with this dog, a mature animal, or a kitten? (A friend says, get two kittens. Well now, that would be fun. I don’t know about that.) Glad to hear any anecdotes or actual knowledge.
Heh, I’m also a firm believer in the “A Cat Will Appear When You Have Room For It” principle.
An adult cat is a bit more likely to get along with a dog, no? Not as small/squeaky/defenseless. If you’re getting one from a shelter, you’d also be doing it a big favor… adult kitties are harder to place.
I had the same dilemma when my last cat died. I missed having a cat, but wasn’t sure about how my dogs would react to a new cat. They were good with the cats I’d had, but others were fair game. I was not willing to take a chance on it going badly with a new cat.
So we remained cat-less, until we found a cold, shivering, injured cat one morning, who didn’t seem to mind the dogs. Despite efforts to find an owner, no one claimed him, so we kept him. Introductions were slow, but it didn’t take long to see he’d be fine. The dog I was most concerned about reacting with high prey drive, had her first meet and greet and was completely indifferent to the new furry presence.
Two previous cats that lived with these dogs were also adult rescues. If there is a cat rescue in your area that fosters the cats out, there may be an adult already in a home with a dog, so the transition should be easier.
On the other hand, kittens are super cute. They need homes, too, and if you adopt from a rescue, you are saving their lives, supporting the rescue and freeing up space for another cat to be saved.
Dogs are pack animals … the trick is to trick the dog into thinking that the new cats are new members of the pack … try getting two kittens and two older cats … because if you have less than four cats, you’re not trying hard enough …
Well, he likes to chase things. As he’s a border collie mix it’s more of a “let me herd this thing” than “let me chase down and destroy this thing.” And he has lived with cats before. But if something runs, he’s going to chase.
As someone with a now ten-month old kitten, I can definitely say it is not a stroll in the park. Our little Abomination is equal parts adorable and awful. He tears up the house, scratches the windows, scratches the walls, scratches the furniture, and tries to eat everything regardless of whether or not it is food. He knocks over glasses and pulls the garbage out of the can. He is highly energetic and blatantly rebellious and it is exhausting. We have an older cat and it caused many health and stress problems for him, so now we keep them separated about 70% of the time. I think we have settled down into a happy routine at this point, but it was one hell of an adjustment. I’m just warning you, kittens are crazy. If you want one, get two, so they can beat each other up instead of you or your dog.
I think I’d go for at least one older rescue cat who has experience with dogs. That way, if your dog gets aggressive the cat can take care of him or herself while a kitten would be defenseless.
2 cats or kittens is good advice. Cats do like to play with each other. Try to get animals that are similar in age, so that they don’t drive each other nuts (too young + much older may not work). Get whichever age you feel most inclined to get. A kitten will learn to tolerate your dog(s) best.
Kittens are fun and during kitten season there are way too many of them.
Adult cats are sometimes hard to place.
For whatever reason, except for the odd stray I’ve taken in, I have always adopted kittens. I think it’s my ginormous dogs, now that I really consider it. It never seemed fair to inflict them on adult cats.
I look forward to hearing more about your adventures in acquiring felines.
I would go with two young kittens, preferably from the same litter so that they don’t feel alone. Have everyone sit on the floor together in one room where you can shut the door and be sure they can’t just hide. But a small room, where there’s no room for zoomies. And then just hang out together for a few days. The border collie will switch into protection mode pretty quickly when he sees you interacting with the kitties. And the kitties will have each other for playmates at night and when you’re at work, when it’s probably better to put them in a safe room away from the dog.
But regular family time together is what will bring the dog to see them as part of his flock. Once the kittens are big enough to survive an accidental stampede, they can transition into sleeping with the rest of the family.
My son has a border collie and two cats. The initial introduction of two kittens to a border collie was tricky but after a while they figured it out. The dog will chase the cats out of the room occasionally, but all three parties understand that this is a game. The cats will run out of the room, but then saunter back in moments later with no canine reaction at all. It is as though the dog is reminding them that “I could if I wanted to” and the cats are replying “yeah, whatever”. A few minutes later, all three will be snoozing on the dog bed in a furry pile.
If you want more than one cat, by all means try to get them from the same litter. Years ago we got two unrelated kittens and the cats hated each other for all their lives.
If you check rescue organizations, you will often find that there is an entire litter looking for a new home. Another possibility is a mama cat and her kitten. Mama cat will definitely keep the dog from bothering the kitten and they will always be friends.
A friend had a dog like that, a few cats that the dog never bothered, and a kitten. Well, a kitten for a while, until the dog got over-excited by this new small squeaky animal in the house, chased it down and grabbed it by the head when he finally caught it. It died a few days later.
So…I’m going to recommend 2 adult cats, preferably both on the larger side (we have a tabby as big as her adopted-brother Maine Coon, so they’re out there), who are say 2 to 5 years old. They’ll be big enough to defend themselves if necessary, and being post-kitten calm enough not to trigger a chase impulse. If you’re lucky, the two cats might already know each other at a shelter now.
The last cat we adopted was 7yo. He hadn’t gotten along with his former owner’s toddler, so they took him to the shelter, where he remained for many months, labeled “unadoptable”. He turned out to be the absolute best cat we’ve ever had. Now, at 16, he’s in poor health, but we’ve had many wonderful years with him. We realize kittens need homes too, but we’re sticking with the older ones.
I would be willing to bet that if you looked, you could easily find two adult cats who had been raised together and were friends, that someone had to give up to a shelter for some reason. You could be their salvation, and let them stay together. Kittens are indeed adorable and fun, but they are also more prone to get into things, like the refrigerator. Lots of cats out there needing homes!
:eek: I don’t think he would do that…he was a mouthy puppy for sure but we worked on that. But…I don’t KNOW he would NOT do that. Especially if pounced on. So that’s definitely something to keep in mind.
OMG ! Your ‘monster’ is beautiful and so was your cat ! I agree with getting 2 rescue adult cats that lived with dogs, are there any cat shelters near you to check out? You should have high places for the cats to escape your dog if they feel the needs to do so. Sorry for the lost of your cat .
That was my worry with kittens, too.
