The joy of every homeowner living with pets is when they get along, especially if they are a different species.  When it comes to ESA dogs and cats living under one roof, it is not difficult to imagine a scenario of frequent fights and sounds of ferocious meowing and barking. But, peace with these two under one roof is possible. Many cats and dogs don’t get along initially, but you can employ a few tricks to help them adapt to living together. Here are some useful tricks to create a happy and peaceful home with your lovely pets.

1. Prepare For An Introduction

Before you bring a new cat or dog in your home, ensure that your home has enough space for the two pets. Make sure each animal gets space away from one another.  You will need to keep the two pets separated away from one another for a couple of days. Separate rooms for each would therefore be ideal.  If your dog is still a puppy and hasn’t learned to follow directions well, then you need to apply caution when introducing a cat to avoid a fight. 

2. Introduce Them Gradually

You could keep them separate at first and wait around 4 days before bringing them to meet face to face. This will give them time to get used to each other’s scent and get used to different smells around the home. Don’t force the cat and dog together suddenly because they will be more likely to fight. You can then mix the animals’ smells by stroking the cat, then stroking the dog and vice versa. Do this with the two pets in separate rooms.

You could also rub a towel on the dog and put the towel under your cat’s bowl to help the cat get used to the dog’s smell and accept it. You could also alternate the rooms the pets have been so they can each smell where the other has been. Scents are a very effective way for animals to know each other.

You can even allow the cat and dog to smell each other under the door that divides them. When the cat runs and seems frightened when the dog is near the door, keep doing this until the cat is relaxed and has gotten used to the dog’s presence.

3. Show Your Pets Equal Amounts Of Love

Just like humans, animals get jealous. You ever saw how children become when a new baby gets more attention than they do. Show both your pets how much you love them, especially when you finally get them to meet face-to-face.  You can hold your cat in your arms until it feels calm and relaxed. After that, ask a member of your household to bring your dog on a leash into the room. Slowly by slowly bringing your dog closer in small steps. Prevent any physical contact until they get used to each other’s presence. You could either hold the cat in your arms or put it in a crate when bringing the dog on a leash. This will prevent any physical contact on that first meeting. Make that first meeting brief and pleasant, then gradually increase the length of these meeting sessions.

4. Keep Your Dog and Cat Interacting Until They Are Relaxed

It is important to keep your dog and cat regularly interacting after that first meeting until they are comfortable with each other. After you see your cat is relaxed, you can keep the dog on a leash and let the cat go loose around the room. After a couple of weeks of doing this, your dog should be disciplined enough not to go after the cat. At this point, you can let the dog off the leash too.  If both pets are too hyper, you can ask your vet for pheromones to give to the animals to help them stay calm and relaxed.

5. Keep Your Pets Separate When You Are Not Home.

It would be best if you continued keeping them separate when you are not at home with them.  This should be done even after the interactions have begun.  This will ensure that your cat and dog will not injure one another when a fight breaks out when you are not home.

6. Avoid Scolding Your Dog

Your dog will obviously bark incessantly at your cat or do some rough play, especially at the beginning of the meetings. Instead of scolding your dog when he misbehaves, you can give the dog another activity or have some obedience training activity to remove the focus on the cat. This way, the dog will develop a positive attitude toward the cat in the future. 

7. Reward Your Dog When He Behaves When Around The Cat

The good behavior of your dog around the cat could be ignoring the cat or friendly behavior.  Ensure your dog understands that it pleases you when he treats the cat well and is not too attentive or aggressive to it. If, for example, your dog is called Sunny and your cat is called Lulu, you can say, “Hey Sunny, look  Lulu is here! Wow!” and make sure that you sound happy. Your dog will soon follow suit and feel happy and act friendly when they see the cat because they will have learned to associate happy feelings with the cat. 

8. Create A Place For Your Cat Where They Can Hide From The Dog If Need Be

You have to create a safe place where your cat can run when it feels threatened by the dog. You can have a cat tree or a baby gate on a doorway to allow your cat to escape when the need comes. Cats are known to attack dogs when cornered by the dog with no way out.  So make sure there is a way out for your cat always.

Remember that your cat and dog have never lived with another animal before, and it may take a while before they are used to each other. Be patient and love them a lot because eventually, they will get along and become the best of friends.

Author’s Bio

Carola Richter is a professional esports journalist who reviews the esports events and trends in the industry. Recently, she’s decided to create the blog csgo-bets.org where she could share her passion with the readers interested in the topic.