You have known that dogs and cats fight since you were young as you would see comic strips about it, and old television shows as well. However, you may not have known the reason that these animals cannot get along under normal circumstances. Sure, there are some dogs and cats that have unbreakable friendships. However, that is the exception and not the rule, and the fact of the matter is that dogs and cats fight is because those dogs see cats as prey and cats see dogs as predators.

Therefore, since you know that, and you want to get a dog if you are a cat owner or vice versa, you will need to know a few things before bringing the new furry friend home. Or else, it can become a stressful situation if your dog or cat cannot get along with their new furry sibling.

You Don’t Want To Add Any Additional Stress To Your Animals

Since you know that dogs and cats naturally do not get along, there are things you can do to help avoid stress. If you want to adopt a dog and you already own a cat, you do not want to get a herding breed such as a shepherd, or else the cat will always be on the defense. The other thing is that since dogs are naturally playful, that will also stress the cat because cats are not normally playful. You also don’t want to get a dog that is aggressive, or if you have a cat, you will want to find a dog that is naturally calm and docile. The good news is that you can make environmental adaptations for your animal whether you have a dog or a cat and want to get the species that is naturally their enemy.

How Can You Prepare Your Animals For When You Adopt The Species That Is Their Natural Enemy?

All it takes is careful planning and you want to make the introduction smooth. Remember that you can make or break the relationship that your pets can have with one another. The best thing to do is to teach the cat whether you have the cat already or you are adopting a cat is to teach your cat how to remain safe, and give them platforms where they can sit. Those are the platforms that your dog cannot get access to or ruin.

You can also rearrange furniture because that will keep your dog away from getting access to specific areas of the room where you want to keep your cat. You can even use large cardboard boxes to create large hiding areas for your cat that your dog cannot access.

You Will Want To Keep The Dog And Cat Separated From One Another If You Are Not Able To Provide Supervision

The good news is that cats do not care how much room they have. As long as they have access to their litter box, food, and water, then they are fine. Therefore, you can keep the cat’s room in a small room or in an enclosed area where the dog cannot access it. If you have a dog that is crate trained, that is even better so you do not need to worry about the dog trying to sneak into the cat’s area if you are not home. Therefore, keep the dog in the crate and the cat in their area, and if the cat roams around, the worst that will happen is that the dog will growl in the crate.

However, you also want the pets to know one another, and in your presence, you will want to allow the cat to approach the dog on their terms. If the dog once again is docile, then the dog will not likely growl or attack in your presence. That is the only way they can develop some type of relationship. You never know, they may become close one day.