Can a dog and a cat become friends?

“They live like a cat and a dog” – they often talk about relationships based on irreconcilable enmity. However, is this statement true for our pets? Can a dog and a cat be friends?

In the photo: a kitten and a puppy. Photo: flickr.com

How are cats and dogs similar and different?

Cats and dogs have both similarities and differences. What are they and how do they affect relationships?

Both the cat and the dog carnivoreshaving a hunting instinct (the degree of its severity varies both between breeds and within one breed). But cats and dogs hunt differently: if the dogs drive the prey in a flock, then the cat makes a jump from an ambush.

Both dog and cat defend their territory from strangers.

Both dog and cat domesticated animalswho live next to us for more than one millennium (however, dogs were domesticated much earlier). In the process of domestication, animals remained next to humans, the most tolerant of both humans and other animals. As a result, domesticated cats and dogs have acquired infantile traits (that is, adult cats and dogs behave somewhat like cubs, which allows them to be controlled and comfortable to live with them).

Dogs, unlike cats, are essentially animals. socialfor which the flock and relationships in it are important. Cats are by nature loners, however, they are ready to tolerate a number of relatives if there is no strong competition for resources and there is a centralized source of food (for example, it is given out by a person).

Important for both dogs and cats security base, which the animal resorts to when he feels insecure, and which helps to satisfy important needs. If there is a base of safety, animals can explore new territory and feel more confident in an unfamiliar situation. However, the safety base for dogs and cats is different. For a dog, a safety base is a favorite host, for a cat it is a territory that she considers her own. Therefore, a cat’s affection is not as pronounced as a dog’s.

Dogs and cats have different body language, with some of the signals directly opposite. And if in a dog, for example, tail wagging is most often a sign of friendliness, then in a cat it is a signal of irritation, and a raised tail in a cat is a signal of friendliness, in a dog it is a sign of excitement and tension. There are many such signals, and such confusion can cause misunderstandings and conflicts between animals.

However, if a cat had experience communicating with a dog in childhood (and vice versa), then most often animals correctly “read” language of the body a representative of another species, which helps to avoid many conflicts. 

What is the relationship between a dog and a cat?

The relationship between dogs and cats is influenced by genetics, socialization and previous experience, as well as the age at which they met, the behavior of the owner and the allocation of resources.

Concerning genetics, then dogs of the so-called primitive breeds (for example, malamutes or huskies) are much more likely to perceive cats as prey than herding dogs (such as, for example, border collies or shelties).

It is important whether the puppy communicated during the period socialization with cats (and vice versa) and how that communication was. For example, if a puppy has learned that chasing cats is great and fun, he will want to keep doing it. And if in early childhood he calmly communicated with cats and considers them as roommates, it is likely that in the future he will treat them calmly.

Important past experience. If, for example, a dog was badly scratched by a cat, or a cat saw dogs kill her relative, this will not contribute to the establishment of a warm relationship.

It is also important to properly introduce the dog and cat.

The best dating age option – this is a puppy and a kitten, that is, two cubs. The ideal age for dating is up to 4 months. However, the chances that everything will turn out well are still high if the cat is less than 6 months old at the time of meeting the dog, and the dog is younger than 1 year old.

In the photo: a cat and a dog. Photo: pixabay.com

Whom to take first if you decide to get both a dog and a cat? Scientists conducted a series of experiments and came to the conclusion that it is better to take a kitten first, and after about 1,5 months – a puppy. In this case, the chance that the dog and cat will become friends, or at least be indifferent to each other, is much higher.

The sooner a cat and a dog get to know each other, the more opportunities they have to learn the language of another species, which means they can avoid misunderstandings associated with the difference in “mentalities” and establish peaceful coexistence.

Resource allocation includes, first of all, the competent distribution of the territory. Both the cat and the dog should be able to safely and freely move around the house and have access to the resources that are important for them (food, water, tray, scratching post, bed, owner, etc.)

In vital places, animals should not cross. If you notice that there are “hot” spots in the room where conflicts regularly occur, you should think about how to solve the problem (for example, equip a second tier for the cat where she constantly collides with the dog). 

It is important that the cat’s tray is located where it will not be in a dead end when the dog appears. It is also important for her to have a 360-degree view. A closed tray in this case will not work.

It is important not to allow competition for resources (food, space and attention of the owner).

Feed your cat and dog in different places. If they are competing for food and defending it from each other, feed them supervised and then remove the bowls – at least the dog bowl that is on the floor.

If animals defend their places from each other, think about why this is happening and offer them an alternative. For example, if a cat takes the place of a dog, remove it from there, but at the same time think about why the place of the dog seems more attractive to her, and equip a more comfortable place on the second tier.

Give both animals enough time, do not cultivate jealousy in the dog towards the cat.

Paradoxical as it may sound, a cat and a dog are easier to introduce than two cats.. After all, a dog can include a cat in its flock, just as it included people, and a cat often does not perceive a dog as a competitor, especially if it has the opportunity to move around the second tier, which, of course, is worth equipping. But, of course, it all depends on the individual characteristics of the cat and dog.

Is it necessary to make a dog and a cat friends?

No. If they peacefully coexist in the same territory and do not try to kill each other, it is not necessary to try to make them friends. Yet these animals are very different. It is enough if they remain neutral (not armed).

In the photo: a dog and a cat. Photo: maxpixel.net

How to understand that a dog and a cat are friends?

If a cat is friendly with a dog, it plays with it, rubs against the dog, tends to sleep or sit next to it, purrs, and generally looks relaxed in the presence of the dog.

A dog that feels friendly towards a cat also tends to be close to it, flirts (including making playful bows), sniffs, licks, wags its tail at a meeting, and appears relaxed rather than excited.

It is important to distinguish cooperative games from battles.

If a dog and a cat play, it is clear that both are happy to join the game, take turns chasing each other, and if they bite or scratch, then not much, without causing discomfort to the play partner.

If you see that one of the animals is trying to hide or run away, squeals in pain, the dog growls, and the cat hisses or screams, then most likely this is not a game at all, and it is better to interrupt such communication.

What should be avoided?

• It is advisable not to take an excitable dog into a house where a timid and shy cat lives. In this case, chronic stress and subsequent problems, both behavioral and health, are guaranteed for the cat. And you will have a “fun” life.
• Do not take a kitten to an older dog. Dogs become quite irritable in old age, as they often feel bad and are not ready for the molestation of a young naughty. Have pity on a faithful friend and protect him from such trials.
• Not the best option is to take a cat into a house where a dog with a strong hunting instinct lives. Such a neighborhood can end in tragedy.
• You should not bring into the house where the dog lives (or is planned) a cat that already has a sad experience of communicating with dogs.