How should I introduce my new dog or puppy to my existing cat?

Introducing a new canine member to the family is a special and exciting time, but it can be a little overwhelming for all concerned – especially if you already have a cat! However, this can be managed with planning to help keep everyone safe and to minimise stress. It’s important that you manage the introduction to your family carefully and that your new dog/puppy and cat are always supervised until you are sure everyone is comfortable and safe.

How well dogs and cats get along is influenced by a range of factors related to the owner, the cats, the dogs, the environment, and husbandry. In some situations, dogs and cats can learn to get along. In other cases, they may not be compatible.

It’s important to be well informed before the introduction of any new pet to your house, whether you already have other pets or not. The RSPCA recommends you take the time to learn as much as possible from reputable sources about the animal you want to bring home, so that you are well prepared for their arrival. For more information, see the links at the end of this article.

Planning and preparation

The success of an introduction depends largely on careful planning and preparation.

• Matching – When selecting your new dog/puppy, think about how well-matched they will be for your existing cat (e.g., have they previously lived with or been socialised with cats?). There is some evidence that introducing dogs and cats an early age helps to establish an amicable relationship between cats and dogs who live together and a better understanding of the other species’ body language.
• Socialisation – Socialisation involves exposing animals to a range of experiences in a positive way to help them prepare for and cope with different situations, interactions, and environments. It’s ideal if both cat and dog/puppy have been well socialised prior to being introduced.
• Relaxation tasks and safety cues – Dogs/puppies must be taught relaxation (e.g., ‘sit-stay’ exercises, being rewarded for lying calmly on a ‘relaxation mat’) so that they can regulate their behaviour and not become overwhelmed (such as by the presence of a cat!).
• Health check – Make sure your dog/puppy and cat have had recent health checks, and are up to date with their vaccinations, worming, and external parasite control, so they are in the best shape to cope with the introduction process and will not pose health risks to one another.
• Optimise the environment – make sure your home will provide both your existing cat and your new dog/puppy with everything they need. For more information, see Keeping Your Cat Safe And Happy At Home and the links at the end of this article.
• Safe retreats – Prepare separate retreats for your new dog/puppy and existing cat. Do this gradually and well ahead of time so that your cat can get used to the new household situation before the new dog/puppy arrives. Make sure the retreats have everything they need (e.g., comfortable bed, toys, litter tray, water, food, hiding place). Ideally, the retreat for your existing cat should be somewhere that they already feel secure, safe, and happy and where they would normally choose to spend their time. It is important to ensure that there are plenty of high resting places where your cat can easily and safely retreat away from the dog/puppy if they want to.
• Learn to understand your cat and dog’s behaviour and body language – it is vital to understand what your cat and dog’s body language and behaviour are telling you. Some signs of stress in cats may be subtle or perceived as normal when a dog is around (for example, avoiding the dog). If you know what is happening, you can help to manage the situation better to help both animals and reduce stress. Dogs and cats, and especially puppies and cats, often have quite different needs and behaviours (e.g., puppies often want to play and chase, whereas as cats often don’t want to engage in these behaviours and may find them stressful). For more information on cat and dog body language and behaviour see these resources: What does my cat’s body language mean?, What does my dog’s body language mean? and Keeping Your Cat Safe And Happy At Home.
• Reduce the risk of conflict – In common areas, keep high-value items tidied away (e.g., toys, treats, food bowls). In addition, if your cat normally has their food, water, litter tray etc. in an area where the dog will now be, it is good to plan ahead and move these away to an area only the cat has access to and get the cat used to the change before the dog or puppy arrives. This helps reduce stress and avoid problems with your cat being too afraid to eat/drink or use the litter tray once the dog arrives.
• Pheromone diffusers – Setting up synthetic pheromone diffusers (talk to your vet about these) in your home may help calm your existing cat and the new canine arrival.

Gradual introduction

Introduce the new dog/puppy and existing cat gradually, step by step. Observe their behaviour closely to see if you should proceed to the next step. Only proceed when both animals are relaxed and calm in the presence of the other in each step.

The information below is general and should be tailored to suit the individual dog and cat and the specific circumstances.

• Be patient – evidence suggests that gradual introductions are more likely to result in a positive amicable relationship between cats and dogs. It is important that you are patient and prepared for the introduction to take place over at least a week but perhaps a few weeks. Allow your pets to become used to one another gradually at their own pace.
• Manage the introduction carefully – Evidence suggests that owner-led introductions (where owners manage, carefully supervise, and safely control pets’ interactions) are important in increasing the chance of positive interactions between puppies and household cats. See below for more detail on how to do this.
• Never force any interactions and never punish either of the animals for stressed, aroused, aggressive behaviour as this will be a negative experience associated with the presence of the other animal and counterproductive.
• Keep the existing cat and dog/puppy in physically separated parts of the house to begin with. Make sure that there is a solid physical barrier separating the dog/puppy and cat and ideally a buffer space (e.g., a corridor or room). This is so that they cannot make contact with each other under or through a door without supervision.

Step one – Scent swap

• Place a cloth with your dog’s scent on it (either from rubbing your new dog with the cloth or leaving it in their bed) into your cat’s area, and vice versa. Initially, do not put the scented cloth near any of your cat’s resources (e.g. food, water, litter tray, hiding places) to avoid causing them stress and prevents them from accessing important resources.
• Repeat this over a few days.
• Once both animals are interested but calm, or ignore the scent of the other, you can proceed to Step two.

Step two – allow the animals to explore the other animal’s area on their own

• Secure your cat in their retreat (a safe place that the dog can’t access) with a special treat and allow your dog/puppy to explore the house.
• Then secure your dog/puppy in their retreat with a special treat and allow your cat to explore the house and become familiar with your dog’s scent around the house.
• Repeat this over the next few days, allowing each animal their turn to have access to the whole house without ever coming into direct contact with one another.
• In the meantime, continue to work on basic training with your dog or puppy so that you have control over them when it comes to introducing the dog/puppy to your cat.
• Once both animals are calm and confident exploring the other animal’s area you can progress to Step three.

Step three – visual contact

• When you are ready to allow visual contact between your dog and cat, do so when your dog is at their calmest. You may wish to take the dog for a long walk beforehand.
• There should be no possibility of direct contact – use a physical but see-through barrier (e.g., stair/baby gates and see-through room dividers).
• Both animals should be able to retreat if they want to and should not be confined (e.g., do not keep one animal in a crate and allow the other to approach, this could be very threatening and stressful for the confined animal).
• Have a comfortable harness and a loose leash on your dog/puppy as a safety mechanism to stop them approaching the barrier and cat. The leash should be loose, not tight. If you are needing to use it to restrain the dog/puppy because they are excited and trying to get to the cat, the session should be stopped. You can try again another time while engaging the dog positively with something like high value treats in a puzzle feeder.
• Use a room in which your cat is easily able to escape to a safe place if they want to (for example, a room with some familiar and well used high elevated platforms such as a multi-tiered cat scratching post tower near the area so the cat can escape from the situation and gain vertical height – cats often like to be above the scene looking down and can feel safer that way).
• Engage both animals in a calm and enjoyable activity during the visual introduction (e.g., a puzzle feeder with favourite treats in it or an interactive toy they love).
• Initially the animals should be start quite far apart. If the animals are relaxed around each other, over multiple sessions, they can be allowed to move closer to the physical barrier dividing them.
• Separately give your cat and dog/puppy a lot of attention and positive experiences such as grooming, playing, and treats while they are in the same room as the other animal. This helps them to associate positive experiences with the presence of the other animal. Make sure that each animal can retreat of they want to and never force any interactions.
• Keep the interactions between the dog/puppy and cat short and positive and stop before the animals get over excited, stressed, or the interaction becomes negative. Give them both praise and treats to reward calm behaviour. It’s helpful to have another person with you during this time if possible so each animal can be praised and rewarded at the same time.
• You can use the relaxation tasks and safety cues (see above) that you have taught your dog/puppy to help them regulate their behaviour. Positive distractions can be used to calmly divert the dog/puppy’s attention from the cat if they are becoming aroused (e.g., food or a toy) or vice versa.
• Always monitor the interactions very closely and be aware of signs of stress and high arousal (e.g., fear, excitement). Stop the session if you see any of these signs. For more information see these articles: What does my cat’s body language mean? and What does my dog’s body language mean?
• Repeat the visual contact sessions several times a day, keeping the sessions short (e.g., five minutes or less). If possible, end the session while both animals are relaxed in the other’s presence, so it is a positive experience. Always monitor both animals’ body language and stop the session immediately if they are showing signs of stress or high arousal.

Step four – supervised contact without the use of physical separation but dog/puppy on-leash

• Once both animals are consistently calm and relaxed in the presence of the other animal with the physical barriers in place (as per step three), you can progress to supervised contact without the use of physical separation. It may take quite a lot of time to get to this stage and it should not be rushed, each animal is an individual and needs to go at their own pace.
• The same considerations as for step three apply to step four (e.g., keep sessions short and positive, start with both animals quite far apart, allow them to go at their own pace, make sure your cat has an easily accessible escape route etc).
• It is vital that during this stage you actively monitor and prevent problems using positive distractions (e.g., using a food or toy to distract/lure one or both animals away from each other and increase distance between them, if there are signs of a problem).
• Be prepared with a plan and what you need in order to intervene safely and end any potentially stressful/harmful interactions. Have a visual barrier and a thick heavy blanket ready to use if necessary, in a worst case scenario.
• If there are any signs of aggression developing (e.g., hissing, ears back, growling, teeth bared), block visual access between the two animals using a visual barrier like a large pillow or piece of cardboard or wood (something you can handle easily). If any aggressive interactions occur, stop the interaction and remove the aggressor to a neutral area. Once they are calm again (this may take hours), you will need to restart the process of introductions from step two and repeat the process of getting the animals relaxed around each other, before progressing to step three and then step four again.
• Avoid physically grabbing and removing either of the animals as this could be dangerous for the person. It may cause the animals to become more aroused and experience negative emotions which can be problematic for future positive relations. If emergency handling is necessary to prevent potential injury use something like a thick heavy blanket to help prevent injury and keep handling to a minimum.

Step five – supervised contact with the dog/puppy off-leash

• Once the animals have both been calm and relaxed in each other’s presence for a while you can consider trying with the dog/puppy off-leash.
• Be patient, it will probably take a few weeks of having your dog or puppy on the leash with the cat around before everyone is sufficiently comfortable to try with the dog/puppy off-leash.
• The same considerations as for step three and four apply to step five (e.g., keep sessions short and positive, start with both animals quite far apart, allow them to go at their own pace, make sure your cat has an easily accessible escape route, be prepared for a worst case scenario, etc.).
• These interactions should still be very closely supervised, and it is a good idea to keep the dog’s leash on but just drop it and allow it to trail, so it can be picked up if necessary.

Ensure your cat receives a lot of individual attention from you during the period of time over which you are introducing the dog/puppy.

Do not leave your animals alone together until you are absolutely certain that they tolerate each other, the dog/puppy has been trained not to chase the cat and they are all safe. If you are not sure, continue to supervise directly when you are at home or physically separate them when you are not at home. The cat should ALWAYS have somewhere safe to which they can retreat (an area the dog cannot get to, such as elevated platforms), even when you do feel comfortable about leaving the two unsupervised together.

Keep in mind that your dog and cat may never be best friends. Hopefully, however, they will at least tolerate one another and learn to live happily in the same house. In situations where cats do not like the pet dog in the long-term, they may still be able to co-exist in relative peace by seeking out their own space and spending most of their time apart. Pets often have the ability to find a balance and share their territory. Having access to different rooms so that they can choose to be alone can be a big help to making both animals feel secure and happy. Make sure that the cat and dogs are fed in separate areas. Your cat should have their own area that the dog cannot get to with all of their key resources available to them in a safe and secure environment (e.g., a litter tray, hiding and perching places, food and water, toys, scratching post, and a safe sleeping place).

Multi-cat households

The process will be similar for a multi-cat household, but you will need to be extra vigilant in case the stress of the new introduction causes tension and/or conflict between your existing cats. This can occur when cats get stressed.

If your attempts at introduction are not going well, or either of the animals seem stressed or agitated, it may be wise to seek professional help from your veterinarian and an appropriately trained veterinary behaviourist.