Like Cats and Dogs

Do your cat and dog get along?

We’ve had our new dog Kirby almost 2 months now, and he has become an integral part of many of our family activities. I’m happy to report he and Eddie, the cat, are now getting along very well. It was about a month, to the day, before Eddie and Kirby were happily socializing. At first, Kirby would chase Eddie whenever Kirby caught sight of him. We knew we needed to stop that behavior in its tracks so we used a behavior modification technique known as “disruption and diversion.”

We put up a pet gate in the door opening leading to my home office, where Eddie usually spends much of the day sleeping in the sun. We moved Eddie’s litter box, food , water, favorite blanket, etc. into there. Eddie could come out if he wanted to, and had a quiet safe refuge from Kirby (although Kirby managed to actually get through the small door in the pet gate! My husband had to use some ingenuity to bolt a small board partly over the opening so Eddie could get through and Kirby couldn’t.)

When Kirby would start to go near the gate to try to get through or just as part of his obsession with Eddie, we would use a noisy distraction (a few coins in a soda can thrown near Kirby – not at him) to get him to move away from the gate. We’d then get him to do an alternative positive behavior like playing with a toy. After just several can tosses, Kirby became a lot less interested in Eddie and more interested in his toys.

Eddie started to come out more often and when we would see Kirby starting to focus on Eddie, we’d use the noisy distractor and a toy to get him focused elsewhere. Now Eddie roams freely throughout the house and although Kirby can get a bit obnoxious at times, Eddie, like most cats, can put the dog in his place. We were actually surprised that Eddie hadn’t done this from the beginning as we’ve had lots of dogs visit and he was never intimidated by them. What made Kirby different, we’re not sure, but we’re glad they’re together now.

Related Posts:

• Border Collie vs. Kitten – The dog follows the new kitten everywhere. Trying out new distractions: toys, more playtime and, the most successful solution, bird feeders!
• Our New Dog is Here! – Dr. Holly introduces Kirby, their newly adopted dog.

Tagged as: Cats, Dog Behavior, Dogs, Pets

About the author: Dr. Holly Nash received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Minnesota, and a Master's Degree in epidemiology (the study of the transmission, distribution, and control of disease) from the University of Wisconsin. She has worked in a primarily dairy practice, as a veterinary epidemiologist, and as a companion animal veterinarian. Dr. Nash has been with Drs. Foster and Smith since 1998. She has always been interested in the human-animal bond and the education of animal owners, and finds being Editor of PetEducation.com a perfect match. She enjoys and has had experience working with many species of animals, and is a member of the American and Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Associations. See more articles by Dr. Holly Nash.