When you move into the dog's home (which is how it will seem to the cat), keep the cat in one room with the door closed for about a week. This way, the dog & cat can smell each other under the door without face-to-face confrontation, which can lead to a free-for-all chase, scaring the cat & making the dog think he has a new live toy.

After the first week, open the door and let the cat wander around the house while the dog is outside. Keep them separated until the end of the second week, at which time the cat has wandered around enough to find his safe spots & shouldn't feel like he's running for his life when the dog wants to investigate.

This article is Copyright © Lori Byrnes, and printed with permission of the author.
March 11, 1998