When you first introduce a dog and cat together, 9 times out of 10 the cat will be the one that is fearful and the first to bolt away. There are of course rare exceptions, especially for smaller dogs that are poorly socialized. I remember one of my Chihuahuas who would never go near a cat again after the very first one he came close to hissed and swatted at his little nose, tearing a big gash across it!

The manner in which a dog reacts to a new cat can fall into several categories. Some dogs will immediately perceive a cat as prey and will do everything they can to chase the cat with full intentions of hurting it.

The secret to starting and maintaining a loving relationship between your dog and a new cat (or vice versa) lies within how carefully you introduce them to each other. You have already made the decision to bring a different species into the house so invest as much time and care as you can in order to ensure that both of your animals start off with a positive experience with one another.

The introduction between a cat and a dog can best be broken down into the following seven steps:

Dogs & Cats: What To Do Before Introducing A New Cat To Your Dog

Dogs and cats may not be considered to be the most compatible of animals, but statistics show otherwise. In fact, there is a survey recorded in the American Veterinary Medical Association back in 2002 that stated that over 15% of every household in the United States has at least one dog or one cat.

This survey also showed that almost 50% of each pet owner had both a cat and a dog under the same roof. This means that out of the entire country, almost 9 million cats and dogs are sharing their lives together.

It's Not A Perfect World