Catpert is for people who love cats. We provide info on caring for cats, cat health and behavior, humor and lots of pictures of cats. Because we love them.
Catpert is for people who love cats. We provide info on caring for cats, cat health and behavior, humor and lots of pictures of cats. Because we love them.
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QUESTIONS TO THE CAT EXPERTS:
| Date: Dec 7, 2007 | |
| Question: I am looking for advice on how to go about introducing a new dog to a resident cat. I have a cat whose exact age is unknown, but she is probably somewhere between 11 and 13 years old. I have had her for 6 years and during this time, she has been the only pet (she was the only pet in her previous home as well). However, she did go from being an outdoor cat to an indoor cat (with occasional exploration of the hallways in the apartment building). My husband and I recently married and are living in my condo (approximately 950 sq. ft.). He wants to adopt a dog (very badly), and I am concerned because of the space limitations and how/whether the cat will adjust to another animal in her space. I have read several articles about introducing a new animal to resident animals and while they are helpful, they seem a bit simplistic. I am wondering if you or if you know of anyone/organization that would come out to the apartment and advise us on how to create a space/arrange the apartment to accommodate both a dog and a cat? I am concerned about how to adapt such a small space (with the stuff of two people) to accommodate an additional animal while making sure the resident animal feels safe and is not knocked off of routine. Things like where do you put the cat’s food? I leave dry food out 24/7…but I know that dogs will eat the cat food. How to isolate the litter box so the dog doesn’t eat the cat feces? Things like that which will change the cat’s routines as well…and she is not a youngster. I would rather get her used to a new routine now, without a new animal, so it doesn’t over-stress her later (she can be skittish). Perhaps it is not that complicated…but this is actually my first cat and I have only owned dogs prior to the cat, so it is difficult for me to gauge how this is going to work out and work out with minimal stress to all. Julie Hi, Cats and dogs can learn to co-exist peacefully and even become friends. You are the key to that. The specific answer is quite long, and quite well captured in some of the articles in Catpert. Read these articles and post a new question if something remains unclear. http://www.catpert.com/pages/242.html http://www.catpert.com/pages/99.html |
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| Expert: Ms. Wisecat About the expert: Ms. Wisecat is the resident expert of Catpert. |  |
| URL: www.catpert.com | |
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