Expert: Delores Beck - 2/20/2009

Question
Hi Dolores,
In a month's time, i will be moving in with my elderly parents as caregiver and i plan on bringing my 2 1/2 year old cocker with me. The problem is my parents have a cat and I'm afraid that they might not get along which will just add to the overall stress of the situation. My parents are quite fond of their year old cat and well, i love my little girl and there's no way i will part with her.
Do you know of any method where we can get them to interact and get used to each other quickly?
Thanks in advance.

Answer
I have a cat too and "usually" dogs learn very fast that cats rule :)

If your parents are close by, take the pup for a visit.  If that's not possible the FIRST thing to do is understand it's the cat's turf.
Keep pup on leash for the introduction - confined when you can't supervise and let them both accept the other's presence for a couple of days.

You may be quite surprised because mostly they get along well and they're both young so it's not like a rambunctious puppy annoying an elderly cat.

Just take your time.  Animals have a way of accomodating each other and cats know very well how to intimidate dogs :)

Delores