Cat Training & Behavior

It’s up to you to properly introduce your new cat to your dog, and to set up introductions carefully so that the cat feels safe and has a pleasant experience getting acquainted with your dog.

At first, confine your new cat in a room with her food, water and litter box. You can start to introduce your cat and your dog by the doorway to that room. Fill your pockets with treats for the dog, like bite-sized pieces of chicken or cheese, and treats that your cat loves as well, such as bits of meat or tuna.

Keep the door open but block it with a baby gate. Walk the dog slowly by the doorway several times each day for a couple of days. Praise and treat him for calm behavior, and then toss the cat a treat as well. This way, your cat will associate your dog with delicious treats. If your dog overreacts to the cat, distract him and get his attention focused on you.

Avoid accomplishing this by using leash corrections. Instead, get your dog’s attention by asking him to do basic obedience skills, like Sit and Down. Use delicious treats to reward him for his obedience in the presence of something as tempting and distracting as the cat!

Your cat should be free to approach the baby gate to get closer to the dog or to retreat if she wants to. Reward her any time she approaches the baby gate by tossing her treats.

Let the cat set the pace. If she chooses to run and hide under the furniture when you and the dog walk by, let her. It simply means your introductions will take longer—maybe weeks longer. Taking things slow will help to avoid a bad first impression.

Keep in mind that cats can take months to form relationships with other animals. Never attempt to force any interactions by holding your cat, putting her into a crate or carrier or restricting her movement in any way.

If your cat doesn’t seem afraid of your dog as you pass by the doorway of her room, or if she even tries to jump over the gate, you can introduce them in your living room or other large room.

Make sure your cat can get away from the dog during the introduction. She should have the freedom and room to retreat, run and hide, slip beneath a piece of furniture where the dog can’t follow or jump up on something higher than the dog.

Keep the dog with you on-leash during these introductions in the living room and for the first couple of weeks. Allow the leash to be loose, but hold onto it in case your dog decides to try to chase your cat.

Use your recall and “leave it” exercises if your dog starts nosing or following your cat and she seems perturbed. When you ask the dog to come to you or leave your cat alone and he responds, be sure to give him a very special treat.

When you’re not present or can’t directly supervise, keep your cat and dog confined in separate areas of the house.

Interrupt any chasing, barking or agitated behavior from the dog by using a leash to move him away from your cat. Redirect his attention to another activity or ask him to do some easy obedience skills for food rewards. Avoid scolding, yelling or jerking on your dog’s leash. A positive approach is crucial because you want your dog and cat to learn a pleasant association with each other’s presence.

You don’t want them to learn that everyone gets tense and angry and bad things happen when the cat or dog is around. Dogs are more likely to engage in chase or prey behavior when they’re tense or aroused.

Most cats will accept a young dog and correct him when necessary. Be sure your cat’s nails are trimmed before bringing the dog home so that she doesn’t hurt him if she corrects him.

Your dog shouldn’t have access to your cat’s litter box. If he does, it will be highly stressful to your cat, which may cause the cat to stop using it, and the dog may eat the feces and litter.

To prevent your dog from eating your cat’s food, consider feeding your cat on a high surface, like a window sill, dresser, shelf or cat tree furniture, or by moving the food and litter box behind a gate.

Cats may avoid the litter box for many reasons, including:

• Medical problems (urinary tract infections, urinary crystals, diabetes, worms, etc)
• Unclean litter box
• Not enough litter boxes
• Being confronted in the litter box by a family dog, cat, or human
• Undesirable litter type or litter box type
• Undesirable litter box location (near noisy appliance, insufficient privacy, in an area with no escape)
• Preferred feel of a surface or location other than the litter box

If your cat starts eliminating outside the litter box, your first stop should be the vet clinic to ensure that no medical cause exists. Cats that have just been spayed or neutered may still have a tendency to spray or mark objects for up to a month.

Once you’ve eliminated any medical cause, begin scooping all litter boxes daily. Clean any soiled areas with an effective odor remover.

To determine which litter type your cat prefers, offer two or three different options side-by-side to see which one he uses most. Then, place the preferred litter into different boxes to see which type he prefers most (covered, low-sided, high-sided, self-cleaning).

Also try the preferred litter and box in a different location that your cat might prefer.

It may be best to confine your cat to a small area of your home that the cat does not soil, with his litter box and other essentials. Preventing access to the soiling area may be the easiest solution: keep doors shut, keep laundry baskets and clothing picked up, etc.

If you see your cat soiling inappropriately, interrupt him with a squirt from a water bottle, loud clap, or noise device. Never yell, physically punish, or rub his nose in it- he will not associate the punishment with his inappropriate soiling.

If your cat is using a particular surface, such as tile floor or carpet, you might make him a litter box that simulates this. Place a carpet square or tile in the bottom of the box and very gradually add litter until he’s comfortable using the litter box.

Keep fabrics and carpets clean. There are many different products to help with this.