# Advice on introducing aggressive cat to new puppy!



## Hbchick22 (Apr 29, 2006)

Hi I have a 4 year old tabby who isn't to friendly with visitors and sometimes not with my boyfriend and I. He has been like this since we had him at 6 weeks old we tried many different things to stop this but nothing seemed to work. He can be very loving but occasionally acts out. We have decided to get a labrador puppy and will be coming home in less then a month. I am very nervous about introducing my cat to this puppy. Any advice on what I can do? Anything will help!


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Has this cat ever lived w/ a dog, to your knowledge? How he acts w/ people doesn't really have anything to do w/ how he will react to a dog, so . . .

The main thing w/ puppies, regardless of who else is in the house, is that for many months they should be handled thusly:

(1) crated whenever no one can pay attention to them (but not for more than 4 hours at a time, except at night);
(2) crated (preferably in the owner's bedroom) at night;
(3) tethered to the owner or to a heavy piece of furniture EVERY MOMENT he is in the house and not crated (this can be done w/ a leash around the waist/furniture, but this is a great product and makes life easier: http://www.buddysys.com/ . I keep the waist part on all the time I'm home, and the extra tab I attach to the couch leg, so I can easily swap the puppy between me and the couch tether simply by switching the quick-release tab on the leash.
(4) taken out OFTEN, always on lead, for potty breaks (after eating, sleeping, playing, being crated, and every 45 min. otherwise until 4-5 mos).

Esp. w/ a cat in the house, walk-through babygates are vital IMO. You need to be able to confine the puppy to the room you are in (should be tetered, but just in case you mess up or cheat). And the cat must be able to get away quickly and easily so he never feels threatened. Putting a babygate in a room where there is a litterbox and comfy bed will give the cat a dog-free zone and help him relax.

I would allow NO contact that the cat doesn't initiate. Puppies are really not the best choice for homes with cats unused to them--adult dogs known to be good w/ cats are a better choice IMO. If you go w/ a puppy, you'll basically just be avoiding interaction for 5-6 mos, until the puppy has some training (find a good trainer who uses positive reinforcement only) and has calmed down a bit. By then, b/c you allowed nothing bad to happen, the cat will have chilled out a bit.

If you mess up and the puppy goes tearing up to the cat, you may have ruined things forever (cats do NOT forget these things!!), so just be very careful not to make a mistake.


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