“Will this dog get along with my cat?”
“Will this cat get along with my dog?”
These are the two most common questions we hear from potential adopters.
When Mowgli’s family adopted him in May, they were asking themselves these questions. And although we can never guarantee that an adopted animal will get along with a family’s current pet, we can guarantee that we’ll do our best to help make the adoption work.
Like all of our adopters, Mowgli’s family received an email from us asking how things were going a few weeks after his adoption. Mowgli’s mom replied that he was having difficulty settling down around her cats so our cat expert, Sue, responded with some tips to help Mowgli and his cats accept each other.
Here’s a few of the tips she gave Mowgli’s mom that might come in handy for others in this situation:
- One of the most important things is to make sure your cat has safe ways to navigate through your home to avoid chance encounters and being chased by Mowgli. I would recommend a number of things to consider….tall cat trees in different rooms or even in the middle of a hallway. This way your cat can always have quick access to a high spot if she/he feels threatened. Shelves on walls are another good escape route or pathway for your cat to navigate through the house.
- Consider having an area that is off limits to dogs. This is very helpful in reducing stress for your cat.
- Another important part is to work on ensuring Mowgli has good control with responding to basic commands, like sit and stay. If you know he wants to chase the cat but he can restrain himself because of his basic command training, that is helpful to everyone.
- Provide lots of enrichment opportunities for your cat to help him/her remain stress-free. Setting aside time specifically for your cat can really help raise your cat’s confidence level which will help while he/she gets used to living with a new dog in the home. Consider having specific scheduled times for interactive play time with just you and your cat. In general play increases cats’ confidence levels and if your cat feels confident, it is easier for him/her to adjust to living with dogs.
- Provide positive associations between your cat and dog. Anytime your cat notices Mowgli, reward your cat in some way. A treat, some canned food, a food item that your cat loves but only gets when the dog is around are good ways to build positive associations.
- A good website for additional information is the following www.catbehaviorassociates.com
How are things going for Mowgli and his cats? Here are updates from Mowgli’s mom:
“In regards to Mowgli, he has made great strides since we adopted another rescue who is good with cats. It seems to be helping when he watches the other dog respond so positively to the cats and then to get rewarded himself when he does the same. We will definitely be implementing some of your suggestions that we had not considered. Thank you again! Your entire staff has been wonderful in providing us with everything needed to make it an easy transition before, during, and after the adoption.”
“He’s still in no position to be let off leash with the cats, but is making great progress! We generally hold him and let him greet and smell each of them and then have them in their high spots and continue with life as normal but with him on a leash attached to one of us.”
We’re proud of Mowgli for trying so hard and impressed with his mom’s dedication to making Mowgli a permanent part of the family. And we’re glad we’ve been able to help make Mowgli’s adoption a success-in-the-making.
Anchorage Animal Care and Control 
Excellent job, Mowgli’s Mom! I am a mom to both kitties and dogs and find that all it really takes is just a little bit of patience and time. Happily, everything works out just fine.