Teddy's Tidbits: Dogs and Cats, Yes They Can Live Together [INFO HUB]

And this is definitely Teddy's philosophy as he will not be out done by a pesky cat.

• If the cat can walk on the back of the couch or lay on the arm, so can I.
• Look cute for a treat, bring it on.
• My spot on the bed is right up here - you stay down there!

As you can "Carleena" is his buddy. She accepted him rather quickly. (Yes, that is the two of them posing for treats.)

It would be nice to say that every household can have the same peaceful existence, let alone acceptance from day one, but that just is not reality.

In fact, to this day Teddy still holds a grudge toward one cat who was rather inhospitable when he arrived. (Yep, you guessed it, the pic with Boo - his nemesis.)

Everyone has different ways of acclimating new additions to the household. The biggest thing to keep in mind is making sure that you are calm when bringing in the new member of the family.

After researching various articles for this piece, it seems when we brought Teddy home, we did almost every single thing you are not supposed to do when introducing a new dog into a home with cats. Good grief!

It is amazing the amount of information available now as to "how to" versus when I was growing up, you basically placed the animals together, broke up any major battles and otherwise let them adjust at their own pace. Sound familiar?

Mind you this was not my first time of introducing new animals. I can only imagine how the authors of the various articles would have cringed.

Not to diminish the process, but there is also a degree of common sense that plays into all of this as well. If Fido has Princess in a stranglehold, obviously human intervention is required; if Princess has all four paws and claws firmly attached to Fido's back, someone has got to remove the extra appendage before there is blood everywhere.

Just like any introduction, be it human or animal, take it slow. We did not toss Teddy into the fray and make him fend for himself.

Because he was rather subdued when we brought him home, this allowed the cats to "inspect the new guy" without being immediately chased throughout the house - this approach is also what all the authors recommend.

Now if he were extremely active, I would have brought him in still on leash in order to control his activity. If you are not sure how your new dog is going to respond to the new environment, it is always a good idea to keep him/her on leash when bringing into the home. This way, you can control the initial interaction between canine and feline.

Though the one cat still hissed and spat at Teddy, there was enough distance so no one was hurt. Also since Teddy was still by my side, he did not attempt to chase the cat. Their relationship to this day still has its moments, but they allow each other their space. I equate it to the siblings who fight but if one is injured, the other is right there checking to see what has happened and if they are going to be "ok" - that is Teddy and Boo.

Some pets will take a little longer assimilating. In those instances, you will need to separate them into different rooms, focusing on monitored graduated periods of interaction. Using treats during these monitored sessions will serve to change the focus from each other to a mutual goal of receiving a treat for good behavior. This may take a few days but do not give up hope, they will bond and at least learn to co-exist and at best become best of friends.

Overall, this household co-exists very well. Each cat has his/her particular area and habits that have not been interrupted and Teddy has basically made the entire house his domain to oversee and protect, including the cats.

Mind you, each one still has his or her day, but then again, don't we all?

Next topic - Separation Anxiety