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  The point is, regardless of where we were taught that the old saying “fighting like cats and dogs” was the norm, any of us who proudly identify as “bipetual” will tell you that real life is not a cliché. Cats and dogs can get along just fine. There’s not always a cat waiting around the corner to hit a dog with a frying pan, or a dog looking to chase after a cat until he runs out of chain and chokes himself. Life is not like cartoons—at least not most of the time (although it is true that coyotes can be pretty smug).

  If you bring a new dog into your home, and your cat has never even seen a dog before, you’re asking a lot of your cat to withstand the stress of coming into contact with a new being. All new beings are potential predators in the mind of the Raw Cat, so it’s part of his wiring to be cautious. In this section, we will be concentrating on getting past that suspicion in much the same way I’ve described meeting other cats—through positive associations. However, no matter what we do to tell your cat that the new being is friend, not foe, there’s work to be done on both sides of the leash; we still have to be able to cash that dog-shaped check.

  DOGGIE DUE DILIGENCE

  Here are a few things to consider if you’re thinking about adopting a new dog into a cat’s home.

  Do Your Research: It should go without saying that it’s important to do your research if you’re adopting a dog into a home with a cat. Socialization with other animals at a young age is good for cats and dogs, so you might look for a dog who has lived successfully with a cat in the past. Certainly you’d want to avoid adopting any dog who has had bad experiences with cats. Also, most shelters do their dog due diligence when evaluating dogs for adoption. The aforementioned prey drive is a big factor. Similarly, if the shelter received information about a tendency toward resource guarding in the dog’s previous home, that, too, is a red flag. A fearful dog might actually present a problem since panic might lead to redirected aggression.

  Individuals, Not Breeds: In the animal adoption world, there has always been persistent discussion/argument about avoiding certain dog breeds when it comes to matching them in a home with a cat. While it’s true that certain breeds might be more prone to having a heightened prey drive, for instance, I believe it does a disservice to the potential match to judge a book by its cover, or a dog by her breed. As always, it comes down to the individual dog.

  Personality Match: You want to match compatible personality types, just as you would when picking a new cat. Age, breed, and energy level should be at least part of your adoption criteria, and many if not most shelters have even tested how dogs respond to cats at the shelter. At the end of the day however, the most important information you need will be available once you have the dog in your home environment. That is going to tell you how things are going to go and what you might need to work on as far as the dog’s side of the relationship is concerned.

  Training: In a perfect world, whether the dog in the equation is the existing resident or the newcomer, he or she would be well trained, and predictably under voice command. When it comes to implementing the exercises I’m about to take you through, that training is a security blanket like no other that we can wrap around the proceedings.

  Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world. Although it’s becoming more and more the norm to have training classes for dogs while they are still in the shelter, they are still a four-legged question mark when they cross the threshold of your home for the first time. Likewise, a dog that has lived with you for years still probably gets away with more than a little, but that little becomes a lot when a cat comes into his life.

  Being undertrained, however, is not a crime; it just illuminates a need. By no means am I telling you not to adopt a dog that you’re falling in love with just because of this need—it just means you need to get down to work.

  A Little Help from My Friends . . .

  Introducing a cat to your dog is a surefire way to uncover some gaps in your dog’s training work. This is no time to go it alone. If your dog cannot accomplish a down-stay or similar calm behaviors as a cat walks across his path, then (1) you’re introducing them too soon and (2) it’s time to call in the cavalry and find a good dog trainer with a solid background in positive reinforcement–based methods. The good news is that most likely there’s a qualified trainer in your area who can help. And with all of the stress you’re dealing with in bringing a new family member home and creating new relationships, you should ask for that help!

  If possible, I would recommend bringing in a qualified dog trainer for a few in-home sessions. Having the trainer come to your home provides a vantage point to the dog’s behavior that the trainer just can’t otherwise get, and that means you will then have tools that are customized for your dog in this new, very specific situation.

  Whether you opt for private or class-style training, hiring a dog trainer also prevents a lot of frustration on your part as you make your way through the first few weeks of introduction. With training, solid Catification, management, supervision—and a little help from your friends—there’s no reason most cats and dogs can’t live in harmony.

  “LIKE PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY”: THE STEP-BY-STEP CAT-TO-DOG INTRODUCTION PROCESS

  A cat-to-dog introduction can happen one of two ways: you either bring a dog home to where a cat lives or you bring a cat home to where a dog lives. Each introduction scenario will unfold in a way similar to our cat-to-cat process; you’ll even utilize the same seven steps. When reviewing the cat-to-cat section, just remember that when introducing two cats, you are following the letter of the law. When you are introducing cats and dogs, it’s more about the spirit of the thing and not necessarily about following every step religiously. Any subtle distinctions in approach will be noted with each step.

  Let’s begin with a few more dog-influenced particulars in the first step:

  Step One: Proactive Preparation—Cat-to-Dog Style

  A. Scheduled Meals Only

  If you currently leave out food 24/7 for your resident dog or cat, remember: scheduled meals are your friends. And it’s important to note that we’re not just trying to convince the cat that the dog is a good thing, but we’re also making sure that the dog has a positive association with your cat. No more free feeding.

  The Catification aspects of cat-to-dog cohabitation are very specific and, for various reasons, a little different than cat-to-cat:

  B. Catify the Living Areas

  Remember, the essence of Cat Mojo is confident ownership of territory. So, before you bring home a new dog, make sure that your space is fully Catified for life with a dog. The most important consideration is proper use of the vertical world. Your cat, if threatened, needs a home above the floor. This space should be above the reach of a dog.

  There is no better occasion to introduce the concept of the Cat Superhighway than now. The Cat Superhighway is another way of saying that we want to Catify so that a cat can circumvent the major living spaces, such as the living room, without touching the floor, if they so choose. Review chapter 8 for more on this concept.

  Our Cat-to-Dog Mantra:

  The Sky Is Owned by Cats in the World of Cats and Dogs.

  That means that cats may be either sharing or relinquishing control of the floor, to a certain degree, but that’s a decent trade-off. Don’t forget, in a cat’s-eye view, their world is floor to ceiling. The volume they perceive in terms of vertical territory, if it is accessible to them, is the whole megillah. Dogs, on the other hand, are terrestrial for the most part. And this is where cats get an advantage, in terms of overall space utilization.

  The best way for a cat to meet any new family member—whether human, cat, or dog—is to be able to get some distance between them, in order to get comfortable and make sense of a completely foreign body, so to speak. This is especially true where dogs are concerned: How does a dog move? What are those sounds they make? Where’s that smell coming from? Why are they interested in X, Y, and
Z? Cats want to be able to survey what’s going on around them, and Catifying the space allows them to do that safely.

  Cat trees are not only a great way for cats to get that vantage point, but cat trees can also act as on-ramps and off-ramps to and from the Cat Superhighway. Cat trees are a great way to prevent dead ends—that is to say, if things go south and the dog chases the cat and the cat runs out of floor, she has the vertical world to rely on. And again, there’s nothing like having a cat tree that looks out a window. While your cat is watching the new creature in the house, she can also take a break and watch some Cat TV.

  C. Catify the Litterbox Areas

  This is a big deal because most dogs are attracted to litterboxes as if they were a buffet. Cat waste is protein heavy and a great snack, as far as dogs are concerned. As disgusting as that may sound to a human, it’s even worse for the cat, and here’s the big reason: the litterbox has to be a safe place—make that a sacred place—for a cat. If a cat is in a litterbox and this huge snout comes along, waiting not-so-patiently for what is coming out of the cat, that litterbox has lost its sanctity. And what that means is that your cat is going to start looking for a safer place to pee and poop.

  So what can you do?

  Make sure that any litterbox is uncovered, so that your cat has escape routes. They get in, they have a 360-degree view, and they can get out.

  Avoid dead ends. Those who really hate my first suggestion might compensate for taking the lid off by putting the box in a place where nobody can see it. This might very well create a new problem: Let’s say that you put the box in the corner of the bathroom, behind the toilet. From a Catification perspective, you’ve created a dead end—which is an ambush zone. If the dog follows your cat into the bathroom, blocking off exit routes for the cat, then the cat will just stop going to that box in favor of an area where she has a safe, 360-degree view of the terrain. The takeaway here, as always, is that you’re best served putting your aesthetic desires behind the built-in needs of our Raw Cat, who is not going to go anywhere unless he is assured multiple escape routes.

  Keep litterboxes in rooms that dogs can’t access. Ordinarily, I’m all about litterboxes being available in socially significant spaces. But in the world of dog and cat, you might have to make some concessions. One of my go-to moves is putting up a baby gate in a room where the litterbox is. Then you can raise up that baby gate around eight inches off the ground—maybe a little less, if you have a small dog. That way, the cat has the ability to go either under the gate or over the gate, and we can rest assured that the litterbox is safe from prying snouts (or toddlers, who think that any sandbox is an invitation).

  We can’t blame the dog for seeking out a protein-rich snack (any more than we can blame the toddler for creating a poop-festooned sand castle). What we can do is try to head off that problem at the pass because nobody wants to get dog kisses from one who just left a litterbox. Take my word for it.

  Step Two: Base Camp and First Time Through the Threshold

  It’s always crucial to know what your first moves will be when you enter your home with your new family member, be it dog or cat. Having a concrete game plan gives you a measure of immediate control, not to mention peace of mind. This step has two main components:

  A. Base Camp: Although setting up base camp is less critical when bringing a dog into a cat’s territory (since the cat has already established herself there), this process is still important; base camp becomes the “safe zone,” a panic room of sorts, for the cat to retreat to whenever she’s feeling a bit uneasy about her new roommate. It’s also a front-row seat to the territory where she can be surrounded by familiar scents and owned objects that provide reassurance. Obviously, you will want to set up base camp in an area that’s naturally off-limits or inaccessible to the dog.

  That said, since we are not relegating the cat to base camp, she should be able to explore the world that the new dog is occupying at her own pace, not ours, especially by this part of the process. Again, as long as the dog is on leash, the cat should feel free to explore, since making her feel like a guest in her own territory would be a punch in the gut of Cat Mojo.

  When you bring a cat to a dog’s home, it will be business as usual, just like we described in the cat-to-cat section; the cat will start off exclusively in base camp.

  B1. First Time Through the Threshold—Dog into a Cat’s Home: It’s all about the leash.

  When you first bring a dog into a home with cats . . . repeat after me:

  The leash. Stays. On.

  The fact is, you don’t really know your new family member very well, and despite all of your due diligence before the adoption (and, likely, on the part of the shelter or rescue organization), you just have no idea what triggers may be pulled the first time your dog sees a cat, or the first time a cat sniffs the dog’s toys, food, or even water. So once your cat and dog are in the same physical space, I would still keep your dog on-leash for a little while, until you feel safe, and while that trust bridge is still under construction.

  The leash gives you a reliable and consistent degree of control over your new family member. At least in my home, it’s not until the dog earns our complete trust that he goes leash-free. We don’t even necessarily have to be holding onto it, especially as the days go by and the introduction process is well underway. If the leash is still on, and the dog makes a sudden move, we can “foot” (quickly pin the leash to the ground with a foot) that leash and regain control. Getting your dog under complete voice command is a process; the right to wander the house freely is definitely one that is earned.

  B2: First Time Through the Threshold—Cat into a Dog’s Home: Go directly to base camp.

  When you first bring a cat to any new home for the first time—it doesn’t matter if you are bringing that cat into a home with a dog or no dog, other cats or no other cats, or six other cats, four dogs, a box turtle, and a partridge in a pear tree—base camp should be set up, and your new cat should be delivered directly there. No matter how tempted you are to do otherwise, don’t just let the cat out of her carrier in the middle of the living room floor. The universal truths of Catification and building Mojo by gradually building a territory that cats can feel complete autonomy over are just that—universal.

  THE NITTY GRITTY

  Once you make it to this point in the process, review steps three through seven in the cat-to-cat section (pages 168–77). Although the techniques and intent remain the same, there is a major difference. We proceed at a very measured pace when it comes to cats meeting cats because it is all about convincing two animals who depend on the sanctity of their territory that the new being in the space presents no threat, and can actually be a positive thing. In the case of cat meets dog, the two species have very different needs, and the name of the game really is getting the dog to be less frantically curious (or less fearful) and the cat more trusting (or less fearful). Among other things, this means that the steps are a bit more fluid, and can be performed at whatever pace you observe is necessary for your individual situation. The following are some notes for each step that are cat-to-dog specific. Onward!

  Step Three: The “Other Side of the Door” Feeding Ritual

  As described in the cat-to-cat section, you will still follow our ritual of feeding dog and cat on opposite sides of a closed door, and work toward bringing those food dishes closer together over time. Once again, the idea is slow desensitization: if every time food is served, the cat smells the dog—and, in fact, the only time she smells the dog is when there’s food present—chances are she’s going to think the dog has good things to offer.

  Of course, there are a few things to bear in mind that make this step different when considering cat-to-dog vs. cat-to-cat: when excited, fearful, agitated, etc., dogs bark. Sudden barking will scare the cat-pants off of most cats and put a good dent in the positive association business. When in the initial feeling-out process of this s
tep, err on the side of caution and move that Challenge Line back far enough so that we can move past the initial stages of dog excitement. Also, there’s by and large a lot less hesitation on the part of dogs to get up close and personal with something (or someone) they are curious about. Cats, again generally, will be much more deliberate about how they approach. Another good reason to have a leash on your dog, even when doing this initial ritual: a dog rushing the door is also a good way of telling the cat that the door isn’t exactly safe.

  Step Four: Scent Swapping

  This remains a handy protocol for both parties. One thing that unites cats and dogs is their superior sense of smell—they glean a lot of information from this sense when sussing out new situations. As you would when introducing a new cat, you should let the resident cat have at the dog’s bedding and toys and vice versa before any face-to-face introductions happen.

  Step Five: Site Swapping

  When introducing cat-to-cat, site swapping assures the participants every step of the way that territorially they are safe and not in danger of losing ownership. With cat-to-dog site swapping, on the dog’s part it’s more about satisfying curiosity and allowing for full exploration than making sure the coast is clear, so to speak.

  Hint: A great time to allow the cat a bit of impromptu site swapping is when you take your dog for a walk.