Cats adjusting to a new environment with a dog in the house.

It has been one week that Herman and Eddie are in their new home for the summer. I think they kind of miss their old place, like we do, too. On a good note, the nice thing about older homes are the large windows that are only about six inches from the floor. They like to look out side and can take in their new view quite easily. Eddie also love the upstairs bathroom window ledge, she gets a great perspective of the backyard area. I think, she likes to watch me working outside. Herman seems to enjoy lounging on the bed with a birds eyes view of the numerous birds. lol Pretty sure, she would like to be on the prowl outside.

It was a little worrisome about the new living arrangements with a dog in the house. They have never been around a dog. Thus far, we have kept the animals separate. The dog is downstairs and the cats are upstairs. We put a baby gate at the top of the upstairs hallway. Of course, Eddie can jump over it, but she does not seem interesting in leaving the upstairs, yet. Herman is too large to make those big jumps, nowadays,

Any tips on introducing dogs and cats together?

 

I had no idea you guys had a dog! Is that your daughter's dog? In that case I'd not rush it, I really don't know how big that dog is, but I'll tell you things get exponentially more dangerous the bigger the dog is. I think you did the right thing by doing what you did, they definitely need to get used to each other's smells and presence, the introduction should be done later, but first at a distance.

 

No, it's my mom's dog, Lucy. She is a medium size lab. I am pretty sure the dog would want to be friends and the cats would have a big hissy fit. I am sure everyone knows the deal. First their hair stands on end, then the hissing begins and the claws would come out. We are all staying in the house in town, while the country farm house gets opened for the summer. I am hoping the dog goes out there and the cats stay in town. This way they do not come into contact. It just makes so nervous.

If and only if, we do decide to introduce them, I will be sure to do it from afar. Like with the cats at the top of the stairs behind the baby gate and the dog at the bottom of the stairwell. I am thinking, they must know each other is around. Animals do have a good sense of scent, right, as you mention. Oh goodness, now that I think about it the cats surely know about Lucy. I forgot that that they look out into the backyard and Lucy goes out a million times a day.

 

Looks like I missed a lot of stuff. I somehow thought the summer thing was somewhere down the road. I always boast if you will that Twinkle and my dogs hit it off immediately and became best buddies/cousin if you like. I am guessing it might have been because Twinkle was a kitten. I think what you did separating the two is a good idea for starters. I believe once they get used to each other they will get along. I am hoping the cats are of the right temperament. See what you can extract from this link.
http://dogtime.com/introducing-dog-and-cat.html

 

Thanks for the link. It will check it out and get back on my thoughts. Meanwhile, Eddie has found a way to "escape" and to for night prowls downstairs. Good thing, the dog, Lucy, likes to sleep in my parents room with the door closed, because last night there was big commotion. We have never heard Lucy let out such a ferocious growl and barks. I suppose, she was in protection mode of her territory. Eddie ran right back up the stairs, according to my mom and peeked around the corner waiting to see, if Lucy would follow. A bit nerve wrecking to say the least.