Welcoming a new pet into your family home? Here’s how to make the introduction to your resident pet as smooth as possible! For more detailed advice, find our comprehensive guide here and check out: Behavior & Training Lecture: Introducing New Pets.

If you’re not sure whether your current pet would be able to live comfortably with a new dog or cat, take a look at our article, Tips for Picking a New Pet.

When You're Preparing to Introduce a Dog and Cat…

Set up safe spaces for the cat:

Set up a safe space for your cat that your dog can’t reach. This space should include everything your cat needs: food, water, litter box, places to hide, multiple scratchers, places to rest and sleep, and toys and enrichment. The safe space will be important during the introduction process.

Set up hiding spots and at least one high space in each room (cat shelves, cat trees, cubbies, cat walls, etc.) that only the cat can access.

Set up success stations for the dog:

Set up at least one “success station” — a dog-proofed area in a playpen or an area of the home blocked off with baby gates or exercise pens — for the dog. A success station should have food (if it's mealtime), water, a place to rest and sleep, potty pads/access to a potty area, toys and enrichment.

If your dog is easily excited, you can introduce them to a “Calm Settle” behavior that can be practiced leading up to the introduction process. During each stage of the introduction, you can ask for a calm settle in their success station to keep interactions positive.

When You Bring Home Your New Pet:

If your new pet is a dog:

1. Put your cat in their safe space before bringing the new dog inside.
2. Once the new dog is home, immediately bring them to their potty spot and then to their success station.
3. Offer your dog a chew, bone or other form of enrichment to help them relax and stay busy.

If your new pet is a cat:

1. Put your dog in their success station, the yard or on-leash outside the home before bringing the new cat inside.
2. Offer your dog something to occupy themselves with (enrichment, toy, chew, bone, etc.) or work on some training exercises.
3. Bring your new cat straight to their safe space. Place the cat carrier on the ground and open the door. Let your new cat come out on their own time.
4. Don’t let the dog explore outside your cat's safe space. They will smell and hear each other, but they shouldn't be able to "meet" yet — even through a barrier or door.

Body Language: What to Look For

Because learning our pets’ body language is a crucial step in successful introductions, we recommend you start by watching our Behavior & Training Lecture: Can You Speak Dog or Cat? and referring to our body language resources.

Dogs:

Dogs will communicate if they can comfortably and safely share space with a cat. Signs your dog is experiencing stress, hyperarousal, reactivity, frustration or other negative emotions include:

• A stiff and alert body
• Tense facial muscles
• A tightly closed mouth, panting or drooling, spatulate tongue
• A high and stiff tail with tight, rapid "stress" wags or a low, tucked tail
• Being unable to break focus from the other pet (fixation)
• Straining and pulling at the end of a leash
• Whining, barking, growling, lunging, snapping, biting and hard stare
• Puffed up tail and fur (piloerection)

If your dog is showing these signs, they aren’t ready for interactions yet. Move back a step and slow down.

Cats:

Signs that your cat is experiencing stress, overstimulation, fear or other negative emotions include:

• A stiff and alert body
• Tense facial muscles or showing teeth
• Wide eyes with large pupils
• Puffed up tail and fur (piloerection)
• Stiff tail vibrating up high or large swishing tail
• Ears back
• Being unable to break focus from the other pet (fixation)
• Swatting and clawing, hissing, yowling, spitting, biting, fleeing and hard stare

More serious signs that indicate your cat is experiencing high levels of stress and may not be comfortable sharing space with a dog include:

• Consistent hiding
• Changes to or loss of appetite
• Litter box issues
• Changes in elimination habits
• Medical issues like upper respiratory infection (URI) or urinary tract infection (UTI)
• Sudden disinterest in playing or other changes in your cat’s behavior

The goal is calm, relaxed body language and signs of positive emotions for both pets. If either pet isn’t calm, move back a step and slow down.

Tips for Success

• Let the new pet decompress before starting the introduction process and remember the 3-3-3 Rule.
• Spend equal time with both pets separately.
• Give the dog plenty of playtime and physical exercise before meeting the cat. Provide mental enrichment and play time for the cat to help them de-stress.
• Move slowly through the introduction process to ensure your pets will interact safely when the time comes. Keep your dog on a leash during each step.
• Use toys, treats and your voice to redirect either pet if they become frustrated, over-excited, frightened or fixated on the other pet.
• If your pets aren’t taking breaks from play or are playing too roughly, redirect them to create breaks. Here’s an example of appropriate play between a dog and a cat: Grace & Millie Playing.
• Don’t force the cat or dog into each other’s space by holding them, caging them or restricting their ability to escape. The pets need to be able to flee at any time.
• If the dog and cat get into a scuffle, completely separate them so they are unable to see each other. Wait three to six days and then begin the introduction process again, but this time, go much slower.
• Use pheromone sprays and diffusers, such as Feliway, to help cats feel calmer and more comfortable during interactions.

Let’s Begin the Slow Introduction Process!

Step 1: Complete Separation

1. Keep the dog and cat completely separated without access to each other for at least a week.
2. Be sure that the dog does not have access to the area right outside the cat’s safe space.

Step 2: Scent Swapping

While they are still separated, start building enthusiasm through scent swapping.

1. Present a blanket or toy with the other pet's scent and reward calm behavior with treats when the other pet’s smell is present.
2. Immediately start rewarding any interaction your pet has with the scented object (looking at, smelling it, touching it, laying on it) and then remove the object after a few minutes or before your pet can react negatively towards it.
3. In the beginning stages, the scented object should only be present if someone is there to give treats for calm behavior.
4. Over time, extend the length of time the scented object is present. Eventually, you can leave the scented object alone with your pet, but only if they have shown calm behavior with it.
5. Once you observe consistent calm, relaxed behavior from both pets while scent swapping, you can move on to Step 3.

Step 3: Through a Door

1. Have one person in the room with the cat and the other outside the room with the dog on a leash.
2. With the door closed, give treats to both pets. Keep these sessions short and always end on a good note before either pet becomes stressed, frustrated or overexcited.
3. If either pet starts showing signs they are uncomfortable or fixated, stop and call them both away from the door using treats or a toy.
4. End the session before it can escalate. Once both pets are comfortable with this step (no hissing, growling, barking, puffed fur, etc.), move to the next step.

Step 4: Through a See-Through Barrier

1. You can use a baby gate, ex-pen or glass door, or crack open the door to the safe space just enough for them to see each other.
2. Have someone on one side of the barrier with the cat and someone on the other side with the dog on a leash.
3. Repeat Step 3, allowing the pets to see each other while being given treats. The pets should be able to see each other but not touch.
4. Allow the pets to approach the barrier on their own — do not force them. Only allow the dog to approach if they are both calm.
5. If both pets seem relaxed or cautious, don’t intervene in their interactions except to praise and reward them for appropriate behavior. If either of them is not calm, redirect them and interrupt any negative interactions that may be happening (staring, vocalizing, swatting, lunging etc.).
6. Keep this session very short and end before it can escalate. Once both pets are comfortable with this step, move to the next step.

Step 5: Open the Safe Space Door

1. Put the dog on leash and keep them away from the cat’s safe space — preferably in their success station.
2. Open the door to the safe space and allow the cat to venture out on their own time. Treat and praise both pets to continue building positive associations with one another.

Step 6: In-Person Meeting

1. Be prepared with treats and do this in an open area of the home with space for the cat to run and hide from the dog if need be.
2. As soon as the cat begins to enter an area where the dog is present, redirect the dog’s attention with praise, treats, toys, etc. This will help the cat feel comfortable knowing that the dog isn’t focused on them.
3. Try to keep the dog's leash loose, as a tight leash can cause pressure and frustration.
4. Reward both pets for looking at each other AND for looking away from each other (see infographic: The Engage-Disengage Game).
5. If either of them is not calm, redirect them and interrupt any negative interactions that may be happening (staring, vocalizing, swatting, lunging etc.).
6. Keep this session very short and end before it can escalate.
7. Repeat this step many times, gradually extending the length of the sessions, before letting them interact unsupervised or for long periods of time.

Need help?

If things are not working out, here are your options:

1. Completely separate the dog and cat. Restart the slow introduction process from the very beginning.
2. If you adopted one or both of your pets from San Diego Humane Society, book your free, one-hour Post Adoption Consultation online over Zoom with a member of our Behavior & Training team.
3. Book an online Private Lesson (one hour, online over Zoom). Open to all community members, these sessions focus on environmental management, troubleshooting and training exercises.
4. Find a positive reinforcement trainer who can come to your home to assess the situation.
5. Consider the well-being and quality of life for everyone involved. If you decide you need to rehome a pet, we offer rehoming resources here.