New Cat Not Getting Along With Dog.

So I recently got a 1 year old cat from a shelter and it's been about 3 weeks so far. I have had her in her own private room since and is always separated from the dog. For awhile I did the scent swapping and would let dog out but hold her and allow the cat to do her thing downstairs and play. While playing my dog would be excited and want to go to her. So recently I purchased a pet gate for upstairs and when I allow the dog to roam upstairs the cat curiously goes up the steps towards the gate. If my dog gets too close to the gate however my cat hisses/growls and will swat the gate. Some days she allows the dog to come closer then others but the end result is the same. What can I do to help ease the transition and hope my cat stops getting aggressive when my dog comes near.

I think you should start with a dog. Does the dog know basic commands like “stay”, “sit” and “leave it”. If you can get the dog to sit quietly when the cat is in the room it is more likely that the cat will adjust to the dog. But if the dog wants to rush the cat, the cat is going to flee or go after the dog.

I would definitely not leave them together until you are sure one is to attack the other.

Ya the dog will listen. If I have the dog in the room long enough the cat goes about her business playing and acting normal. Just will check out the dog every now and then. (This is with me holding the dog and I have done this about 5 times)

NYISLES13 said:

Ya the dog will listen. If I have the dog in the room long enough the cat goes about her business playing and acting normal. Just will check out the dog every now and then. (This is with me holding the dog and I have done this about 5 times)

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Thats great!! I don't really see any issues here after such a short period of time. The fact that eventually the cat goes about her business is excellent. Hissing and growling when the dog is too close is fine too. That is how cats communicate. She is just letting the dog know she can defend herself if need be so he should back off. It is ok that this is happening. They have to establish boundaries somehow right? Just keep up what you are doing. Make sure the cat has escapes where she can get away from the dog. Also ideally, have places she can climb too to get away from the dog. It will help her feel safer.

Yeah, keep that gate up so the cat can flee but the dog can't get to her. Cats take a long time to get used to change, months, not weeks. I kept my dog on a leash in the house when mine were introduced, it keeps them from lunging, not all the time, just when they were together. Everything sounds normal here, hissing, growling, and swatting are perfectly normal. As long as the cat isn't hiding and staying hid, everything should be OK. Your cat is not being aggressive, she is defending herself. She has no idea if a lunging, panting, huge dog rushing her is friendly or wants to kill her, which happens often and is now ingrained as a survival instinct. The problem that may come up is because they are so new to each other, if she swats the dog and that is most likely what it is going to take to get the dog to back off, the dog MAY truly attack to kill, so be careful, that is why I used a leash for a few months. Females are known to be manners teachers, and not as friendly as males. This will just take time, in a year they will be a family unit!

Hello and welcome to TCS. I've never introduced a cat and dog, so can't advise from personal experience, however, TCS has some articles that you may find helpful.

Here are the links:
How To Safely Introduce A Cat And A Dog
Introducing Cats To Dogs
Caring For Cats And Dogs

This sounds like it’s a good start. I would recommend keeping the cat’s claws clipped. If/when the dog does something that might be too close for comfort for the cat, you don’t want the dog to get injured. That might set the relationship back. Mine adored each other. I tried posting a short video of them playing but it was still too large a file

jealous sigh We're still at opposite ends of the stairs. 6 months

So its definitely reassuring getting some of the feedback thanks a lot guys. Ya at this point it seems more so according to a few posts shes not actually aggressive. She only does the swat and hissing at the dog when she gets to close. She doesnt going up to her and start to attack her on her own.
Last 2 days it does seem the cat is coming to the gate much more often and she knows the dog will eventually come. She tolerates the dog a bit more standing close to the gate however does swat when the dog sticks her head close to her. So hopefully this is slow progress.
The cat also def connected on 1 swat today when I was supervising yet I was happy to see zero aggression from my dog as a result. I really think my dog is just very curious with the newcomer.

That's awesome. This is what I have my fingers crossed for eventually happening.
It's slightly driving me nuts lol because when they are apart both are so sweet and friendly.

Pjg8r said:

This sounds like it’s a good start. I would recommend keeping the cat’s claws clipped. If/when the dog does something that might be too close for comfort for the cat, you don’t want the dog to get injured. That might set the relationship back. Mine adored each other. I tried posting a short video of them playing but it was still too large a file

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NYISLES13 said:

...shes not actually aggressive. She only does the swat and hissing at the dog when she gets to close. She doesnt going up to her and start to attack her on her own.

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I think the biggest thing to remember is that hissing, growling, swatting is NOT automatically aggression. Cats don't talk using words, they talk by making sounds.

So I tried adding a video which didnt work.
Today I wanted to ask is this good/bad/progress?
The cat had walked over to the dogs water bowl and for about 15 seconds or so the cat was drinking while the dog had come over to eat. Cat was still drinking but def checking out the dog. After the 15 seconds the cat stopped and then stared at the dog for about 10 seconds and then swatted the dog and walked away. The dog just looked and continued eating.

Also I would add they were maybe at 1 foot at most 2 feet away from each other.

Also on another note today I did let the dog walk around the living room which just consisted of the cat keeping a close eye the entire time, sometimes getting closer to dog and proceeded with the swat/hiss/growl when the dog got to close. Should I not do this and wait for better progress with the gate? (The dog didnt react negatively in anyway whenever the cat did this btw)

Was the cat on the floor with the dog? I didn’t see -how big is the dog? This sounds good to me. As long as the cat has places to go up where the dog can’t reach I say this is progress. The cat is still unsure but the dog appears to have lost the initial high interest in the cat. Now if the cat starts to run the dog may still chase but you won’t know that until it happens. Again, if the cat has escape routes up high or over the gates my experience is this will work out. If the dog decides to try and play with the cat (play bowing like a dog plays with another dog) the cat will not understand and may hiss and swat. They can learn each other’s language eventually. Of course don’t leave them alone together until you know.

NYISLES13 said:

So I tried adding a video which didnt work.

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This might help: How To Upload And Add Videos To Your Posts

They were both on the floor and normally if the cat runs the dog looks to follow. This is the size of my dog.

Pjg8r said:

Was the cat on the floor with the dog? I didn’t see -how big is the dog? This sounds good to me. As long as the cat has places to go up where the dog can’t reach I say this is progress. The cat is still unsure but the dog appears to have lost the initial high interest in the cat. Now if the cat starts to run the dog may still chase but you won’t know that until it happens. Again, if the cat has escape routes up high or over the gates my experience is this will work out. If the dog decides to try and play with the cat (play bowing like a dog plays with another dog) the cat will not understand and may hiss and swat. They can learn each other’s language eventually. Of course don’t leave them alone together until you know.

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Thanks a lot for the video info. This is the link to see that interaction.
https://thecatsite.com/media/dog-eating-cat-swat.422203/

So update. Cat still wants to attack the dog if it gets close. Even when my dog is at the backdoor outside if the cat sees her she will go up to the attack and attempt to swat at her. However some good signs I think are when I feed both I can have them less then 2-3 feet of each other and its peaceful but after that the cat doesnt like the dog close.

Any tips ?

That is a very good sign! Any progress, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction. Females are just naturally swatters. They swat other cats too, for just looking at them. Dogs and cats are natural enemies too, so you have thousands of years of eveolution to contend with also. They have had almost three months now, believe me, that is NOT long enough for a cat. Mine took almost a year. I really think it will all turn out, as long as the dog pretty much ignores her, and as long as it stays with swatting and not active, all out attacks that involve deep bites, they are OK. Tell her NO sternly when she attacks, if she starts growling or hissing, tell her it's OK and try to distarct/calm her. Keep feeding them both together to foster good vibes, and give both enough attention. All the luck!

NYISLES13 said:

However some good signs I think are when I feed both I can have them less then 2-3 feet of each other and its peaceful but after that the cat doesnt like the dog close.

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That sounds like a good sign. Hopefully maybe in time they'll be best buds, or at least frenemies.