Hello! I wasn't sure where else to post this question, but this seemed to be the most appropriate. I'm so sorry that this will be a long post. I just wanted to give all the details of what I'm doing.
I recently (about a week+ ago) adopted a 6 month old stray cat (Haki) and have been acclimating him to the apartment by keeping him in the bathroom. He's very sociable and has been adjusting incredibly well to the situation. In the bathroom at least. I'd love to have him roam around the rest of the apartment... but...
The problem is that I have my 15 year old Silky Terrier (Coco). I've read so many introduction articles, but I'm still having some trouble thinking of solid methods of practice. I've had Coco has a single pet since I've had her at 2 months old, so she's never really been socialized with other animals in her "territory."
Even though Coco is very old numerically, she still has an insane amount of energy and spunk. Honestly, the only time she's genuinely tired is after a 1-2 hour walk, and she eats dry food like a champion. So, I'm not entirely worried about the cat and dog getting along energy-wise, but I need them to get along in the first place!!
The problem I'm having is figuring out a solid practice to help my dog get used to Haki. Here are the reasons I'm having trouble with figuring something out:
1. Coco's attention span is non-existent. If she deems something boring, she'd much rather be basking in the sun or sleeping in my closet. I tried practicing the "look, look away" type practice with her (on leash) and the cat (in boyfriend's lap), but after 2 minutes, Coco never really focused on the cat, got bored, and removed herself from the situation entirely, even with treats.
2. Coco doesn't care about other animals if they aren't in her direct attention. I've tried scent swapping and letting her sniff around the bathroom, but she doesn't even seem to notice Haki at all. She looked at me like "What do I do with this?" when I gave her a towel with the new cat smell. She walks into the bathroom, sniffs around, and leaves immediately. Even on walks, she doesn't engage with other dogs even though they come running at her. The only time Coco even notices is when Haki moves at all.
3. Coco isn't really excitable or aggressive. Like I said earlier, she loves lounging around in the sun and sleeping during her free time. The only time she gets excited is over food, but that excitement lasts for as long as she's eating. She's perfectly well-behaved otherwise. Even as a puppy, she was very sweet and quiet. I haven't seen her bark / chase after a squirrel or rabbit in years either.
4. I can't commit to a routine. My current work has very odd hours as I am a part time tutor. Some days I'm working 2 hours, some days I'm working 6. I know routine and practice is necessary for this introduction, but I'm afraid I won't be able to commit the necessary routine to help Coco become accustomed to her new roommate. I have been considering a pet trainer, but I'm also not sure how effective it would be while Haki is still adjusting to everything and Coco's lack of aggressive behavioral problems / attention span.
Literally the only time Coco seems to notice is when Haki moves. He could be sitting there and she'd just stare then walk away. The worst was when I accidentally left the bathroom door open 3 days after getting Haki, and he snuck around the corner. Coco freaked out when she saw him for the first time and ran at him, so thank god I'm quick enough to grab her. She does notice him occasionally now when she follows me into the bathroom, but she growls / yips a bit until I call her name and she's like "welp, I'm bored" and leaves. It's just when he moves that she barks and tries going after him, but I don't want to traumatize the cat by letting him walk around with her when he is still relatively new to the household.
I've tried crate exposure by putting Haki in Coco's dog crate and having her look at him while on leash. When she first noticed him, she went for the crate, but never actually made aggressive biting motions, more like "testing nips." After about 40 minutes of on and off attention, she resorted to trying to sniff through the bars with occasional low growls. I'm not sure I want to do this exercise again due to scaring Haki.
I have been feeding them near each other under my supervision to help with the adjustment. The cat on the bathroom floor, Coco outside the bathroom. She looks at him briefly then goes back to her food while Haki happily munches away with occasional glances. I practice the "look and ignore" method with Coco immediately after she's done eating (she eats in like 5 minutes) and while the cat is still nibbling at his wet food. It seems to be working since her whines and snorts are getting quieter, less frequent, and she's actively turning her attention to me after staring for a few seconds; but, I'm not sure if doing this twice a day for 10 minutes would be effective, or if my dog is even retaining anything.
To those who have dogs and cats in the same household, how did you do it??? Are there other introduction methods that aren't mentioned on the internet? Are there ways I can effectively and efficiently perform the introduction adjustment? Or is it too late for my dog and I just have to keep them separated forever??
Sometimes I feel like I'm on the right track, but then things seem to just roll backwards immediately after. I've never had two active pets before, so I'm truly at a loss at whether I'm even doing anything right. Right now, I'm just glad that Haki is so sweet and hasn't swiped at my dog yet despite her scary advances (though he does hiss at her sometimes now when he sees her).
I recently (about a week+ ago) adopted a 6 month old stray cat (Haki) and have been acclimating him to the apartment by keeping him in the bathroom. He's very sociable and has been adjusting incredibly well to the situation. In the bathroom at least. I'd love to have him roam around the rest of the apartment... but...
The problem is that I have my 15 year old Silky Terrier (Coco). I've read so many introduction articles, but I'm still having some trouble thinking of solid methods of practice. I've had Coco has a single pet since I've had her at 2 months old, so she's never really been socialized with other animals in her "territory."
Even though Coco is very old numerically, she still has an insane amount of energy and spunk. Honestly, the only time she's genuinely tired is after a 1-2 hour walk, and she eats dry food like a champion. So, I'm not entirely worried about the cat and dog getting along energy-wise, but I need them to get along in the first place!!
The problem I'm having is figuring out a solid practice to help my dog get used to Haki. Here are the reasons I'm having trouble with figuring something out:
1. Coco's attention span is non-existent. If she deems something boring, she'd much rather be basking in the sun or sleeping in my closet. I tried practicing the "look, look away" type practice with her (on leash) and the cat (in boyfriend's lap), but after 2 minutes, Coco never really focused on the cat, got bored, and removed herself from the situation entirely, even with treats.
2. Coco doesn't care about other animals if they aren't in her direct attention. I've tried scent swapping and letting her sniff around the bathroom, but she doesn't even seem to notice Haki at all. She looked at me like "What do I do with this?" when I gave her a towel with the new cat smell. She walks into the bathroom, sniffs around, and leaves immediately. Even on walks, she doesn't engage with other dogs even though they come running at her. The only time Coco even notices is when Haki moves at all.
3. Coco isn't really excitable or aggressive. Like I said earlier, she loves lounging around in the sun and sleeping during her free time. The only time she gets excited is over food, but that excitement lasts for as long as she's eating. She's perfectly well-behaved otherwise. Even as a puppy, she was very sweet and quiet. I haven't seen her bark / chase after a squirrel or rabbit in years either.
4. I can't commit to a routine. My current work has very odd hours as I am a part time tutor. Some days I'm working 2 hours, some days I'm working 6. I know routine and practice is necessary for this introduction, but I'm afraid I won't be able to commit the necessary routine to help Coco become accustomed to her new roommate. I have been considering a pet trainer, but I'm also not sure how effective it would be while Haki is still adjusting to everything and Coco's lack of aggressive behavioral problems / attention span.
Literally the only time Coco seems to notice is when Haki moves. He could be sitting there and she'd just stare then walk away. The worst was when I accidentally left the bathroom door open 3 days after getting Haki, and he snuck around the corner. Coco freaked out when she saw him for the first time and ran at him, so thank god I'm quick enough to grab her. She does notice him occasionally now when she follows me into the bathroom, but she growls / yips a bit until I call her name and she's like "welp, I'm bored" and leaves. It's just when he moves that she barks and tries going after him, but I don't want to traumatize the cat by letting him walk around with her when he is still relatively new to the household.
I've tried crate exposure by putting Haki in Coco's dog crate and having her look at him while on leash. When she first noticed him, she went for the crate, but never actually made aggressive biting motions, more like "testing nips." After about 40 minutes of on and off attention, she resorted to trying to sniff through the bars with occasional low growls. I'm not sure I want to do this exercise again due to scaring Haki.
I have been feeding them near each other under my supervision to help with the adjustment. The cat on the bathroom floor, Coco outside the bathroom. She looks at him briefly then goes back to her food while Haki happily munches away with occasional glances. I practice the "look and ignore" method with Coco immediately after she's done eating (she eats in like 5 minutes) and while the cat is still nibbling at his wet food. It seems to be working since her whines and snorts are getting quieter, less frequent, and she's actively turning her attention to me after staring for a few seconds; but, I'm not sure if doing this twice a day for 10 minutes would be effective, or if my dog is even retaining anything.
To those who have dogs and cats in the same household, how did you do it??? Are there other introduction methods that aren't mentioned on the internet? Are there ways I can effectively and efficiently perform the introduction adjustment? Or is it too late for my dog and I just have to keep them separated forever??
Sometimes I feel like I'm on the right track, but then things seem to just roll backwards immediately after. I've never had two active pets before, so I'm truly at a loss at whether I'm even doing anything right. Right now, I'm just glad that Haki is so sweet and hasn't swiped at my dog yet despite her scary advances (though he does hiss at her sometimes now when he sees her).
