- Joined
- Apr 22, 2020
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- 100
- Purraise
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Hi everyone,
We adopted two very shy rescues in March of 2020 - Scotch and Whiskey. They will be 3 years old in April and have adjusted well to our house, though Scotch is definitely a true wallflower cat. Whiskey is outgoing with myself and my partner, but is scared of strangers.
Eventually, we plan to add a puppy to our household - either next year or the year after (after I stop working and have more time to spend with the dog). I am reading up on how to do the introductions, and thinking through adjustments to our home that will give kitties and puppy nice quiet places to go when needed.
We are debating on the puppy adoption process. I have a love of golden retrievers and was originally thinking of a pure-bred puppy. However, our two cats have been through a lot in their young lives already and we don't know how they will respond to a dog. I have a huge fear of adopting a new puppy, the cats being tormented/terrified and not being able to adjust. I couldn't fathom re-homing them or a new puppy.
So until we know how our cats will respond, we are thinking of perhaps starting with a foster dog instead. We can see how the cats adapt, and if everyone is happy we can always foster-fail and adopt that dog. Or, if the cats truly can't make the adjustment, the dog will still be up for adoption to a permanent home.
I guess I'm just looking for some feedback on which adoption process may be easier on the resident cats (who have no history with dogs)?
We adopted two very shy rescues in March of 2020 - Scotch and Whiskey. They will be 3 years old in April and have adjusted well to our house, though Scotch is definitely a true wallflower cat. Whiskey is outgoing with myself and my partner, but is scared of strangers.
Eventually, we plan to add a puppy to our household - either next year or the year after (after I stop working and have more time to spend with the dog). I am reading up on how to do the introductions, and thinking through adjustments to our home that will give kitties and puppy nice quiet places to go when needed.
We are debating on the puppy adoption process. I have a love of golden retrievers and was originally thinking of a pure-bred puppy. However, our two cats have been through a lot in their young lives already and we don't know how they will respond to a dog. I have a huge fear of adopting a new puppy, the cats being tormented/terrified and not being able to adjust. I couldn't fathom re-homing them or a new puppy.
So until we know how our cats will respond, we are thinking of perhaps starting with a foster dog instead. We can see how the cats adapt, and if everyone is happy we can always foster-fail and adopt that dog. Or, if the cats truly can't make the adjustment, the dog will still be up for adoption to a permanent home.
I guess I'm just looking for some feedback on which adoption process may be easier on the resident cats (who have no history with dogs)?