Do you have a dog? or a cat? or both? If both, do they get along? When my sister's kids were growing up, they always had dogs and cats. Her daughter, who was allergic to cats, loved cats. The cats, as it turned out, thought they were dogs and hung out with the dogs as part of the pack. But when they have never been around each other growing up, they have a natural instinct to dislike each other. To assure that your cats and dogs don't 'fight like cats and dogs', follow these rules and you should be ok.
1. Puppies and kittens have the best chance of being buddies. Just make sure that your over-enthusiastic puppy is gentle with the much smaller kitten (especially if you have a big breed dog). But when they start off being friends from day one, they most likely will be life-long friends.
2. Some dogs, like terriers and hounds, are trained to hunt small animals so they probably are not good candidates for sharing a home with your cat. Ask your vet or your humane society which dogs make good pairings with cats.
3. Make sure you take your time introducing your new dog to your cat and speak in quiet tones to not alarm either one. Don't rush the introduction - let them approach each other at their own pace.
4. Put one or both pets in their respective cages and definitely, if out of their cages, keep the dog on a leash. Neither should feel trapped or forced to connect if they aren't ready to do so.
5. Make sure your cat has a safe room, away from the dog. His litter box, toys, food, and water should be within reach without having to have any contact with the dog.
......More tips next week......