New York Veterinarian Clinic

Getting a Cat and a Dog

Many animal lovers will not want to restrict themselves to just one pet or even one type of pet. Lots of individuals and families will want to own both a cat and a dog; however, the stereotype of fighting cats and dogs may prevent some people from pursuing this.

While there can be some difficulties in introducing a new pet into a home that already has a pet, there are some things that you can do to help make this transition a lot easier.

If you already have a cat and you want to bring a new dog into the family, you should keep the dog and cat separate from one another at first. This can be done by keeping the dog in a specific room or part of the house. You can let your cat become acquainted with the dog on his or her own time by letting it gradually approach the dog and sniff it out.

If you are introducing a cat into a house that already has a dog, you will need to take extra precautions to make sure the dog does not attack the cat. If the dog is already trained, then you should be relatively safe. However, if it is not, you will want to restrain the dog with a leash for a period of time until he or she becomes familiar with the cat and does not try to attack it when the two are near one another.

Dogs and cats may naturally see one another as predator / prey. However, if you can introduce a dog and a cat to one another before they are both 4 months old, they are much more inclined to get along and view each other as friends and not enemies.

Visit a New York Veterinarian Clinic

For more information on dogs and cats as pets, contact the New York veterinary clinics at www.newyorkveterinarianclinics.com today.