How to Introduce a Dog to a Cat in 5 Steps

Before your new pet even arrives, some considerations can help to ensure a smooth introduction process:

• Understand how dog breeds impact interactions. Dog breeds will have an effect on the socialization between your pets. Greyhounds, terriers, and other dogs with a high prey drive may be more impulsive and aggressive at first. You can mitigate this through treats and separation via a baby gate.
• Set up distinct pet spaces. If you are bringing a new dog to meet your resident cat or vice versa, you can prepare in advance by carving out space for the new pet. In the weeks before your new cat or dog arrives, create an area for the incoming pet. One by one, gradually set toys, blankets, and—for cats—litter boxes in the designated area, so your current pet knows where the new one will be settling in. Keeping them as separate as possible is best (putting each behind closed doors can help), and preserve your current pet’s set-up to maintain consistency.
• Split your time wisely. Upon arrival, you might have the impulse to spend all your free time tending to the new pet. This may foster jealousy between the animals, so be sure to split your time accordingly, which might mean being extra gracious and loving with your older pet. Take your dog on more walks, give your kitty treats for good behavior, and be extra attentive to their needs.

If you are bringing a new pet into the home for the first time, the initial face-to-face introduction might be a little fraught, but there are several steps animal owners can take to acclimate their pets to their new situation. Follow these steps:

1. 1. Share each other’s scent. Before your dog and cat roam free and interact, you’ll first want to swap their scents. Put an old t-shirt of yours in each pet’s sleeping area. Let it sit there for two days, and then on the third day, swap the shirts so each pet can smell and familiarize themself with their other family member. Do this two more times over a week or so to best acclimate the pets to each other before a physical interaction.
2. 2. Expose areas. The next step will be to show each pet the other’s sectioned-off, safe place. Before the first meeting, allow each pet to sniff around the area without infiltrating it. Keep the pet’s pen or door closed, but allow the cat or dog to walk and sniff the area around it while the other is out of sight in a separate room.
3. 3. Have each pet visit the other’s area. At this point, your pets will be accustomed to the other’s scent. What’s more, they’ve been near each other’s safe space. Now, they can enter it while the other is away. Take your dog on a walk, and have someone else let your cat visit the dog’s area before returning to its own. Similarly, cuddle your cat in another closed room and let your dog walk about the cat’s area.
4. 4. Initiate eye, not physical, contact. After a week or two of scent swapping and area visits, your pets are ready to see each other, but only when they are both calm and not in excited moods. The pets must both have an escape route: Neither should be stuck in their crate or cage as they will feel they have nowhere to go to retreat. Have a baby gate that separates each animal and places them on opposite sides of the shared common space. Let each see the other engaged in a positive activity, like playtime. Speak calmly and offer treats. First, be on one side, let the session go for a few minutes, and next time be on the other pet’s side. Let the sessions gradually lengthen and reward each pet for good behavior.
5. 5. Let your pets meet face-to-face. After a while, you will know when it’s time to remove the baby gate and let your pets interact. You should only do this when you feel your pets are ready—perhaps your shy cat is showing more curiosity for your dog, and your pup isn’t retreating to hiding places when seeing your cat. When your dog and cat feel comfortable, remove the separator between them, carefully reading their body language. Keep your dog on a leash, but not a tight one: Just have its harness tied to a base so you can tug back in emergencies. You want the animals free, not to feel like it’s dangerous for each to be around the other. Keep the interaction light and brief; after a few minutes of quiet, good behavior, separate your pets and repeat the next day for a slightly more extended period.

Keep these tips in mind to know how to best approach introducing your cat and dog:

1. 1. Have treats on hand. These will be helpful at the beginning for rewarding good behavior and might be essential later on when your pets meet. If the interaction begins to go awry, you can use some favorite dog or cat treats as bait to beckon and lure your pets out of a stressful situation.
2. 2. Have two people at the eventual introduction. Just in case, have a second pet owner or trusted friend of the pet on hand to help out with the interaction. Each of you should start within the cat or dog’s reach and then space out as the interaction ensues if calm behavior persists.
3. 3. Brush up your dog training. In advance of any meetings, good dog behavior must be up to snuff. If your dog is rusty on simple commands like “sit” and “stay,” you should practice those before entering a new situation.
4. 4. Keep their food separate. Dogs sometimes enjoy the taste of cat food, so be sure to always keep these separate. After your pets meet and are roaming free, continue to monitor eating times so your pets know how to behave around the other’s meals.

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