Guest post. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and do not necessarily represent the views of Val Heart & Heart Communications Enterprises Inc.
Do you own a cat and dog together?
Do you sometimes wish that you didn’t?
Cats are wonderful on their own—intuitive, filled with unique personality, (usually) loving and playful. They even take care of you, bringing you your own freshly-killed meals!
Dogs, too, are extremely rewarding companions in so many ways. But put the two of them together, and you could suddenly have two neurotic, aggressive animals bringing tension into your household.
The cat and dog together TV cliché: too close to truth!
For instance, consider Odie and Garfield. Tom and Spike. Snowball and Santa’s Little Helper. The cats and dogs in the entire Cats & Dogs movie franchise.
These are just some examples of the “cat vs dog” dichotomy that is so popular in TV and movies. In fact, this rivalry is one of the oldest and most popular animal tropes in media.
Comparing cats to dogs is like comparing apples to oranges; all it does is point out how vastly different they are. Yet cats and dogs are constantly pitted against one another in the media.
Think about it: dogs are usually associated with kind-hearted heroes while cats are seated on the laps of villains. Right? Another popular use of the cat/dog dichotomy is to portray dogs as dumb creatures while cats are seen as cunning and hostile.
As with most tropes in popular culture, there is some truth to the cliche, and if you have a cat and dog together in your home, you know this better than anyone.
Putting a cat and dog together can be like trying to mix oil and water!
While cats and dogs make great pets on their own, having both animals living together is another matter. Cats and dogs are so different, personality-wise, that it’s easy to understand why they get along like, well “cats and dogs”. If you are someone who is planning to have a cat-and-dog household, you may want to think again.
If you have not already done so, now would be a good time to reflect on the kind of pet companion you are and ask yourself this simple question: “Am I really ready to own a cat and a dog?”
Getting a pet is a lot of work in and of itself, but getting another literally doubles the responsibility, not to mention the cost. Think about it realistically: cats and dogs have very different needs. Will you be able to meet all of them, separately and fairly? Do you have precautions in place, like insurance? In the event of a sudden illness or accident, would you be able to afford their treatments? Now might be a good time to research how much vet care costs over a pet’s entire lifetime. Can you truly give them the proper love and care that they deserve?
Here are other important points to consider before owning a cat and a dog together:
Cats and dogs suit different lifestyles.
There’s a reason that the question “are you a cat person or a dog person?” is so popular—it says a lot about you!
Cats and dogs tend to be representative of their owners. Are you the outdoorsy type? If yes, then a dog would be a perfect fit for you; cats less so as they like to stick close to home and don’t generally travel well. Ever tried to get a cat to “heel” on a walk? Enough said.
Do you want your relationship with your pet to be that of equals, with your pet free to roam around the house and seek your affection on their own terms? If so then you will love cats; a properly trained dog understands that you are the “alpha” and ideally will do what you ask, whereas cats will never agree that you are alpha over them. It’s not going to happen.
Cats are generally more laidback and self-sufficient—they prefer to socialize only when they feel like it.
They need a safe place (or several) in the house where they can retreat to and rest. And they often don’t mind being left alone for days at a time, as long as you leave them with enough provisions and someone to check in on them regularly. Cats are resourceful creatures and will find a way to thrive, no matter the conditions. After all, these are animals that basically domesticated themselves when they learned it would make their (nine) lives easier if they gave a show of affection occasionally and meowed, sometimes a lot!
Dogs, on the other hand, are more high-maintenance.
Dogs require exercise regularly and are entirely dependent on their human for food, water and bathroom breaks. They need daily supervision and attention. On the upside, they are generous with their affection and intensely loyal.
Dogs, when properly socialized, are open and friendly, but don’t let that fool you. Dogs are intuitive judges of character and aren’t afraid to show when they don’t trust someone. They can go from wagging their tails to a crouching attack stance at the first hint of danger.
Beyond these generalizations, traits vary from breed to breed as well, so there is a significant difference in the care each pet requires of its human—double that if you have a cat and dog together.
You’re on your way! It’s time to learn how to talk to animals. Start here at The Heart School of Animal Communication® with your free ebook – Hidden Secrets to Communicating With Pets
Cats and dogs are natural enemies.
Cats and dogs have a long, drawn out history of being natural enemies. When cats and dogs encounter one another, their natural instinct is to revert to fight-or-flight mode. It’s biological and not something you can totally eliminate. When putting a cat and dog together for the first time, you must facilitate it carefully. Make sure your cat knows where its escape route is, and you may want to keep your dog on a leash.
Cats and dogs have different styles of play.
This is a huge factor to consider. Different styles of play can result in frequent altercations when you have a cat and dog together. Cats and dogs have distinct preferences for games that are very different: cats prefer to stalk and pounce while dogs like to chase and run after things. Why does this matter so much, you ask?
Well, for one, this means there are bound to be misunderstandings between the two. A dog chasing after a cat may think he and his new friend are just playing, but the cat might be absolutely terrified.
On the other hand, a dog might be confused and hurt as to why the cat keeps swiping him whenever he approaches. What he doesn’t realize is he’s getting too close into the cat’s personal space. These misinterpretations could go on forever and the only way to fix them would be to set some ground rules in the household and train both pets.
These are just a few reasons why you should not have a cat and dog together.
But the main reason is there’s a lot of risk involved, not just for both animals, but for the peace and harmony in your household. Should you decide to go ahead and get a dog and a cat anyway, just be aware that you will have your work cut out for you!
Download my FREE Ebook Hidden Secrets to Communicating with Animals – just click on the picture below!
<><> Update!
From the feedback we’ve gotten on this post, it seems that many of our animal loving readers disagree!
Not just a little disagreement, but strongly disagree!
Good for you! I’m loving the discussion, keep it coming.
Here’s the thing: I don’t disagree with you.
However, from a professional animal communicator’s viewpoint whose specialty is solving problems with pets including these kinds of problems, here’s what you could be missing from this discussion.
Let me explain a bit more:
We didn’t mean to imply that you could never, ever have both dogs and cats together, only that it requires more work to do it the right way and keep everyone safe and happy.
So, if you’re going to do it anyway, here’s a few more guidelines to avoid trouble:
- You must know up front that both animals of each species are open and willing to be friends with each other. That requires discussing it with them in advance. And to do that right, you have to be able to communicate with them. If your dog has a strong prejudice against cats and only wants to kill them on sight, you’ve got a serious problem to sort out. Don’t condemn a cat to violent death by not handling this ahead of time, or put your dog at risk from being scratched and bullied or terrorized by your kitty either!
- Establish the ground rules for engagement, and proper house rules for good boundaries, limitations and clarity. Again, this requires a conversation and sometimes a negotiation. It also requires you to be vigilant and consistent, paying attention to the dynamics between your cat and dog. Provide proper direction and guidance to sooth over the rough spots. Every relationship has rough spots now and then, but if you don’t catch it in time to redirect aggression with your pets, then they will likely escalate their concerns and keep taunting and teasing each other until somebody snaps. You don’t want that.
- When you introduce the cat to your dog, hold them securely and possessively in your arms. Tell your dog that this cat is MINE. Claim ownership and confer protected status to the cat so your dog knows to hold them with respect. Problems come when dogs are triggered in to chase and hunt instincts, so when the kitty runs the dog chases. If the dog catches the cat, they can easily kill them. Or the cat can scratch the dogs eyes out. Not good. You don’t want that either.
Abide by these principles and all should be well!
So yes for the naysayers, you’re right. Dogs and cats and all kinds of species can in fact live happily together but only when proper preparation, respect, leadership and good pet parenting is in place.
Otherwise it can be more like a pet disaster and nobody wants that, including your pets.
It’s time to learn how to talk to animals. Start here at The Heart School of Animal Communication® with your free ebook – Hidden Secrets to Communicating With Pets
Be sure to leave your comment below!
.
Enjoyed this article? Here are some other popular posts you might like:
Understanding your pet better: tips to get started.
I just adore animals, I like helping homeless animals, I try to participate in all volunteer activities. Also help people find lost pets. I have time for this thanks to cooperation with https://supreme-thesis.com/articles/editing/
I believe that is one of the so much important info for me. And i’m glad studying your article. But should commentary on few general issues, The website taste is perfect, the articles is truly excellent : D. Excellent process, cheers
I don’t think this is true at all I own a cat and a dog and they are inseparable. Best friends they are always together they even sleep together
I would have thought so too before I met my partner and he moved in with his (our) 2 Kikis. I still am a dog person, and always will be. But I adopted two of the most unique and sweetest cats . I had never had my own cat, or wanted one. Our two girls are the coolest and they both fell in love with me (as I them) and are so smart.. they are almost like people. So, After years of being together, I had pestered my partner (who normally does not like dogs very much- and very much so a cat person in every aspect – and never owned his own dog) for a puppy and told him how happy that would make me. And I was very worried about getting one- and would not have gotten anything older than a young pup because I could neve fully trust it with the cats. This was the most important thing to me, and something that I was still very nervous about.. but I knew inside how puppies were and that if they grew up with the cats, you would know your own dog and if you could trust them alone with cacts and all. So, I am so glad I listeneed to my inner self inssdtead of my anxiety, because I was right. We are all a little family now and the dog/cat relationship is the coolest thing to us. I have countless stories I could tell but I will just say that this story is very misleading and it doesnt sound like the autor has any personal expierience of being a dog and cat owner. And I mean one like us, where the dog or cat either grew up together or one was a baby when becoming a part of the family so they could grow up with the other species. Our cats love him to death and basically raised him. He is much bigger than them now but still respects them and knows they are boss, and loves them like they are really his parents/sister. He even protects them. One day another cat was attacking one of ours, which is a very rare thing because they are not the ones that other cats will mess with . But this one was very big and surprised one of ours. Nero was there before the other car could think and chased it away in a heartbeat. It was so cool and it is funny how he will chase other cats like that but sees our two completely differently . They have taught him a lot and its so cute how he still looks up to them. They know that he is their family. Glad I never ready this prior or I would have never taken a chance.. but like I said, inside I know dogs and knew everything would be ok.. and it is an experience I would never have wanted to be without. I wouldn’t have the little family we created together and they are all my everything right now <3
Drawn in by the headline, then stated reading. I can only think the author hasn’t lived around animals much. Like people all species of animal has a language of communication. Unlike humans the figure out each other’s lingo quickly. Tail wagging, sounds, it’s all about learning. I’m 64 years old and grew up with a variety of animals and ALL of them learned to be friends. Including a pair of Bantam hens that liked to eat with our cats. In fact some cat breeds like dogs; Maincoon, Calico and the wonderful Tortoise shell. In fact our Calico would bathe our dog and they’d curl up for a nap. Youtube videos support this. I can only think the author wrote this to be wrong. In fact, I suspect this whole article was written to get hits for profit. So, here’s your dime: You don’t know what you’re talking about.
This article is just plain false. Many people can own cats and dogs together completely fine, as long as people don’t try to treat their cat like a dog behaviorally.
Secondly, “cats can be left alone for days”??? What kind of garbage is that? Cats need to be played with daily. They crave social interaction, you just have to know how they socialize. Stop spreading the lie that cats are independent creatures who just need food and a litter box. If you want something you’ll just have to feed, get a plant.
Lastly, cats can go outside and travel just as well as dogs. You just have to train them how. Lots of people take their cats out on harnesses, and some even take kitty camping and hiking and boating! And the cats LOVE it.
Do some research next time you feel so inclined to tell people how to own pets.
I adopted a dog and then a cat. They are best friends. They play together, eat together and sleep together. They are constant companions and love each other very much. The person who wrote this article is wrong and doing a disservice by discouraging owning cats and dogs together. They can be wonderful companions and keep each other company while the owner is absent.
This article is really ignorant. Cats and dogs commonly live together in harmony. I’ve seen it. This sort of thinking can also prevent cats and dogs who need adoption to not get homes because folks might believe the nonsense espoused in this piece. What a waste of words.
I’d owned catrs and dogs all my life with no issues. Apparently whoever wrote this article is a complete moron or has never owned pets at all.
My cats and dogs love to play with each other, cuddle and sleep together. To many so called experts always think they know it all when in fact a good 80% or more of them don’t know their butt from a hole in the ground.
Sooo… recently got 2 kittens.. in addition to my two dogs. They get along great.. even play with each other sometimes (cats and dogs) .. one of my older dogs sort of ‘moms’ the kittens. The kittens are ‘teenagers’ now… and they often try to compete with the dogs for fetching the balls. The interesting thing… they crave more social time than the dogs… is the opposite of the cliche. I think owners are projecting their expectations of anti social behavior on many cats… and the cats sort of react in an anti social way. They want a different type of attention .. but they play all day… miss is… sleep on is and purr purr purr…and are ALWAYS looking for new problems to solve. Has been an interesting and eye opening experience. I think each animal… whether cat or dog… has such unique personalities at birth… there is really no way to generalize the way people do. But they all need love and attentiveness the way a human being would… I think that rings true across all species.
The author doesn’t seem to truly understand either cats or dogs, and offers nothing other than outdated, oft-disproven advice. Of course, some cat/dog pairings don’t work, but they often fail because the pet guardians don’t understand the animals’ needs or instincts. An experienced, insightful animal behaviorist can offer plenty of advice and assistance to help ensure that all members of the household, human & animal alike can thrive.
I am 51…I HAVE OWNED CATS AND DOGS SINCE AGE 12….TOGETHER
this article is damaging at best
Remove ( REMOVE ) THIS biast and utterly filled with crap article
My cats groom the dogs, the dogs play with the cats. THEY ALL SLEEP IN BED….TOGETHER
your ideas of these two species NOT being able to get along probably reflects a ton on your own interpersonal relationships
HORRID ARTICLE
UNFOLLOWING NOW!
Is this article supposed to be satire? It’s ridiculous. I’ve had cats and dogs loving together for most of my life and never had a problem. They play, eat and sleep together with no issues.
I have had cats and dogs my entire life .I have had my dog come to my cats rescue in times of trouble . Not all cats and dogs get along but then not all people get along . Do research before you write an article . you have clearly based your opinion without truly knowing anything.millions of people own both and will continue too. Write something you know about
What a ridiculous article ? You’re using a movie as motive to say why cats and dogs shouldn’t be together?
I have two cats and two dogs and they have never fought. In fact every single morning my when my 110 lb pitbull-doberman wakes up my female cat rolls around in front of him meowing with excitement. She absolutely adores that dog.
As long as you bring in the cat as a kitten there should be little to no problems.
I had my cat Medusa and my Boxer Sneakers as pets together for 8 years. I had Medusa as a kitten and Sneakers was rather young too, about 2, when they met. They were the best of friends. Medusa often caring for Sneakers and cuddling with him. They kept each other company when I was gone at work or when I slept at night. Now that Sneakers has passed Medusa misses him tremendously. I see it in her as she looks for him to cuddle or she sleeps in his bed instead of any other place in the house as she did before. This isn’t the first time I saw this either. I had a Terrier named Scruffy and another female cat, Cola, I got too as a kitten. With Scruffy, we had another cat, we again, got as a kitten, Coffee, too got along great with Scruffy, they would greet and cuddle and such but did their own thing often. But Scruffy and Cola were a different story… Cola would ride on Scruffy’s back when she was a kitten just jumping and playing. It reminded me of a cowboy on a horse. Scruffy in return would play back with her turning his head and do little love nips to her. You could just tell they were enjoying each other and were best buds. Never aggressive or hurtful with each other. So I totally feel cats and dogs together make the best of companionships, if you just introduce each other the right way.
I’m sure that mixing cats and dogs can sometimes cause issues, but personally, I’ve never had that experience. Being a not so young woman who was raised in a quasi-zoo in the middle of a sizeable city, we’ve always had multiples of both species, and have never had conflict between any of them. They all accepted each other, some ignored each other, others became cuddle buddies, but they always, always got along well. At one point in my childhood we had 2 dogs and 2 cats give birth within a week’s time (this was back in the day before neutering/spaying was a thing, and many pets were allowed to roam off-leash through neighborhoods), resulting in a total of 17 dogs and 13 cats for a couple of months. No drama between any of them. Now let a strange dog or cat come onto the property and there would often be a territorial scuffle, but not between pets living together in our home. Maybe we’ve just been exceptionally lucky, but even until recently I had a couple of cats and dogs at a time, indoors, with no problems at all. I’d love to know why some households have issues and others don’t. Interesting…
The whole “Alpha” approach has been deemed not only untrue, but just an old way of thinking. In the past we didn’t have internet, cable and so on . So in the 80’s when books were published and someone about dogs occasionally were on tv, we trusted they were experts. If someone is respectful to their dog, the dog will in turn want to please their owner. Shouting, or raising your voice makes dogs nervous and anxious. Therefore they won’t respond to an “Alpha” the way you want. There are many more reasons, but apparently I’m not the one writing.
My sister and I have trained our cats. My cat Vodka would come when called, sit, shake, and lay down when told to. If I told her to sit and stay, she would not move until I gave her permission to do so. She understood I was in charge, and she knew I loved her, and I feel like she loved me as well. It didn’t take much to train her, either. It was all a matter of establishing solid routines. It also helped that I had her pretty much since she was born, so she got used to certain routines and rules. I currently own a car and a dog, and I have found that my current cat is just as needy and affectionate, if not more, than my dog. Both animals get along just fine. I’ve even found them cuddled together on the same bed or on the same blanket, even though they each have their own things and their own space. They play together and with each other’s toys. My boyfriend and I take trips and car rides with both our pets, and they travel just fine. They both walk on leashes and enjoy getting dressed up as well. Like I said, all it takes is establishing routines with your pets and some love, patience, and reassurance. This article spreads lots of misinformation and promotes negative stereotypes about both pets.
This is a most uneducated article about cats and dogs living together. I have many many times had both cats and dogs in the same household and never had any stress between them other than playfulness my current small dog and his friend the Siamese cat roll around on the floor having a blast and chasing each other for fun no not hostile fun just good old fashion fun. The cat knows when he has had enough I’ll have to do is jump up on the counter the dog when he has had enough he just jumps up and walks off there is no problem
Article is total misinformation
Most of my friends have both cats and dogs no problems no stress
I have had cats and dogs together all of my life. The only problem l have us that lm allergic to cats. I take a medication that takes care of my allergy. The person that wrote the article is definitely a dog person. My three dogs found my breast cancer when l had a stereotactic breast biopsy which turned out negative. The night before my appointment with the doctor to tell me results of the biopsy, my dogs alerted to my left breast. They found the tumor before the hospital did. I feel like my dogs saved my life and l owe them big time. My cats as well as my dogs can see when lm emotionally upset. Of course their personalities are different. My dog has picked one of my cats to be his kitty. He’s old and heavy set, a lab pit mix, but he initiates play almost every day. He’s good for barking as a watch dog, protection. Both the dog and cats seem to want to help me emotionally. They are both by my side. Dogs and cats should not be left alone to fend for themselves. If a dog is left outside on a run and not taken in from the cold they can break away and run with other dogs starve or attack children. There are organizations that will pay half of the neuter/spay fee and shot for rabies. The only reason l can think of not spaying them is because they are show quality with papers and registered. It boils down to this you can have just cats or just dogs or you can have them together. The biggest difference is that dogs if treated kind want to please and are willing to learn how to do things that you want. Cats don’t. They can be taught to stop certain behaviors are wrong, like not jumping on top of kitchen cabinets. They see no use to do tricks like a dog and that’s why people like dogs best. Cats clean themselves. The dander from dried spit is what causes allergies. Some dogs are bred to have hypoallergenic fur. That might not be possible with a cat. I’m glad l have both.
I’ve seen cats and dogs get along living together…but usually if they are raised together, this outcome is attributed to the fact that cats and dogs have very different “body language”, which is part of the usual instinctual hostility between them. The theory is that when they are raised together, they understand each other. My mother’s cousin has several cats and dogs living in a large household. Some of the cats were born there, one older cat “came with the house”. Alas, one of the cats had a tragic end, getting killed by a neighbor’s dogs who got loose. A possible danger of raising cats and dogs together is that I guess it’s possible that the cats involved might not recognize “stranger danger” from unknown dogs if the dogs they’ve been raised with have been friendly to them. I’ve also occasionally seen “blended families” of cats and dogs thrown together by circumstance, occasionally work out.
I’ve had cats and dogs separately and together throughout my life. I’ve also had multiples of both and have found multiple cats together to be the more likely cause of cat stress. My dogs and cats have been playmates at best, respectful of each other at worst.
In actuality I am searching for poem related blog passages and by accidentally visited your site.This post is incredibly helpful and you have posted such significant and valuable article which gave me a player in information. I believe that you will keep it up and we will have continuously edifying and helping news from you. Before long thank you such an incredible sum for your post.