Hi people,

I'm looking for some advice (Again!)

My girlfriend has recently just moved into my house and we were looking to also move her dog in. She has a 2 year old Pomeranian dog - Pippa!

My Bengal (Oscar) is 3 years old and very very close with myself. Doesn't particularly get on with other cats/dogs but has had little time with them. I mean I bring Oscar to my mums place who has a cat. They put up with each other but not the best of friends. Oscar is so curious about my mums cat though, always following it, sniffing it, trying to attack/play!

We've introduced the Pippa the dog to Oscar once. She was tired after a long walk and came into the house. Oscar hissed at her then ran up the stairs. We never made a fuss and took the dog home.

Does anyone have any advice on how to make this work? We plan to take a week off work during the initial period to try our hardest to make both pets feel as comfortable as possible. Pippa was fantastic with Oscar and has been fantastic with my mums cat so I have no real issues or worries with the dog settling in. It's more worried that Oscar won't accept the new dog into our home. To be honest, if it causes too much distress we are planning on keeping Pippa at my girlfriends mum and dad's place.

Edited to add: Pippa is currently crate trained and would sleep/stay in her crate when we are out of the house.
Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

Cheers,
Shlou.

It's good that the dog is crate trained and will not be loose when you're not home. I would recommend buying some "baby gates" to block the dog out of rooms in the house but still allow the cat access. This will be important in making the cat feel there is a "safe" place to get away from this new "invader". All of Oscar's things (litter box, water & food) should be in a "safe" place that the dog doesn't have free access to.

It will take some time but Oscar will get used to the dog being around. They may never be friends but they should at least tolerate each other.

We actually just adopted another dog the weekend before Christmas and it's taken Diesel about 3 weeks to stop hissing ever time he sees the new dog. Diesel has even played with the new dog a few times in the last couple of days.

_________________
Dallas, TX USA
Diesel - snow Bengal born 09/01/2013 adopted Feb 2014
Tuck, Chloe, Buddy, Lewis & Tia - rescue kitties
Clyde, Bleu & Coal - Great Danes

The most important thing is to make sure you have some high places Oscar can get to -- cat tree, climbing shelves. Bengals love to see the world from high in the sky. Pippa should be a small doggie. A dog is more likely to accept a kitty than vice versa. I think it just takes time to get Oscar to accept Pippa. Dogs are curious and want to sniff -- cats do not appreciate that. But, things should settle down after a while. The best way to start is to probably have Pippa in the crate and allow Oscar access to sniff around the outside. Just know that it can take a while. You do not want to stress Oscar out or inappropriate litter box habits start. Eventually, they will probably play together and sleep together.

Thanks for the tips/advice people. We were planning on bringing Pippa over for a weekend then gradually bringing her more and more often after. Is that a good idea or are you better to just move right in and let them bond over time that way? I'll definitely use the crate as a starter for Osc to investigate!

If your girlfriend has moved in, bring the dog over as well. Pippa can get stressed out being separated from her owner. Blend the family now.