[LadyGrey]

Hello!

My sister and her dog will be staying with me for a few days for Thanksgiving.
What can I do to help Jasper welcome the dog into our home with minimal stress?

The dog isnt very big, she lives with cats & doesn’t mind (or care) about their presence.
She’s not very active, just sits or follows her mom around.

I’ve had dogs visit on the front deck, but never inside yet. When they visit on the deck Jasper dashes upstairs & intensely watches from his perch in the bedroom window. <<))

I’ve only had him a few months and though he’s VERY social with people I have no idea of his past with dogs (am about to find out very soon...).

Thank you for any tips I can use!

Debbie

 

[shlanon]

If it's only for a few days, I'd just keep the dog and cat in separate rooms. That way you don't have to worry at all about your cat freaking out!

 

[LadyGrey]

I am considering doing that, but have a small house & it seems unfair to restrict either animal to one room each. I guess it's more practical than a visit to the vet for either of them. ))) I'll look into that as one of my options.

 

[Gibsonsmom]

It took Gibson a while to introduce him to the new puppy. We werent really sure how he was going to do. In the past when a dog was around him it always depended on the dog. If the dog is docile and not to super hyperactive then he would be fine in the same room, once he established superority, however, if the dog chased him or wanted to sniff him he would hiss and run away. I would suggest if you want to try to keep them in the same room you can start by having the dog on a leash and not letting it near the cat. My guess would be that when the dog settles down the cat will approach when it is ready. But dont force it.