Dear Fighting: Relationships between cats and dogs cover the spectrum from best buddies to mortal enemies. Interspecies match-ups can work depending on the personality and age of the animals to be introduced. Ideally, you would want to raise a kitten with a puppy when both are young and open to learning when an early bond between them will last a lifetime. When one of the pair is already established things are a bit more complicated.

Before you decide what kind of dog to get, you should assess your cat. How old is your cat? Is it young and willing to accept new animals or is it very old and set in its ways. How friendly is it? Is it outgoing and inquisitive or is it territorial. How big and what breed? Is it spayed or neutered? Put together a profile of your cat before deciding on a new dog. Once you have this done, picking a dog will be a whole lot easier for you.

Picking a Breed

Let’s say you have a fairly large, older cat that tends to bully and is very territorial, a worse case scenario. I would suggest you look into getting a young puppy between eight to ten-weeks-old. Now while all this new activity will probably not endear the puppy to the cat immediately, it will be best for the puppy as she will grow up with the cat and learn to accept whatever it dishes out. If you try to bring a large, full-grown dog into the house, the cat would feel even more threatened. Any adult dog you adopt would most likely come from a shelter where many dogs have unknown histories. There may be no way to know if the dog has ever been exposed to cats before. If you are lucky enough to find an older dog that comes from a “cat home” and is in need of a new home that would be ideal. But this situation is rare. 

If you get the young pup, it will learn to give an ornery cat a wide berth. You may find a few claws stuck in the pup’s nose but it will be a lesson she won’t soon forget. Most puppies learn to adapt to the “alpha cat” and problems are rare.

You must remember that dogs are natural predators or hunters. Anything small and furry that moves around at great speed will attract their attention. Cats and kittens fall into this category.

If you are concerned then you might want to stay away from the most predatory breeds like terriers. Their natural instinct to hunt prey is very strong. Hounds are also great hunters, but not necessarily as much to the kill as the terriers. Your best bet would be to select a smaller dog from the Toy or Non-Sporting groups. A good choice might be something the same size as the adult cat such as a Toy Poodle or Pomeranian. If a fluffy coat isn’t your cup of tea, you could go for a Pug, French Bulldog or Italian Greyhound. Read up on the different breeds to learn about their temperaments and adult size at www.akc.org and make a list of choices. Then call reputable breeders available on the website and talk to them.

Some cats could care less if you brought home a Great Dane. With a little human supervision in the beginning and planned escape routes for you cat, a young pup growing up with the cat will also grow on the cat. Mother Nature can be fickle but usually the new pair end up in the middle of the best buddy spectrum.    

Lisa Peterson, a breeder and exhibitor of Norwegian Elkhounds, is a Delegate to the American Kennel Club. Send questions to elvemel@aol.com or P.O. Box 197, Newtown, CT 06470.