Things You'll Need
- patience
- time – about two weeks
- snacks (dog food) for dog, and (cat food) for cat
- leash for the dog
- one large room
- a chair so you can sit and keep the cat in your lap
Instructions
Prepare Yourself
Take the cat and ensure that it is well fed. A cat with a full stomach is much more tolerant about other animals than one that is not. Make sure that the cat has a very good relationship with you. This is not to be attempted unless you are in full control of the animal, and the animal trusts you completely. In order to determine whether your cat trusts you or not, carry it in your arms and go towards a water tap. Turn the tap on and let the water flow freely. Iis the cat still in your arms, though very disturbed about the sound and proximity of water? If the cat scratches you and runs away from your arms, the control you have on it or the trust it has on you, is not very good. If this happens you are going to want to hold off and attempt this exercise sometime later.
Have the dog fed as well (not in front of the cat, but before it is brought into the same room with the cat). The dog should preferably be on a leash, since they tend to attack if they find a cat challenging them or spitting (a way, which cats use for intimidation of the enemy when they are scared). Have the dog fed and then walked. The dog should be tired, happy and relaxed.
Sit comfortably in the chair; for example watching TV, and then put the cat in your lap and pet the cat enough until it starts to purr in contentment. You need to get comfortable and get the cat as comfortable as it can be. Be prepared for it to struggle; keep one hand on the scruff of its neck and be ready to catch and lift it, if needed. Get the dog in the same room and have it tied in such a manner that it could only come within one-and-half feet from where you are sitting.
Call the dog to you, all the time paying attention to your cat's behavior. By now, the cat's tail could have doubled in size and the hair on its body would be rising to make it look larger and more aggressive. Do not worry; this is a war stance that cats take when they feel in danger of attack. Talk with your cat, pet it profusely while with one hand try reaching out to the dog, and pet it too.
If the cat spits on the dog and the dog snaps or barks loudly, have the dog removed from the room immediately. Leave the cat, and follow the dog out of the room. Pet the dog profusely and with the same hands (without washing hands) go back to your cat in the room. Pet the cat slowly, patiently, allowing it get the smell of the dog from your hands.
Repeat step five until the cat completely ignores the dog and vice-versa. Once you achieve this level, give food to both animals in the same room. When you do this, make sure to keep the dog tied up. The bowls should be far enough to ensure that the dog and the cat can eat without perceiving any threat for the other animal.
Continue with step six for about a week, after which let the dog free at the feeding time. Always stand there when this happens, (or ask someone capable enough to separate the animals) ready to intervene if need be.
Close the food bowls gradually, so the cat and the dog will eat as close as possible, so that at the maximum there is only about one foot difference between the bowls. As the animals learn to tolerate each other at feeding time, the cat will cease spitting or making any war cries at the dog. After a while of continuing this regime, the dog and the cat will co-exist without any trouble.