Hey so I'm about to move in with my parents. (my dad is sick and I'm an only child) And I have a cat. They have a black lab. Both were strays. My dad keeps saying we should get these two together. I think that's an extremely bad idea. Btw the dog goes after rabbits and chews them into nothing in seconds. What do you say /an/?
>>2112210
Also they were in the same house for a time. I kept the cat in my room and the dog was downstairs. The cat would sneak out to use the litterbox becuase I kept it ouside my room and later on wouldn't even go there unless I was standing there. And everytime the dog saw her she would freak out and go into kill mode.
So now I'm worried. I don't have to move back in. I was just going to help out because of my dad's health but he actually seems to be getting better now.
The other thing is country roads. She could get ran over. But then again she'd be in the grass and trees and everything that I'm sure she misses.
I really don't know what to do. Help me /an/.
>>2112210
Just let the dog rip it up then get yourself a dog like a regular person.
>>2112210
Introduce their smells to each other first by taking the dog to the door you keep the cat in to let him get used to it
Then hope really hard and think about letting them meet
Then abandon hope and leave the cat in your room forever to protect it
Dogs are savages
>>2112210
My dog spent it's whole life chasing rats, rabbits and cats, so when I got a cat I installed a screen door in my kitchen to seperate them but still let them interwct safely. After about three months I opened the door. They get along fine.
i got a rabbit thinking my dog we be fine with it since he was fine around rats and other small rabbits.. but he wasn't so i kept him on a leash and rewarded good behavior and put him in a room to calm down if he got too excited
they get along ok now
>>2112210
Do it, op, the dog deserves a new toy now and again.
>>2112930
How old is the cat and how long has it been living with you at the place you are right now?
The older it is, the worse the idea is. Cats get slower and more lazy as they get older. They don't want constant stimulation. They just want peace and security. Taking a senior cat into that situation could lead to all sorts of problem, like peeing where it's not supposed to and destructive behaviors.
If it's high energy and youthful, it will probably be fine. Granted it doesn't get eaten.
Cats do 1 thing extremely well - beat the shit out of stuff. They are some of the greatest fighters in the animal kingdom. A dog would have to get lucky to catch one in a domestic environment with so many places to hide. I'd do my best to keep them apart, but not worry myself silly about a fatality.
That said, putting them together to "bond" or something? LOL. No. That's not how any of that works. 99% of the time, the only way a dog and cat will bond is if the dog is increeeeeedibly gentle AND they're both puppies/kittens. Regardless, the dog HAS to be gentle (and I mean super-low-energy with no prey drive) for it to work at all. Don't bother if it's a Labrador (notoriously high-energy, there)
>>2112940
She's pretty young. I guess I'll have to figure out a way that they can smell/see each other but be separated for a bit.
>>2113069
It's really simple.
>Rub cat all over yourself and something
>let dog smell you on a couple of occasions
>do same for cat, cat probably won't give a fuck but at least they'll have common ground
>have dog on leash on neutral territory
>walk around with dog with cat in hand
>if possible get your cat on a harness and walk with them both, dog on a short leash
The cat won't care, but the dog may learn to accept the cat as a member of the pack instead of prey.
>have dog in his kennel
>enter room with cat
>dog will probably freak the fuck out if he sees it as prey
>do this a few times until dog calms the fuck down, give treats and praise for ignoring the cat and acting calm
>do this a few times
>let cat walk around the room while dog is in crate, if he's flipping shit distract him
It depends on your devotion, walking them together could be crucial, or the dog could get bored and kill the cat anyway. If you want security, put up barriers and have a lot of high places for the cat to easily escape to. Crate method is pretty shitty and stresses out you, the dog, and the cat. Walk method is better.
>>2113272
Also dogs have insane noses, he doesn't need to be in kill range to make an association. Praise and treats for ignoring the cat completely. Seek out a professional.
>>2113272
All of this is void if the dog and cat haven't been socialized with dogs and cats. A dog will never bond with a cat if it's not socialized with cats. And a cat is even worse - Cats hate dogs a lot more than dogs hate cats. If the cat wasn't raised with dogs, that isn't happening either.
>>2112940
>A dog would have to get lucky to catch one in a domestic environment with so many places to hide. I'd do my best to keep them apart, but not worry myself silly about a fatality.
More like
>cat lets down guard around dog because it normally isn't threatening
>one day cat surprises dog or moves in a specific way that triggers dog's prey drive
>cat gets mauled
>alternately, cat's response to danger is to freeze
Cat-killing is not a huge rarity.
OP, never let a dog with a mid-high prey drive be alone with a cat unless they were socialized together from an early age.
