Hi, sorry for the long post but I need some advice!
I’ve had my cat named Luna for about a year now; she’s almost a year and a half so I got her when she was four months old. My boyfriend and I have decided it’s time for us to get a puppy, so next weekend we will be getting a three month old female Shiba Inu. I’m just a little nervous about introducing them and how to keep them separated.
I live in an apartment with a connected living room and kitchen, and then my bedroom. Usually, when I’m not home, my cat will either be outside in the living room or locked in my bedroom as I live with someone else and lock my room when I leave. She’s a shy, skittish cat and doesn’t adjust to new people well right away, and I don’t know how she’ll react to this puppy. She’s only really seen a few dogs before when I’ve taken her to the vet and she did hiss at some huge Great Danes but did not hiss at a smaller dog, so I’m not sure if it was coincidence or if she’s better with dogs around her size. I know when we first bring the puppy home we’ll let the puppy sniff around the living room while Luna is in the bedroom, and then after about half an hour switch them so they can get used to their scents. Then I’ll hold the puppy on her leash and my boyfriend will hold the cat on her leash and see how it goes.
Would anything help to ease the meeting a little more? Would it be better to have them meet in my bathroom so it’s a neutral spot and not my cat’s territory (I always keep the bathroom door closed)? Would Feliway (the spray) help my cat at all? I’ll obviously have treats to try and distract them. Also, when I leave for class for a few hours at a time, should I keep the puppy in my room and the cat in the living room? Or keep them both in my bedroom and just have the puppy in the crate so my cat can get away if she needs to? I have a Furbo camera so I can keep an eye on them together when I’m not home. I’m not too concerned about how the puppy will react, more so about how my cat will react. She wouldn’t attack the dog but she will be scared and I’m just looking for ways to lessen that so if you have any tips that’d be great!
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/au1m7k/introducing_puppy_to_clingy_shy_cat/
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