My Bestfriend

Do your cat and dog fight like, well, like cats and dogs? Mine did when they first met. They were both from the shelters and the ruckus they made was just astounding! My cat Vanna, with her ferocious claws, always win of course. Bert, a 3-year-old golden retriever (who usually starts the fight by sticking his nose on the cat’s food bowl) is such a wuss, retreating with his tail between his legs to a safer territory: under the dining table.

My friend Shaun Olmstead says that fighting is a normal behavior between cats and dogs. They fight because they don’t speak the same language. Like, cats lash their tails when they’re agitated while dogs growl. Cats purr when they’re happy while dogs wag their tails. So, there are really a lot of mixed signals going on!

The good thing is that cats and dogs can be the best of friends. That’s once they’re familiar with each other. Familiarity will help them learn to talk to each other. That’s why it’s a good idea to introduce them when they’re young.

With older pets, I suggest introducing them to each other slowly like keeping the dog in one half of the house and the cat in the other (by using a safety gate, for example), so they get used to having this other, somewhat-alarming critter around. The dog learns the cat isn’t food, and the cat learns the dog won’t eat him. Slowly, under supervision, start bringing them into the same room together.

I followed this technique and I must say it really works. My Vanna and Bert are now the best of friends. They play together, greet each other nose-to-nose and even share the same water bowl!