hi i will  be gettting my 14 wk old mini  pinscher cross pup on saturday,having spent time with her she seem nice natured but enjoys play fighting with her litter.
my male cat is 12yrs ginger and they ab out the same size at the moment ,cat has lived with a dog some yrs back i got a 2 up 2 down house with cat flap just thinking of whats the best living arrangements for them both ,and introducing them to start of any goood tips be welcome,also i work from home  so am around alot of the time

> also i work from home  so am around alot of the time

this makes such a differnce :) I also work from home, but I must warn you, when you have a cute new puppy to play with & train you wont get much work done, lol.

I think it's best not to force the cat to meet the pup, let the cat meet pup on the cats terms & ensure pup does not have free access to pester the cat. We found that our cat hid upstairs for the first week when we brought the pup home (we have another dog allready, but the cat was still disgusted!!!)
And always remember that a cat is very quick, it only takes a split second for a cat to give a warning swipe which can easily damage a puppies eye (my sisters boxer pup lost her eye this way, it was only a tiny scratch but it introduced an infection that caused swelling inside the eye, which caused irrepairable damge :( )

thats very sad news about the boxer pup,think i just give them brief meetings and have the cat up on the side out harms way see how they react,keep them at a distance and not leave them alone together,as for the work hoping to tire pup out then get a few hrs done

Our dog's not allowed upstairs so the cat has a refuge, baby gate across the stairs that Moth can get through but not Salty.  I think Moth would have left home by now if it wasn't for that, after a year the dog's still pretty bouncy and wanting to play with the cat.  But as long as the cat's higher up than the dog, eg on the sofa he's now pretty tolerant of being poked a bit so like you say, give him plenty of opportunities to escape and just be able to watch!  I guess he might be a bit put out for a while, just keep giving him loads of cuddles too :)  Good luck!

thks peoples for the ideas think i get a stair gate too ,hopefully there be mates soon i got a good feeling they will paws crossed 

Hi Tony,
When I got my puppy, my cat was offended and became v withdrawn. It took lots of love and reassurance that she wasn't being replaced before she started coming out of herself again.
I guess it's down to personality, but I would definitely say to spend some extra quality time with your cat, don't let him feel left out.
All the best.

Hi

Think youll be surprised how quickly they become used to each other.

I have 3 cats all with different personalities, when my last puppy arrived, the eldest fatcat aged 16yrs just sat there and wouldnt budge daring the puppy to go near him so he could bat him, the pup sniffed the cat hissed and that was their understanding set. They are fine with each other now and the puppy respects this cat.

My other middle cat Reno just doesnt like any mither and gets out of the way, he is very laid back and knows the pup wont hurt him but will bat him if the pup oversteps his mark.

Then the third cat who is a very very cunning cheeky siamese thought he was brilliant, another playmate! The siamese isnt afraid of anything and jumps on the pup for a playfight, they can often be found together usually the siamese between the pups paws or his head sticking out of the pups mouth, neither will hurt each other they are friends.
They like to play hide and seek and its so entertaining to watch

Just play it by ear with your cat, dont force her to meet the pup till she is ready, if the cat doesnt want to know she will put the dog straight im sure.

Enjoy youre new puppy!

All my 4 are fine with the cat- they have their moments when they give chase (playfully) but she just stops and stares at them and they well know their place :0D

My cat is now 11 so was 6 when the pup arrived. He spat a few times and kept his distance. We made sure that the cat's routine didn't alter at all and he was still allowed access to the whole of the house while the puppy was restricted initially.
It was funny, the cat ignored the pup completely until it was asleep, then he would creep up and have a sniff all around !.
They are now incredibly close and every morning are cuddled up somewhere together - our bed, spare beds or basket. They even play together and chase around the garden !.
I think it's just important to allow the first one, whether cat or dog, to keep it's routine. It's also best to let introductions happen on their terms. No point forcing them to be together - shoving a puppy under a cats nose is asking for trouble. Obviously, make sure you are in the room with them when the first few meetings happen, but let them get on with it within reason and they'll quickly sort out what's what !.

Val

hi thks everyone for your replys ,i took my little girl around the block of the dogs home today and spent some more time  with her, taking her home saturday shes a nice pup bit shy compared to the others ,as we was walking around the block we bumped into 2 different cats and she wasnt that interested to be honest ,am pretty sure moggy and pup be ok as my cat not scared by foxes or stray cats .am sure i be posting a pic  of them both sooon together happy as larry .