Picking your new pet

Your best shot at pet togetherness is to get your cat and dog when they're both young. Kittens and puppies who grow up together are much more likely to get along, and they can even become close buddies.

That said, if you've got an adult cat, it's possible to find a dog who will coexist with him. Before you dive in to the search, here are some pointers to keep in mind:

• If you've already got an adult cat, it's better to get an adult dog than a puppy. That puppy exuberance that we find so charming is annoying and stressful to cats.
• Look for a dog with a track record of living peacefully with felines. Question the breeder, rescue group, or shelter caring for the dog you're interested in. If the dog fixates on and stalks cats, squirrels, or smaller dogs, he's got a high prey drive (the tendency to chase and sometimes kill smaller animals). It's difficult if not impossible to train such a dog to ignore his instincts. Certain breeds tend to have higher prey drives than others; see a ranking of prey drive among different breeds here.
• Think twice about getting more than one dog. Dogs are more likely to chase, harass, or harm a cat if they're in a pack.

Something to keep in mind as you're thinking about a new pet: Many dogs love to chase cats but have no intention of harming them. Still, being chased and cornered by a dog is stressful for cats, so consider your kitty's peace of mind as well as safety.

Before you bring the new dog home

You can ease the introduction if you do some advance preparation.

1. Make sure the cat can escape if she needs to.
Cats are more likely to be hurt by dogs than vice versa, so make sure your cat has spots throughout the house--cleared-off countertops and shelves, kitty condos, and so on--to leap out of harm's way.

You'll also want to create areas where the cat can get a good distance away from the dog. You can block off rooms with baby gates, so long as your dog can't jump over them, or install cat doors that will let your cat escape outside or into another room.

Before you bring your new dog home, get your kitty acquainted with these escape routes and hiding places in advance. Lure her through the cat door, over a gate, or onto a safety perch with a food treat.

2. Set up the cat's belongings where the dog can't get to them.
Move the cat's food, water, toys, and litter box to an area the dog can't reach. The idea is to allow the cat to do whatever she needs to do without having to go near the dog; that way, she can explore the new pooch and his territory at her own speed.

Do any rearranging of your kitty's set-up a few weeks before you bring a new dog home, so she has time to get used to it. A new member of the household will be taxing enough for your cat, and having all her things moved at the same time will make it that much harder.

Making the introduction

The key is to go as slowly as it takes to keep fear and aggression at a minimum. It's likely that you'll see some of both, but if you're careful, you can check it before it snowballs.

Keep going over each step until it's old hat to both animals, and if either gets frightened or overly excited, just go back to the previous step and keep practicing until they're calm again. This process may take days, or it may take months.

1. Get them used to each other's scent.
Rub a cloth on each pet and put it in the other's hang-out spot--on the dog bed, under the cat's food dish, on your lap. You may have to refresh the cloth with the animal's scent several times. Keep it up until neither one seems overly excited or distressed by the other's smell--barking and whining in your dog and a swishing tail in your cat are signs they need more time.

2. Let them investigate each other's living areas.
While the cat's outside or elsewhere in the house, bring the dog in to sniff around her lair, and vice versa. This way they can explore the other's territory and scent without a direct face-off.

3. Introduce them through a door or baby gate.
Bring the dog and cat on opposite sides of a closed door or baby gate, with a person on both sides. Don't restrain your cat at all; feeling like she can't get away may frighten her.

Let them sniff under the door or through the gate, but if your cat doesn't want to get too close, don't force her. Lavish them both with praise, attention, and treats. You want them to think that good things happen when the other pet is around. Ask the dog to sit, lie down, and perform any other commands he knows, praising and rewarding him whenever he focuses on you and not the cat.

Keep practicing this step until the cat doesn't seem frightened and the dog doesn't seem overly excited.

4. Introduce them with the dog on leash.
Again, don't restrain the cat--she may panic if she feels like she can't escape this new, scary creature. Keep the dog on leash so you can stop him if he tries to give chase.

Again, ask the dog to obey some commands, rewarding him for focusing on you rather than on the cat.

Some cats will hiss and swipe at a curious or obnoxious dog to warn him, "Back off!" That's actually a better response than running away, which often triggers the dog to take off after her.

If the cat flees and your dog starts to chase her, grab the leash, firmly tell your dog, "No" or "Leave it," and ask him to sit. If he returns his attention to you, give him a food reward--a really tasty one--for his restraint.

Once your dog and cat seem fairly comfortable in each other's company, you can let them roam around together when you're home. But it's wise to separate them in different areas of the house when you go out until you're very, very sure they'll get along. Some experts recommend making this a permanent policy, to keep all the pets safe.

Bottom line: Many dogs and cats can coexist peacefully, but you'll keep everyone safe and make life much less stressful if you plan carefully when looking for a new pet, and introduce the newcomer slowly and carefully.