Dachshund owners often ask, Will my dachshund get along with a cat? In general, dogs and cats do not have a good reputation for getting along. We’ve all heard the phrase, “fighting like cats and dogs.” So do I get along with cats? Let’s find out.
Dachshunds And Cats Living Together
Yes, dogs and cats can live together and they can even become companions and friends.
For the most part, a dog who is well socialized will get along fine with cats. If a dog and cat become familiar with one another from a young age, the chances are good that they can develop a good friendship. However, personality and past experience do play a role. For example, if a dog has had a bad experience with a cat in the past, he will likely react to cats with aggression. The same is also true of a cat.
According to animal behavior specialists, a dachshund and a cat should get along fine if they are raised around each other. But if you plan to introduce a mature dog to a mature cat, there is no guarantee that they will hit it off. If your dachshund has not been well socialized, then he may treat the cat with aggression, or possibly hurt or even kill the cat. Likewise, an aggressive cat can be a threat to your dog as well. If both animals exhibit aggression toward one another, it is best to keep them apart.
Getting To Know Each Other
I am very territorial, so if I have established my dominion over the house, it will be very difficult to introduce a new cat into it. If you insist on adopting a cat, you should start slowly. The first step is to introduce us in a neutral zone so that I won’t view the cat as an intruder. If I get along well with the cat, you can then bring the cat home. After that, keep the cat in a restricted area where I cannot go; a room or section of the house can be blocked off, if necessary. This arrangement should continue until I become used to the cat’s presence. Then we can be around each other under supervision. Continue doing this until you are sure that I have accepted the cat as a member of the family.
Let Them See Each Other
It is a good idea to put up a see-through barrier like a mesh net gate. This will allow your dachshund and the cat to get used to each other’s presence in the house. Furthermore, it is very important that you don’t give all your attention to the cat and neglect me. If that happens, I am bound to become jealous and it will be very difficult for me
to accept the presence of the cat in the house. Lastly, if you’re introducing a puppy to a cat, use this same practice to help your cat acclimate to a new pet.
Potential Problems
We are hunting dogs and as such, our instinct tells us to chase and hunt other animals. It is my instinct to even harm other animals, like cats, birds or rodents. There is a higher risk of this behavior showing up if you adopt an adult dachshund who has not been socialized with other animals. However, it is not too late for an adult dog to learn to safely socialize with other animals like cats, but it is a good idea to ensure the safety of both pets by keeping them separate. With the right direction, there is a likelihood that we will get along just fine, but you will have to have patience and understand that we both are very fond of you and want you all to ourselves. Once we realize that you love us both equally, we should get along like siblings.
Setting The Scene
A dachshund and a cat are more likely to get along when the dachshund is introduced as the new pet in the family. Integrating a young dachshund to an established cat is much easier than bringing home a cat to a household that a dachshund has already established territory over. If you decide to block off part of the house to provide time for the pets to get used to one another, it is better to reserve the blocked off area for the pet you’ve had longer. For example, a particular bedroom can be designated as a cat-only space. Making sure we have our own space will communicate to us that we are important.
As for your dachshund, maybe he can be allowed to roam only on the ground floor. Climbing stairs is not good for his back anyway.
Conclusion And Some Useful Tips
You can place barriers between me and the cat, at least in the beginning. If you feed me and the cat at the same time, on opposite sides of a see-through barrier, we will learn to associate the happy time of eating meals with the other. It is also important to make sure that equal attention and praise is provided to both pets. This is so that the first family pet does not get jealous or feel neglected. It is also important not to leave both pets together without supervision until you are absolutely sure that we are not going to hurt each other.
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