Can Dogs And Cats Ever Get Along?

by Sarah

Many pet owners have multiple pets, each of which has different care and grooming needs, but one pairing that often gives owners pause is moving cats and dogs together.

This caused a problem in the dog grooming world recently as it nearly stopped a planning application for a salon to be opened next to a cat cafe according to the Andover Advertiser, based on the stereotype inflamed by media reporting of the story that cats and dogs are natural enemies.

This is, as many pet owners who have had both will know, not strictly true. As studies have shown, cats and dogs will have a perfectly amicable relationship together when placed in the right home

They might not become the best of friends, although that is certainly not unheard of, but they will be friendly to each other, stay close to each other without fighting and act like perfectly cordial housemates, even if they may not necessarily be very close or groom each other.

Generally, whether a cat and dog pairing will work, and in seven per cent of UK households this is certainly the case, will depend on the feline more than the canine. Cats were more likely to threaten dogs and tended to determine whether the pairing would work or not.

Dogs will often adapt to a new home relatively quickly, whilst cats take a lot longer to get used to being around other species. Naturally, indoor cats tend to feel more comfortable in mixed-species homes than dogs, and if the cat is part of the home first they are less likely to feel uncomfortable.

It is a fascinating field of study, but one that still requires a lot more research to work out when and why some dogs befriend some cats and why it sometimes simply does not work.

However, the stereotype that dogs and cats will always fight, as spread by films, TV shows and newspapers, is a complete fiction.