Can you get a cat if you have a young dog?

Hi, since my beloved Tommy died in July, I miss having a cat.  We got a new little dog, and I love him, but I still would like to get another cat.  Would this work?  My dog seems to like other animals.  He does well at the dog park unless another dog challenges him.  If he sees a cat, he wags his tail and only barks or chases if the cat comes at him.

I was thinking, maybe a young cat or a kitten that would not mind a dog?  Anyone have both and what animal did you get first?  Should I get an outside cat?

[PrettyKitty1]

I think you should be fine with both cat and dog. You could try getting a kitten so that it gets used to being with the dog easily, or you can adopt an older cat who is already used to living with other animals. You could ask at the place where you'll get the cat if the cat has been socialized with other pets. I've had both, and both have gotten along pretty well. The dog always wanting to play with the cat, putting the cat's head in her mouth, and the cat could have cared less. Pretty cool black kitty I had.

If you live in the city I would keep my cat indoors. The risks of being outside are increasingly dangerous each day. There are so many cat haters out there; they like to just kill them for no reason, like what they do here in Florida with chipmunks…horrific. They also get ran over and hit by cars. My husband's orange tabby cat got hit by a car. He had to be put to sleep at just 2 years of age. Many people get the cats they see on the streets to feed them to their big reptiles. Strays almost have no problem if people aren't using guns. However, a very socialized kitty with a loving owner, used to being around people may very well lack tactics to defend itself..claws and all.  Have you ever watched videos of cat abuse? Maybe animal planet? Cats and dogs have always been a target for abuse. I guess that's just human nature, to destroy everything that loves him. BUT that’s just my opinion based on my own experience. The black cat I mentioned above was abused by some random kids on the streets; so badly, she could never walk straight or lift her head anymore. She was put down at just  4 years of age. :(
Good Luck in your search. :)

[Cindee56]

Thank you so much for all the information.  I have had two cats, one outside and my Tommy who was an inside cat.  I have never had a kitten or a dog, so I want to do the right thing for both.  So far, my dog Connor is doing great although he gets excited and is very active.

I think I will maybe take Connor to dog obedience training classes and learn to handle him better, then get a cat.

[Ghilly]

As long as the dog is not of a breed that is instinctively aggressive toward other animals, you should have no problems introducing a kitten to the family.  I would definitely get a kitten, though, and not an adult cat.  Adult cats can be way too opinionated to try to introduce them to a young dog, and if the dog is active enough, it can annoy the cat and the cat will let the dog know in no uncertain terms that it's not happy.  This could put a permanent strain on the relationship between the cat  and dog, so it's best to try to start with the best combination you can in order to increase your chances of having a successful dog/cat relationship in your home.

This is not meant as an insult to anyone's pets, because there are exceptions to every rule, but IN GENERAL, terrier breeds do not tend to get along too well with cats simply because they have been bred since the breeds were developed to hunt rats and other vermin, so small animals that tend to move quickly are high on their list of things to go after.   A friend of mine from rescue belongs to a group that rescues Parson Russell Terriers, and they will not adopt one of their rescue dogs to anyone who has a cat, because it isn't uncommon for these dogs to kill cats, according to the folks who run the group.  It's also not uncommon for pit bulls to kill cats, even if they are friendly toward people.  Again, this isn't a slam against any particular breeds, I'm just stating that there are some breeds that, because of what they are bred to do, either do not get along with small animals or just can't abide small animals and want to kill them, so the best I can suggest is to do a lot of research about your dog's breed or the breeds that make up your dog to see if any of them are problematic when it comes to having quick-moving small animals around.  If everything looks copacetic, adopt a young kitten as a companion for your dog.

Ghilly

[Katie611]

my dog is two. I had 2 cats when i got her but they have passed away. recently i rescued a 1 and half year old cat, my dog takes no notice really. the cat was frightened at first but then came to relise my dog was no threat. now the cat takes over the dogs bed and food. the dog just looks on as if to say.. thats mine. but she does nothing. so i say yeah get a cat...

[Joyce47oh]

Yes you can get a cat if you have a dog. Best thing to do since you have a computer is type these keys wrods into the top bar : Intorducing kitten to dog" also you can go to TAlly's cat care Basics 101 and it has bunches of sites that will tell you the best sex and age kitty to get to be best with your dog. ALways introduce them slowly over a period of days,:  Much better on both animals and less stressul for both, At the Tally Site it will tell you exactly how to do it so they will have a :good introduction." If your Dog is either a pup or young dog a kitten should be fine. If he is a senior dog a little older kitty would be better,,,, Best of luck and I am so sorry to hear about your Tommy
:-(  Need morwe info let me know :-)
Joyce 47oh

[whiskey104]

you will be fine to have a cat and dog together. i have 3 dogs and a cat and they get along fine. the best thing would be to introduce them slowly then they will be fine.

[A_Muse4u]

I just gave away a 1 mo. young Sylvester-lOOking cat away on June 18th, a day b4 he turned 1 mo.  The guy that came for him said he wanted to raise a cat w/his tea-cup chihuahua.  I thought it would be alright, so I gave him the cat, his favorite toys, his baby litter-box, shampoo, and baby-crunchies and I hope he's doing fine.  :)

[A_Muse4u]

I also had a Dalmatian, A RottweilerLabrador, and a Chow/German-Shepherd/Wolf w/4 cats and they never bothered my cats.  Not that my cats went near them.  What for?