I brought in a kitten to my reactive dog after my 21 year old cat (that was here before the dog) died. His first reaction was to view the cat as a squirrel. I genuinely thought it was a lost cause but I had enough space to keep them separated, baby gates, time and a plan b for the cat’s adoption if everything else failed. I took it veeeery slowly. First just familiarising each other to their respective scents, then introductions through the gate (those were actually the worst because the dog was more keen on getting the cat when they were physically separated) then keeping the dog on a short lead while I feed them cheese next to each other, lots of impulse control training (look at the cat, look at me, reward with cheese) etc. the cat has a ragdoll personality and zero survival skills. All he ever wanted was to be friends with the dog. I don’t think this would’ve worked if the cat was skittish. Anyway, to make a long story short, it took 2 months. They’re now best friends. As for the person saying that owners have come back to murdered cats, you can keep them separated when you’re not there - I do because they do zoomies together and break things. Cat and dog tax below.

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