Changes

==Prevention==

==Prevention==

When introducing cats to unfamiliar dogs, it is important to allow the cat an escape route which allows it to get away from the dog without triggering a chase behaviour. High shelves or a baby-gate are ideal, because they allow the cat to get away but still remain in sight of the dog. Once dogs have learned how rewarding it is to chase a cat, it may be very difficult to get the animals to coexist without further stress. Critical to this is the cat’s initial response. Remembering that cats recognise familiarity through odour signals, it is sometimes very effective to use [[Pheromonotherapy - Cat|F4 (Felifriend)]] to mark the unfamiliar dog around the head and flank areas. To the cat, the dog appears to be marked as ‘familiar’, which may inhibit escape behaviour by the cat so that the dog’s desire to chase is not reinforced. Obviously, this is only safe when the dog has no history of harming or attempting to harm cats. It is also important to remember that cats that have already had experience of being chased or injured by dogs may be greatly confused by the dissonance between the visual recognition of threat combined with an odour cue that implies safe familiarity. This can induce [[Feline Fear Overview|panic]].  

 

When introducing cats to unfamiliar dogs, it is important to allow the cat an escape route which allows it to get away from the dog without triggering a chase behaviour. Once dogs have learned how rewarding it is to chase a cat, it may be very difficult to get the animals to coexist.

 

If the dog is introduced in the cat's home, then additional escape opportunities should be provided in advance of the first meeting (high shelves or a baby-gate are ideal). These should allow the cat to get away easily but still remain in sight of the dog.

 

If the dog and cat are to be introduced in an environment that is unfamiliar to the cat, the cat should be introduced to the environment and allowed to fully settle win before the first introduction. For example, the cat should be initially confined to a room of its own, with food, water, latrine and resting sites. Once the cat is familiar with this room, it can be allowed to have access to more of the home, with barriers such as baby gates installed to prevent accidental encounters between dog and cat. The cat and dog would then be introduced in a room within the house where the cat is entirely comfortable and has already learned to use hiding and climbing places, and exits.

 

 

The dog should be trained to reliably respond to a range of basic commands, and in particular a "leave" command (the dog stops following or chasing a thrown ball, and returns to the owner on command). If the dog exhibits high levels of arousal or territorial behaviour when it encounters cat in its garden or on the street, then this training is particularly important ad can be tested in these other situations. If a dog cannot be controlled using verbal commands, then it is not ready to be introduced to the cat.

 

 

Critical to this is the cat’s initial response. Remembering that cats recognise familiarity through odour signals, it is sometimes very effective to use [[Pheromonotherapy - Cat|F4 (Felifriend)]] to mark the unfamiliar dog around the head and flank areas. To the cat, the dog appears to be marked as ‘familiar’, which may inhibit escape behaviour by the cat so that the dog’s desire to chase is not reinforced. Obviously, this is only safe when the dog has no history of harming or attempting to harm cats. It is also important to remember that cats that have already had experience of being chased or injured by dogs may be greatly confused by the dissonance between the visual recognition of threat combined with an odour cue that implies safe familiarity. This can induce [[Feline Fear Overview|panic]].  

The cat should be allowed times when it is able to watch the dog and approach from a position of security. It needs to have food, water, resting places and [[Cat Latrines|latrines]] that are freely accessible without having to approach close to the dog. If the dog has any tendency to chase or approach the cat too boldly, it should be trained to sit and then be kept under control using a leash during initial encounters.

The cat should be allowed times when it is able to watch the dog and approach from a position of security. It needs to have food, water, resting places and [[Cat Latrines|latrines]] that are freely accessible without having to approach close to the dog. If the dog has any tendency to chase or approach the cat too boldly, it should be trained to sit and then be kept under control using a leash during initial encounters.