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My dog and I currently live at home with a cat. Our cat was use to dogs as we got him as a kitten and he grew up with another dog (until she passed away). My dog gets along great with my cat. However, soon I want to be moving out of my parents house and my dog is coming with me. The family cat is staying. I want to get another cat before I move so my dog will have a friend around while I'm working. How soon before the move should I get the cat so I can make sure it gets along with my dog? I don't really want to move, then get a new cat because I think it would be stressful for my dog to be in a new place with a new cat. I thought getting the cat before the move would help everyone adjust. Would you suggest a kitten or an older cat? Both the dog and cat right now are around the same age. The cat is 9, and my dog is 8 (had him almost 5 years).
I had a somewhat similar living situation, happened at least twice, each time looking for a dog friendly cat.
First and foremost, I would wait until AFTER you moved out. It costs a lot of money and time to select and move to a new place. Then, the stress and time required to settle down, ie unbox everything, buying or moving around furniture pieces, having a plumber or electrician check and fix any problems going in and out of the home, etc.
Also, if you are renting which sounds like you are, will your landlord approve? You must get their approval. You may even need to pay pet deposits that can be costly, ie $200 per pet. If you think you can sneek in a cat, think again. When you are caught, the poor cat is the one that suffers and loses a home. Check Craigslist. Every day there are posts, pages long, of owners trying to rehome cats due to moving or landlord issues. Some are honest people but many knew the rules and risked it anyway.
Third, can you afford another pet?
You will be responsible for yourself. Plus your dog. Your rent, phone, internet, utilities, car payments, car insurance, etc... that's on you, or it should be if you are going off on your own. I own my own home and make a decent living, but about 40% of my income goes straight to those necessities before I even get to buy groceries. And I have 2 dogs. One large and the other medium sized. I also have 2 cats and a blue tongued skink. Out of all of them, the dogs were the most expensive, especially in vet bills. The skink was the cheapest.
The older your dog gets, expect more vet bills and treatment, like arthritis, joint issues, cataracts, dental cleaning, etc. Not just money, you have to take extra time to nurture your dog back to health. Can you handle that financial blow if your cat turns out to have medical issues?
If you can handle the above, then I would suggest a 2nd dog as a companion to your dog than a cat. My dogs love my cats, they are bonded, but they bond much closer to each other.
If a dog isn't possible, a 3-5 month old kitten will work. They adjust easier than adults. Both my current cats were adopted at 3 and 4 months old. Freyja immediately accepted the dogs. However, Happy did not as she was very skittish to new things as a kitten but after a slow intro, they are fine now.
You must know how to do the proper intro. You can find that info everywhere in Google, including tips from Jackson Galaxy.
I had a somewhat similar living situation, happened at least twice, each time looking for a dog friendly cat.
First and foremost, I would wait until AFTER you moved out. It costs a lot of money and time to select and move to a new place. Then, the stress and time required to settle down, ie unbox everything, buying or moving around furniture pieces, having a plumber or electrician check and fix any problems going in and out of the home, etc.
Also, if you are renting which sounds like you are, will your landlord approve? You must get their approval. You may even need to pay pet deposits that can be costly, ie $200 per pet. If you think you can sneek in a cat, think again. When you are caught, the poor cat is the one that suffers and loses a home. Check Craigslist. Every day there are posts, pages long, of owners trying to rehome cats due to moving or landlord issues. Some are honest people but many knew the rules and risked it anyway.
Third, can you afford another pet?
You will be responsible for yourself. Plus your dog. Your rent, phone, internet, utilities, car payments, car insurance, etc... that's on you, or it should be if you are going off on your own. I own my own home and make a decent living, but about 40% of my income goes straight to those necessities before I even get to buy groceries. And I have 2 dogs. One large and the other medium sized. I also have 2 cats and a blue tongued skink. Out of all of them, the dogs were the most expensive, especially in vet bills. The skink was the cheapest.
The older your dog gets, expect more vet bills and treatment, like arthritis, joint issues, cataracts, dental cleaning, etc. Not just money, you have to take extra time to nurture your dog back to health. Can you handle that financial blow if your cat turns out to have medical issues?
Thanks for replying. I appreciate it
Correct, I will be renting. I am looking at complexes that are down though management companies, not condos/homes rented out. All of the ones I am looking at are both cat/dog friendly. I have been saving money that is just for the pet rent/deposit. One of the places I liked said the pet deposit covers both pets which was nice.
I already pay for my dog expense even though I am at home. He is mine, and not the family dog and that was the deal when I got him. My mom helps get him out for walks while I work, but I pay for his things. He's small so he doesn't eat a ton which means his treats and dog food has always gone a long ways. I can handle his costs as I already pay for him. He is pretty healthy, and his vet bills have not been extreme yet. The family dog we had before she passed away was a big Husky/Sheppard mix and my dad said her bills never got too crazy either with her age, only went up about 10-20 bucks.
I've been planning to add a cat and have been saving to do so. I just was not sure if I should look for one soon and give it 6, 3 or 1 month to get adjusted or if I should wait until after. My only fear with getting the cat after a move is even though my dog likes cats. He will be getting use to a strange place, and then adding a new pet into it made me nervous. My dog will be getting a whole routine change and I wasn't sure if it was the best move to add a new cat. My thinking was give them time to bond before the move and they will both have company.
If you can handle the above, then I would suggest a 2nd dog as a companion to your dog than a cat. My dogs love my cats, they are bonded, but they bond much closer to each other.
If a dog isn't possible, a 3-5 month old kitten will work. They adjust easier than adults. Both my current cats were adopted at 3 and 4 months old. Freyja immediately accepted the dogs. However, Happy did not as she was very skittish to new things as a kitten but after a slow intro, they are fine now.
You must know how to do the proper intro. You can find that info everywhere in Google, including tips from Jackson Galaxy.
My dog does not like other dogs sadly. I was at first thinking of getting him a dog buddy. However, he has show no interest in getting to know other dogs. He just barks and gets means.
We have a family friend who helped us get my dog, and the family cat. She fosters so if I got an older one I was going to see if she had any because all her cats are exposed to dogs.
I agree with the advice to wait until after the move and settling in before bringing a cat/kitten into your family. One thing to remember about cats is that they generally don't like changes in their world, and can have some negative side affects such as stress and/or behavioral issues. If you adopt a cat now and all goes well with your Pom, everything could go south after the move if the cat (or dog) doesn't handle it well.
Meeting and accepting a new house mate can go either way for a cat (or at least take some time), and doing that coupled with a move to a new home might be asking too much of the cat. Try to wait until you're settled to find a feline friend for your Pom.
I agree with the advice to wait until after the move and settling in before bringing a cat/kitten into your family. One thing to remember about cats is that they generally don't like changes in their world, and can have some negative side affects such as stress and/or behavioral issues. If you adopt a cat now and all goes well with your Pom, everything could go south after the move if the cat (or dog) doesn't handle it well.
Meeting and accepting a new house mate can go either way for a cat (or at least take some time), and doing that coupled with a move to a new home might be asking too much of the cat. Try to wait until you're settled to find a feline friend for your Pom.
Thank you for the advice. I know when we got the family cat we only had him about 6 months before moving, and my other cat that passed away went through a few moves. I've moved a lot so I wasn't sure because our cats normally seem fine after. Then again our family cat now is super laid back.
Do you think getting a kitten would be best? Or an older cat? I was just going to look around and let the cat pick me. I don't want to just be like "dog needs a car friend so I'm getting this one".
Thank you for the advice. I know when we got the family cat we only had him about 6 months before moving, and my other cat that passed away went through a few moves. I've moved a lot so I wasn't sure because our cats normally seem fine after. Then again our family cat now is super laid back.
Do you think getting a kitten would be best? Or an older cat? I was just going to look around and let the cat pick me. I don't want to just be like "dog needs a car friend so I'm getting this one".
Good question, and the answer depends somewhat on the temperament of your dog. As far as the cat's adaptability goes, you might have a better chance of success with a kitten (at least 2-1/2 to 3 months old). I'm not saying and older cat wouldn't bond with your Pom, but the odds of it are a bit less I think.
On the other side, if your Pom isn't too hyper or pushy when it comes to play, then it may not matter very much as to the kitten's age. If he is, then you might not want to put a very small kitten with him, but go with a cat a little bit older. Kittens can be fragile until they grow a bit.
There's really no hard rules here, as it depends on the temperament of both animals. It's good to have the cat 'pick you', but he/she also needs to 'pick your dog' as well (and vise versa). Your Pomeranian definitely needs to be part of the process.
Drawing on 3 decades of living with multiple cats, I want to say you may be better off with a male cat (neutered of course). Just my personal experience, but I've found them to more loving and laid back, and not as prone to the conflicts and territorial issues that many females have (I'm talking about cats, Ladies).
I've also found Orange cats, which are almost always male, tend to be very friendly and easy going. These aren't blanket statements... just something to keep in mind.
As for the moving part, what I was getting at before is individually each animal may handle the move fine. But moving them to a new home when they haven't known each other very long may undo some of the bond they have, especially on the cats parts. I still think it would raise your chance of success if you wait to bring in the cat until after you have moved. Just one less stress for the cat to deal with.
Of course, after having said all that, you might also find a cat that picks you & the Pom, they become fast friends, and handle the move with no problems. No way to tell for sure really. It's up to the animals, and all this advice is just for things that may or may not happen.
I applaud you for coming here and asking questions. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you good luck and success.
Good question, and the answer depends somewhat on the temperament of your dog. As far as the cat's adaptability goes, you might have a better chance of success with a kitten (at least 2-1/2 to 3 months old). I'm not saying and older cat wouldn't bond with your Pom, but the odds of it are a bit less I think.
On the other side, if your Pom isn't too hyper or pushy when it comes to play, then it may not matter very much as to the kitten's age. If he is, then you might not want to put a very small kitten with him, but go with a cat a little bit older. Kittens can be fragile until they grow a bit.
There's really no hard rules here, as it depends on the temperament of both animals. It's good to have the cat 'pick you', but he/she also needs to 'pick your dog' as well (and vise versa). Your Pomeranian definitely needs to be part of the process.
Drawing on 3 decades of living with multiple cats, I want to say you may be better off with a male cat (neutered of course). Just my personal experience, but I've found them to more loving and laid back, and not as prone to the conflicts and territorial issues that many females have (I'm talking about cats, Ladies).
I've also found Orange cats, which are almost always male, tend to be very friendly and easy going. These aren't blanket statements... just something to keep in mind.
As for the moving part, what I was getting at before is individually each animal may handle the move fine. But moving them to a new home when they haven't known each other very long may undo some of the bond they have, especially on the cats parts. I still think it would raise your chance of success if you wait to bring in the cat until after you have moved. Just one less stress for the cat to deal with.
Of course, after having said all that, you might also find a cat that picks you & the Pom, they become fast friends, and handle the move with no problems. No way to tell for sure really. It's up to the animals, and all this advice is just for things that may or may not happen.
I applaud you for coming here and asking questions. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you good luck and success.
My Pom is not super hyper. I mean he barks don't get me wrong, but he doesn't play much with my cat. They play sometimes, but most the time if I am not around I've been told my dog naps. He gets burst of playfulness but he saves most it for his walks haha
Our family cat is a male, and my cat before that was too. I was looking at just male cats and funny you mention a ginger one. I've always wanted a ginger/orange cat but I was going to go shelters and be like "any male ginger cats?" The most important if it's older is if it had lived with dogs before.
Thank you! I just want to try to do what's best for my Pom, myself and our future cat friend. It's going to be a change and I wan to make it as easy as possible on my Pom and our future cat friend.
My dog's best friend was her brother Tommy.
She was a ****zhu mix and he is a Russian Blue Mix.
Lila was about 2-3 years old and her kitty brother moved in when he was about 3 months old. He loved his sister and ended up being almost twice her size. He'd steal her bed during the day like any cat should, and then he'd move over for her at bed time. He'd spoon her on the couch. They were both really, really laid back.
She moved out a few years ago because we had to put a collar on her that keeps her from snacking out of the litter box and making herself sick. The vet said she was fine and had just developed that craving so she moved in with her grandparents and died this spring, the weekend before her brother ended up back in the emergency room again and the ---- hit the fan with him.
None of my other cats minded her and they were all different ages coming into the home, but she was Tommy's little sister.
A new cat could certainly get along fine with your dog, but I don't know who will be the one to bond with your dog.
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