It’s time to bring them home

You’ve been anticipating the big day. You’ve spent time preparing for it. Getting the right bed, toys, and maybe some soft blankets. Letting your current household residents know it’s happening. It’s time to bring them home.

No, it’s not a new baby.

It’s a new cat or dog.

The problem is, you need to introduce the new pet and the pet you already have, and that can be tricky. Sometimes, pets will take to each other easily, but often, they will understandably be scared, wary and even jealous of each other. It can be a little trickier introducing dogs and cats to each other too, especially if they’ve never seen the other type of animal before.

You’ll want to make sure to consider both animals’ personalities, and plan accordingly. You don’t want them disliking and fighting with each other (though sometimes it will be expected). If you have an aggressive dog, you may want to skip the idea of getting a cat, but an easygoing, friendly dog might welcome a new kitten.

Perhaps introduce your dog or cat to a friend’s dog or cat first, to see how they react, before deciding what new pet to bring into your own home. Once you bring the new animal home, rotate who has freedom in the house; one day the cat, the next day, the dog. This way they can learn to share the home with each other and have some time to explore on their own too. You’ll also want to keep them separated when no humans are home to keep an eye on them.

If you have any questions or problems, you may want to consider consulting a veterinarian or an animal behavioral specialist, because you don’t want stressed out animals. The goal is finding a way to have a happy home.