I've read on a few web sites that westies can be difficult to settle with cats – any suggestions for small breeds that work well with a cat would be welcome. Thanks
You bet. I had 2 cats that were 9 years old and brought home a puppy. They will get used to each other. My dog loves cats now and tries to mother them. You just have to be patient, the cat will set the boundries for the dog. Good luck.
Tags: Westie
Yes they might but since your cat is older they might have some difficulties getting along but over time they'll learn to love eachother(:
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Animal Lover!
You bet. I had 2 cats that were 9 years old and brought home a puppy. They will get used to each other. My dog loves cats now and tries to mother them. You just have to be patient, the cat will set the boundries for the dog. Good luck.
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yes i had a dog and he was 16 years old. we got this kitten and they got on really well.
Also our dog now, when we got him we had a cat and they got along fine. If the cat starts hissing seperate them with a stairgate or something. But you must let them see eachother so they get used to each other.
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personal experiance
My cat was 9 and we got a puppy. He dealt with it. It takes time, but the puppy learns their place and the cat learns their place. We never had any outright attacks or fights with them and they both were very peaceful together. My cat finally passed away, but now when we ask the dog where he is, she cries. It's very sad.
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Me
I you are getting a westie puppy I wouldn't imagine that you would have problems getting it used to the cat. The cat would be the big issue. It would def. show the pup who was the boss around there. Many older cats that haven't been around dogs never do come to like them. It is unlikely that your cat would become too stressed (hair loss, etc.) but not impossible. Most likely your cat would simply hiss at the pup when it was near and stay away from it. Ideally, they would be able to reside peacefully without hissing or swatting but cats aren't usually like that.
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Depends on the cat, but I have a westie who was very lively (still is!) and she took great intrest in the cats, following them around and trying to play with them but they just ignored her.
I had 4 cats at the time and all of them freaked out for the first few days but when they learnt she wasnt a threat, they just ignored her and walked away if she got annoying.
As long as your sensitive with how you introduced them they should be fine. Westies are very playful but still pretty clever so they'll soon learn whos boss in your house. (probably the cats if your home is anything like mine!)
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