Getting along is not always easy.
Especially when it comes to your pets. And even more so, when one of them is adopted. We all know the psychological trauma that a rescued dog goes through – so adding a cat to befriend on top of that can be really a challenge.
However, it can also be a positive thing for the rescued dog. Have you seen those videos of some completely incompatible animals becoming friends and hanging out all the time together? Well, that’s what you can try to do to ease the transition from shelter to a home environment. You’re not always going to be there for your new pet, so making sure they have a buddy at home is a great advantage.
Also, don’t worry about breeds compatibility, as I’ve said earlier – it’s not the decisive elements of potential companionship between the pets.
Some people go as far as trying to decipher the Zodiac signs of their pets to make sure that stars are okay with them becoming friends. In case you have absolutely nothing else to do this might not even sound like a complete waste of time. Still, it’s worth noting that you probably should think twice before introducing a pitbull to a small kitty. Or at least keep an eye on them every once in a while. So, even though some precautions are obviously necessary it is generally believed that you can match virtually any animal, let alone cats & dogs.
A report by the American Veterinary Medical Association indicated that 44% of U.S. pet owners have multiple pets at their homes and, expectedly, the most popular combo was that of a cat & dog. Now, I think we can count that iguana + horse owners and the likes of them are a minor fraction represented in this data, so, basically, a big chunk of all pet owners are pretty comfortable with having both a dog and a cat. Granted, having a rescue animal might make it a bit harder to accommodate peaceful co-existence, but with enough love and care this is easily achievable.
The benefits of such setting overweigh the risks you might face.
You can bolster your rescued dog adaptation to a wholly new lifestyle, environment and regime. Just imagine going to a new country, school, work, etc – you’d rather have a friend by your side. Sure, you’re going to be the main person for your dog, but let’s be honest – they’d relate to a cat a bit more easily.
You can expect the fun of owning a pet double and triple easily, this will be a completely new experience for you. It certainly isn’t as idealistic as in the Secret Life of Pets, but you can definitely achieve an amazing atmosphere at your household which would be totally real and not animated.
If you were having second thought on adopting a dog because of the commotion it can cause with your cat – this data should encourage you. If almost half the pet-owners are doing it – you certainly can!
