Pup or older dog for household with a cat?(update@post8)

Hi
We are looking to buy a puppy now that our home life has become dog friendly. We need to find a breed that will be compatible with a 10 year old female cat who has for the last 9 years had all our attention. Our favourite breed is the Airedale, however i have heard that this is a no no??? All advice is greatfully received and appreciated.

Hi Tracey how exciting that you are now in a position to get a dog



In my experience (but I don't know about Airedales specifically) any dog that has been brought up with the cat is likely to be fine with that particular cat, though maybe not others.

It also depends very much on the cat's character - if she is timid and likely to run away all the time that generally makes matters worse as usually dogs love to chase.

Both the dogs we rescued while our cat was alive learnt very quickly that the cat was boss. We made sure that the cat had safe places to go while they were getting used to each other (e.g. dog not allowed upstairs at first or on the furniture) but if they started to chase him, he would just sit down and stare at them and they would slink off sheepishly


You are of course right to consider your cat, but there are many other considerations when deciding on a particular breed (and whether puppy or rescue), .e.g. whether the dog will be left on his own - if so for how long; how much exercise you are able to give him (and what sort - e.g. free running, street walking etc), whether you want to do any particular type of activity with your dog (e.g. agility)what size of dog, etc. etc.

Puppies and older cats just do not mix in my experience (irrespective of breed). An older calmer dog would probably be better - puppy could get hurt. Just my opinion though.

I would be more than happy to rescue an older dog, however my husband is the one that is adament that it has to be a pup. I work for myself 3 days a week in an environment where I can take the dog with me and have exercise facilities whilst at work. I live in a small village near marsh land and also have a 150ft garden. Purdy the cat is my only worry.

Dont agree with this. But can understand a puppy may want to play more and possibly irritate a cat, but surely this is easier to correct than a dog that has an unknown history of cats?

My advice is to read up on the breeds you love. I do not know about Airedales but they are not particularly easy first dog I would not have thought! Also terriers are often generally not good around cats (but again can live with them fine if introduced properly!).
Or if you go down the rescue route then great, there are a lot of dogs out there...but go for one that has lived happily with a cat.
And then introduce them carefully and gradually.

I have a greyhound (known for the chase!) and he now lives happily alongside my cat....so anything can be done if you go the right way about it

Just out of interest, why is your husband adament about getting a pup? There are pros and cons to both but personally I've always preferred older rescues because
(1) you can walk them straight away
(2) they don't have needle sharp teeth and have already been through the chewing stage
(3) even if they have never lived inside, they are usually faster to house train than a puppy as they have more control over their bladder
(4) If you've never had a dog before, you are not committing yourself for as long a period as you would with a pup (i.e. in case you find dog ownership is not for you).
(5) the devotion they give matches that of a puppy any day.

Of course the downside is that you do have to choose wisely (though that applies to buying a puppy from the right place too) because rescues can have their problems. But there are plenty of dogs in rescue that are there through no fault of their own and who are fairly well trained, gentle, friendly dogs.

Anyway, that's going a bit Off Topic.

I do know of plenty of people that have successfully raised puppies with a cat, but again i'd say it depends on the cat.

How does your cat react to dogs?

I have 4 older cats and have just introduced a pup to them, they were quick at teaching it respect.....But then my cats also live with 2 older dogs...Never has any problems with cats and pups....

Sorry I havent posted on here for quite a while!

A lot has happened since my first request for advice; we got our Airedale puppy at 8 weeks last April and called him Smiffy.

He has been a big bundle of joy, lots of laughter, tears, frustration and most of all love. We have had some downs but mostly ups with him and love him unconditionally.

there is a love/hate relationship between him and the cat; he loves her and she hates him basically, however we all seem to be able to live with this situation. She is very streetwise and knows when he is not around so makes the most of it.

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He is now 19 months old and the love of our lives.

Hi Tracy

We have two dogs & two cats. We adopted Mindy (Beagle x) in July, she was only 7 months old, so still quite a pup!! We also have a large Yorkshire Terrier (10 years old).

The older cat (adopted at 7 year old), arrived into our home, and immediately became the boss!! The Dogs respect both cats and live together quite happily.

If you do decide to rescue, there are young dogs in rescues who do find their forever homes, and a young dog is still able to train without having picked up too much bad behaviour.

Good Luck

So glad to hear about your Smiffy, hope he continues to bring you joy for many years to come.